LONG-serving Burnley solicitor Colin Sanderson has been appointed to the shadow board of the new company which will take over Burnley's 5,600-home housing stock if tenants vote to give the go-ahead this year.

Mr Sanderson is one of six independent representatives on the 18-strong board, which also includes councillors and tenants' members. Fellow independents just appointed include Marianne Hood, a consultant and former director of the national Tenant Participation Advisory Service, Kate Smyth, a consultant and former chairman of the regional Housing Association Committee, Damian Southworth, finance manager for North British Housing Association, Nasreen Akhtar, a Burnley College training manager and Patrick Collins a housing client officer with Pendle council.

Council shadow board members are: Rafique Malik, Burnley's housing committee chairman, former mayor Peter Swainston, Labour's Lilian Clark and Carole Barber, Coun Peter McCann of the Liberal Democrats and Inpendent party member, Coun Bob Chadwick.

Tenants' representatives are Wynn McGeorge, Alfred Green, Tony Brankin, Brian Campbell, Fred Melbourne and Stuart Thomas.

Board members will receive no remuneration for their services.

The new local housing company will take full control of all Burnley's council houses and estates in April 2000 if tenants give a 'yes' vote at a May ballot.

That would trigger a £75 million "sell off" releasing £40 million to be spent on much-needed improvements to council houses over the following five years - cash not available to the council under the present system of control.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.