£173m investment unveiled for Wirral council homes

Wirral Metropolitan Borough Council will invest £173m in upgrading its housing stock if tenants vote to transfer 14,500 council houses to a registered social landlord.

The tenant ballot is due to be held next month. If tenants vote in favour of the deal then the housing stock will be transferred to the newly formed Wirral Partnership Homes in January 2005.

In the following seven years £173m will be spent on bringing the stock up to the government's Decent Homes Standard.

The council wants to set up long-term strategic partnerships with contractors to carry out the work, which will be packaged into geographical areas.

The contracts will be for an initial five-year period with a further possible two-year extension depending upon performance.

Work will be let under TPC2001, a bespoke form of partnering contract based on the PPC2000 contract.

Firms have until 10 February to express interest in the work.