WORRIED residents of Poole Housing Partnership (PHP) are set to demonstrate outside the civic centre next week.

Campaigners will be handing in a petition, signed by 350 tenants, urging Borough of Poole (BOP) bosses to not reduce or close any services provided by PHP.

Some residents fear this move could be in the pipeline, as part of the borough’s Strategic Review of Housing Management.

Avril King, chairman of the tenant involvement and empowerment panel at PHP-managed Sterte Court, told the Echo: “We haven’t been asked to comment on this really, we’ve been part of a couple of exercises where we’ve been asked what PHP could do better, that sort of thing.

“But residents felt this review wasn’t really looking at anything positive PHP does.

“I’m a tenant with PHP and the help they’ve given to our community has been beyond amazing. Whereas, BOP, you have to struggle to get anywhere with them.

PHP, who declined to comment, manages the social housing which is owned by BOP.

Avril said: “We feel some councillors are determined to take back the housing stock.

“PHP manage it to an amazing extent. We don’t know that there will be any recommendation for the borough to take back management of its housing stock, but we really wanted to have our say.

“We’ve been told that even if it remains as an arms length management organisation, it is not written in stone the borough will take any notice. This is what is concerning us. We want to make sure that they know it is not going to happen without a fight.”

The petition will be handed in to the council meeting scheduled for Tuesday evening.

It states: “We call upon the Borough of Poole to ensure that tenants and leaseholders are empowered to play a full and active part of any decisions which may fundamentally change the way in which our services are delivered, and that the council rejects any recommendations from the Strategic Review of Housing Management which could result in the closure or reduction of services provided by Poole Housing Partnership.”