Plans for council tenants to turn into caretakers, rent collectors, repair supervisors and debt managers through a proposed Community Housing Trust (CHT) will be discussed at a public council meeting tonight.

The Community Housing Trust Shadow Board, which was unexpectedly cancelled earlier this month, will meet at Kingston’s Guildhall.

CHT plans will affect council tenants living across the borough including in Sheephouse Way, Kingsnympton and Alpha Road estates.

The Cambridge Road estate’s Piper Hall hosted a heated public meeting into the subject only last Thursday where about 30 residents expressed fears the scheme was already a "done deal".

Councillor Cathy Roberts, lead for housing, absent-mindedly said "when it comes in" prompting jeering and shouts of "it's a done deal" and "they've already decided".

Previously residents had raised serious concerns about the consultation process and many attendees to the meeting were unclear about what exactly the proposals would mean.

A woman at the meeting said: "What my concern is we've been talking here for a half hour and we're still not clear on this.”

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Darren Welsh, head of housing at Kingston Council, spent much of the evening answering questions about cost, liability and what services would be covered by the CHT.

He said: "It is a genuine offer from the council to give residents more of a say in the way decision are made and in the way services are run."

Mr Welsh dispelled myths that rent prices would change, stating the council would still set the rent.

Residents’ rights would stay the same and there were no plans for the council to privatise council homes, he added. Despite his reassurances, the majority of the audience still remained unclear about what exactly they would be signing up to.

It was also pointed out that only eight out of 18 CHTs established in London in the past five years had remained.

Kingston Council previously said it had collected support for the CHT through a door to door consultation.

But many residents requested a ballot vote on the proposals leading to Mr Welsh to tell them this was not part of the strategy.

He caused mutterings of disbelief when he said 800 to 1,000 residents were found to be in favour of a CHT, and this could be enough to take it further.

Cambridge Road estate resident Ray Brown said: "They [the council] don't have a legal responsibility to prove that the results are what they are, but they do have a moral responsibility."

Surrey Comet:

The Cambridge Road estate

According to Mr Welsh's figures, it was estimated about 60 per cent of residents were unsure about the CHT proposals, 17 per cent were against and about 23 per cent were in favour.

The consultation process in expected to continue until after Christmas.

The CHT is proposed to be made up of an elected board of residents and leaseholders dealing with the majority of council housing concerns and frontline services.

The scheme modelled on Welwyn Hatfield Council aims to put residents in charge of running their own homes and estates.

But in April, Tory-led Welwyn Hatfield announced its CHT was under review with the possibility of housing being taken back under council-control after five years.

Newly-formed protest group Kingston Defend Council Housing (KDCH) has previously spoken out about the plans saying it would be too costly and be far from putting residents in charge.

The Community Housing Trust Shadow Board will meet tonight (Wednesday,  September 30) at the Guildhall in High Street, Kingston from 7.30pm.