CHORLEY Borough Council's information bus has hit the road as the authority prepares radical new plans for its housing stock.

Nicknamed 'Beni', the motor home will tour the area as part of the Council's 'Your Home, Your Say' housing consultation campaign.

The consultation programme, which also includes a series of public meetings, newsletters for householders and a team of independent tenant advisors, comes after the council launched a stock options appraisal.

The project, which will continue until October, is designed to consider the best future for local authority housing in the area and how the council funds and delivers housing services.

It will consider four possible alternative ways of paying for local authority housing services:

Keeping and improving the thousands of homes under the council's control.

Selling them to another body such as a housing association.

Considering a Private Finance Initiative (PFI).

Moving them to an "arm's length management organisation" which is still connected to the council.

Councillor Laura Lennox, Chorley's executive member for housing services, explained: "This is a very important project for the council and thousands of tenants across the borough."

A newsletter giving a timetable for the information bus and dates, time and places for consultation events is currently being distributed to tenants.

A team of independent advisors, PS Consultants, have been appointed by a group of tenants.

They will be available to provide advice and answer any queries tenants may have about the project. They are available on freephone number 0800 0852 207.

The stock options appraisal is being carried out by the Council as part of a Government drive to achieve a minimum standard for all local authority homes by 2010. Chorley Borough Council also has its own standard called the Chorley Homes Standard.

A spokesman for the council said that tenants who do not receive the second newsletter by Friday, July 16, should call 01257 515531.