RAMSBOTTOM tenants have voted overwhelmingly to hand their estate over to a housing association.

Out of 58 votes cast, 52 tenants of St Andrew's Close said "yes" to be taken over by Portico, rather than stay with Manchester City Council.

Now the North West housing association has promised to invest £1 million into the estate which they feel has been neglected for the past 12 months. St Andrew's Estate is an overspill from Manchester City Council.

A lack of much needed investment has meant the bungalows for the elderly have become run-down and unfit for living in. And the houses need immediate repairs - which the cash-strapped council say they cannot afford.

A year ago, in conjunction with START (the St Andrews Association of Residents and Tenants), Manchester City Council sought to provide investment in the estate through the housing association Portico. In an unusual step, START organised a formal ballot for tenants to decide whether to accept the proposals. This is only the second time tenants in the North West have held a formal ballot, normally a postal vote is held. w Mr Derek Foden, former chairman of START, said: "The vote shows what the tenants want.

"The estate needs money and tenants have shown they think a housing association will offer a good deal.

"The last 12 months have been very hard work for members of START."

Work on St Andrew's Close will start next April, and Portico will be working closely with Bolton and Bury TEC in order to employ local people, including those on the estate, to carry out contract work. Chief executive of Portico Mr Mike Creamer said: "We are delighted to have been chosen so decisively by the tenants.

"They were involved right from the start and we will continue to involve them in the future with improvements and decisions."

Deputy chair of Manchester housing, Coun Kath Bloch said: "We are very pleased for the tenants and Portico. It will make a £1 million difference, money which the council didn't have."

Coun Bloch added: "We are hoping, with the full agreement of other tenants, that this will be the future of other overspill estates."

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