UNION leaders have urged council house tenants in Hyndburn to reject a sell-off of council houses.

A ballot is set to be held next year after a tenants' jury voted in favour of a stock transfer last month .

If the ballot is in favour, ownership of the council's 36,000 properties would transfer to a housing association like Blackburn with Darwen's Twin Valley.

It was one of four options put forward by the council, but Hyndburn and Rossendale Trade Union Council says the council should retain control of the stock.

A year ago the council revealed a £2million repair bill to bring homes up to the government's decency standard.

The TUC held a meeting in Accrington Town Hall to mobilise tenants against the possible sell-off and claims to have tenant support.

But tenant representatives say their fears are unfounded.

TUC secretary Peter Billington said he feared rents might rise and commercial interests would come before the tenants' needs. We want to campaign to ensure that tenants vote 'No' next year in the ballot to transfer council housing out of the control of Hyndburn Council.

"Any company which takes over council housing will not be accountable to tenants. It will be a business and will have financia,l rather than social, objectives.

"Any council tenants or local councillors on the board of the company will be obliged to put the financial interests of the company first.

"There is no guarantee that rents will not rise dramatically within a short time.

"The audit commission found that privatised council house rents in some area had risen by up to 85 per cent within five years of sell-off.

"There will be a two-tier rent system with new tenants being liable to pay more."

But a spokesman for the tenants' participation committee, said: "All these issues came up.

"As far as we know the stock transfer is in the best interests of the tenants.

"It doesn't mean the council are going to take it up, it's not a done deal. We should know better after the council meeting later this month.

"I think they will look at it in more details then it goes eventually to the tenants to vote on it.

"The rents will stay, the government has set a maximum rent."

The TUC said it would hold another meeting in January to gauge public opinion.