A scheme to offer £10 shopping vouchers to council tenants who attend meetings looks set to cost at least £3,400.

Braintree Council is offering the vouchers to people who go to one of a series of meetings across the district.

The meetings are the next phase in the council's housing options programme, which is looking towards a ballot of tenants to decide whether the housing stock should be transferred to a housing association.

A spokesman for the council said: "At the moment 340 have officially signed up, but we are hoping to get more."

The first meeting was held in Sible Hedingham where 19 people attended.

Owing to the popularity of the session at Causeway House, in Braintree, the council is having to hold two meetings there in one day.

A total of ten meetings are being held across the district, which includes Witham and Halstead, concluding on December 3. The council has budgeted £940,000 for the entire housing options process. This includes the provision of the vouchers.

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Published Tuesday, November 15, 2005

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