Plymouth City Council have bent over backwards to make sure that the formation of Plymouth Community Homes went ahead as they had hoped. Its formation meant that the not for profit Plymouth Community Homes would have access to hundreds of millions of pounds of funding to bring the Councils neglected and poorly maintained properties up to the EU Decent Homes Standards. This was supposed to have been acheived by 2010 however Plymouth City Council had neither the money, nor the resources to complete the requirement.

Plymouth Community Homes (PCH) is mainly made up from former Plymouth City Council housing staff and executives and yet is supposed to be autonomous from the Council. Conveniently this means that responsibility for what happens to council housing estates in the future (including privately owned ex-council homes on those estates) can no longer be blamed on the Plymouth City Council who will be quick to point out that PCH is now in charge of management and redevelopement.

Private owners of ex-council houses were excluded from the vote which brought about the 66% in favour vote to form PCH, being told by Plymouth City Council that they had no business voting as the Stock transfer would not effect them. Surely the only reason for this was the fact that had private residents had right to vote the formation of PCH would not have been favourable. Ominously the ballot was also a secret one so the true results are not available to the public.

Since the results of the unfair vote Private Home Owners have been bombarded with a series of Newspaper Articles and media reports that basically imply that Private home owners in North Prospect can look forward to the possiblility of their homes being demolished as part of the futre plans of Plymouth Community Homes to redevelope the whole estate.

It is unlikely given that PCH was sponsored by Plymouth City Council and formed by the Council that any future Planning Applications made on behalf of PCH will be contested or turned down by the Planning Department. Basically giving PCH a carte blanche to do as they please.

So far the formation of PCH has done nothing for Private home owners accept cause concern, uncertainty and anguish.