Our History

Several years ago, the Confederation of Co-operative Housing, Co-operative Union and Chartered Institute of Housing developed a new way of thinking for council housing stock transfer. They felt there was scope to allow tenants to gradually take greater control over their communities.

So they developed a new style of involving tenants in decision-making about their homes and neighbourhoods - called the Community Gateway.

This way of working means that tenants can be involved in local plans and decisions as much, or as little, as they want. And time and money is made available to help residents learn and develop their skills, and influence their landlord's work in a meaningful way.

Preston City Council was the first local authority in England to pursue stock transfer through the Community Gateway approach. The council realised that the level of investment needed to bring homes up to the national Decent Homes Standard was not available from its own finances.

But transferring all the stock was not a popular option - unless there was a way that local people could get involved and make positive social change happen in the city. Developing the Community Gateway Association was the perfect solution to a tricky problem.

For further information on the CGA's development, and information about how the Community Gateway approach works, please visit the frequently asked questions (FAQs) or downloads pages.