CHANGE is inevitable for council house tenants, but there are alternative ways the council could provide sufficient funding.

These include creating an arms-length management company, bringing in the private sector through the Private Finance Initiative (PFI) and mass privatisation through Large Scale Voluntary Transfer (LSVT).

The change, whatever form it takes, will mark the end of more than 80 years of the current system of entirely self-funded council-owned housing.

But the real start of Bolton's social housing scene can be traced back to the 19th century and the mass migration of workers to the town to provide labour for the cotton industry.

Bolton Corporation's intervention in the housing scene came as Bolton's rapidly expanding population found itself living in cellars and the infamous back-to-back terraced rows. By 1918 the shortage of housing was so severe that the council began to build its own. The first was the Platt Hill estate, followed by Green Lane and Firwood.

And by 1939, 6,500 homes had been built by the authority. By this time the council had already begun slum clearance of older, dilapidated properties.

As the years progressed what can be recognised as modern-day Bolton began to take shape with council properties spreading out along roads such as Deane Road, Wigan Road, Plodder Lane and Green Lane.

The council says its new proposals for a Community Regeneration Company (CRC) to take control of the housing stock will have little real impact on tenants.

Apart from the promised improvements, tenants will continue to pay weekly rent to the CRC in much the same way they do to the council now.

Council housing staff will be transferred to the employment of the CRC except for those areas of statutory responsibility that still fall under council control.

Cllr Noel Spencer, executive member for housing, said close discussions had taken place with town hall unions over the proposals.

Housing experts also predict the extra funding made available will lead to more jobs rather than redundancies.

The council says the plans for the CRC at present do not include outlines for the construction of new homes - a role which may fall solely to housing associations and the private sector.