| Administration leader Jill Shimi was responding to reports the Dundee Federation of Tenants Associations (DFTA) had called for a full ballot of tenants on the issue of stock transfer and had claimed tenants were being used to justify a political decision.
Councillor Shimi said the reports came as a complete surprise to her as she was not aware of anyone from the federation having expressed such a view to the administration.
“The suggestion that tenants have been used for political ends has never been made to me and I would refute it completely,” she said.
The Scottish Executive is prepared to write off Dundee’s £115 million housing debt, but only if wholesale stock transfer takes place.
Only around 3.5% of council tenants responded to a consultation process undertaken by the federation — fewer than 600 out of 16,500.
Those who did respond showed a 2:1 majority in favour of staying with the council, leading the administration to announce it would not go ahead with stock transfer.
That decision has been criticised, notably by Conservative councillors, because of the poor response to consultation.
Now it appears the federation is calling for a full ballot of tenants on the stock transfer issue.
Mrs Shimi said the council had regular dialogue with the DFTA and this issue had not been raised.
“We have a history of consulting with the tenants and responding to their views,” she said. “It was through listening to their views that the new housing repairs centre on Clepington Road came into being.”
Mrs Shimi said the administration was looking at all the options for improving council housing in Dundee, apart from wholesale stock transfer. She said a range of options would be presented to tenants once proposals had been developed and it was possible there could be a ballot then.
No one from the DFTA was available to comment today. |
