A BALLOT for ANCHO tenants to decide if they want to form a partnership with Cairn Housing Association will open this week with participants able to vote by post, phone, text message or online.

If tenants vote in favour of the proposal, ANCHO will form a partnership with Cairn Housing Association, but maintain its own identity, with services still being delivered by the existing local team in Irvine.

All tenants have the opportunity to vote between May18 and June 15 after an extensive public consultation process with tenants was completed and the Scottish Housing Regulator granted permission to proceed to a ballot.

ANCHO have promised the partnership will bring benefits to tenants, which include: local services from the ANCHO team in Irvine, with support from Cairn; £4.5million in additional investment with hundreds of new kitchens and other home improvements; An affordable rent guarantee for five years, with lower rent increases than proposed by a stand-alone ANCHO and the potential to develop new affordable homes in North Ayrshire.

Since February representatives from ANCHO and Cairn have been speaking to tenants on their doorsteps and say a strong majority indicate they are in favour of the proposed partnership. Ballot papers and information on how to vote will be sent out to tenants shortly.

Jackie Browne, Chair of ANCHO, said: “Our proposal to our tenants will allow us to keep rents affordable whilst significantly increasing the pace we can carry out work to their homes, which includes fitting hundreds of new kitchens and other improvements. Cairn are a great fit for us to work with and understand the importance of ANCHO maintaining its presence in Irvine where our staff know all of our tenants well.”