OLD people are to be asked whether they want to switch from being council tenants to a housing association or private landlord.

Their choice will determine what happens to sheltered flats and bedsits at Underbank House in Bacup.

The council is deciding whether to keep the flats and bedsits - delaying improvements until money is available - or selling them to another landlord who will carry out renovations immediately.

Rossendale's housing committee has opted to leave the decision to the elderly residents. Conversion of some of the bedsits into one-bedroomed flats is partly completed but lack of council cash is delaying the programme.

Bacup estates management board, in charge of day-to-day running of council homes, has pledged to 'fight to the end' to hang on to Underbank House.

But councillors have ruled that the decision must be left to residents. Now a meeting is to be set up between councillors and tenants.

Housing Committee chairman Coun Paulinus Barnes said: "When Underbank House was built it was state of the art but bedsit accommodation isn't really suited to the modern day. "The conversion programme is under way but we're looking at a distant date in the future for the work to be completed under present arrangements.

"We need to talk to the people living there to see what their preferences are."

Councillors gave the go-ahead for an approach to housing associations and private developers to solve the problem of empty homes in other parts of Bacup.

The committee was told one in 12 homes in the town was empty and the crisis was worsening. In some areas more than half were empty.

Housing director David Taylor said intensive advertising of empty council homes was starting to have an effect but there was still no demand for properties on Pennine Road Estate.

Possible options will be discussed with private or housing association landlords.

But the council has renewed its support for the multi-agency group which has been meeting since 1997 to improve living conditions in Bacup.

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