The east of England's biggest-ever stock transfer is set to go to ballot next month and looks set to be very close-run.
Peterborough council hopes to transfer its 10,195 homes to a new housing association, Cross Keys Homes. The transfer would be the third biggest in the country this year, behind Wakefield and Middlesbrough which have transferred 36,000 and 13,000 homes respectively.

The most recent surveys show just over half of Peterborough's 13,000 tenants favour transfer, one in 10 oppose it and a quarter have yet to decide.

Peterborough has not yet seen significant anti-transfer activity, but Mark Weeks, national coordinator for anti-transfer group Defend Council Housing, said he hoped to turn more tenants against the council's plans. "We'll be there," he said. "We've been in touch with people in Peterborough about it."

However Ben Ticehurst, head of housing strategy at the council, said the numbers in favour of transfer had increased from the start of the campaign and he was confident they would rise further.

As part of its strategy to win the battle for hearts and minds, the council has set up a free hotline to answer questions from tenants, held meetings and has made a video explaining the transfer starring Jeremy Spake of docusoap Airport.

If we didn’t transfer we’d have to make cuts of £500,000 a year

Ben Ticehurst, Peterborough council

Other big councils in the region – Chelmsford, Cambridge, South Bedfordshire and Southend – all experienced well-organised "no" campaigns led by DCH. All received "no" votes apart from Chelmsford, which got a "yes" in March 2002.

Ticehurst said: "The trust rating for information from the council is very high, but we know there is still time for DCH to come here.

"If we didn't transfer we would have to make cuts of £500,000, cumulatively, a year. We would have neighbourhood offices shutting. Instead of 5000 new kitchens in five years, you would get 1500 new kitchens in 10 years."

Stock transfer is the only option for the council. It needs between £10m and £24m over 10 years if it is to meet the decent homes standard and also needs £67m-£81m to reach the enhanced version of the target outlined in its stock condition survey. Arm's-length management would not solve its problems. It has to repay £7.2m subsidy because its rents are above last year's national targets and it has a one star rating, not the two needed for government ALMO funding.