I refer to the letter from Mr Hesford, council tenant (Star September 20) alleging that I have painted a rosy picture of a council house transfer. My role as Independent Tenants Adviser is to ensure that tenants are presented with a true and balanced comparison of the choices available to them between staying with the council or transferring to the new, not for profit Registered Social Landlord, Helena Housing.

All the information that has been issued by the council has been verified for distribution by the Government, the Housing Corporation, legal advisers and my organisation, Bower Mattin, as being factually correct.

Since October last year I have been working alongside tenant representatives to address the type of concerns expressed by Mr Hesford to ensure that the offer made by the council did not contain any of the pitfalls mentioned.

If tenants vote in favour of transfer to Helena Housing, it will become a not for profit Registered Social Landlord. It will be managed by a voluntary and unpaid board of managers. Schedule 1 of the Housing Act 1996 prevents voluntary board members and their families receiving payments and benefits and therefore it is unreasonable to assume that expenses may become salaries.

In respect of the rents, the method in reaching the target rents has been set by the Government and not by St Helens Council. The new rent restructure guidelines will apply equally to the council and Helena Housing.

Rents will basically be the same with either landlord in 10 years time so the choice for tenants is to identify what they would get for their money. There would be no change to tenants entitlement to Housing Benefit as a result of transfer. Furthermore regulations governing Housing Benefit payments apply equally to tenants whether they are with the council or a Registered Social Landlord such as Helena Housing.

The Consultation Document and accompanying Easy Guide and Video, together with issue 2 of Your Home, Your Future, Your Choice, and Issues 2 and 3 of Tenants News, all contained articles describing the rights that tenants would have with Helena Housing.

Tenants have been advised of the statutory rights that would be protected and contractual rights that would be contained within the new tenancy agreement as well as those rights that would not be protected. A significant safeguard for tenants is that the new tenancy agreement could not be changed without their individual consent.

I would like to assure Mr Hesford and St Helens council tenants that Helena Housing would not ask tenants to move if their home is deemed unsuitable for their needs, and the question could only arise when a tenant dies and succession rights are in question.

The current St Helens Council tenancy agreement contains a clause on succession rights. This details tenants entitlement to pass on their tenancy to a close member of their family in the event of their death.

Where that property may be unsuitable for that tenants needs (ie significantly adapted to suit he needs of a disabled resident or sheltered accommodation where the incoming tenant would not fit the criteria for that type of property) the council have a right to withhold the succession right and offer the new tenant suitable alternative accommodation.

This right would be duplicated in the Helena Housing's tenancy agreement if a transfer proceeds. However it should be noted that St Helens council has never invoked this right, and given the relatively high supply and low demand of social rented housing in the Borough, it is hard to believe that Helena Housing would need to act otherwise.

I fully agree with Mr Hesford that tenants should read the information properly and in detail. But that means reading the full story and not being selective.

Ruksana Nabi (Miss)