THE company managing Sheffield's 42,000 council homes has been accused of using a board game to 'hoodwink' tenants into approving millions of pounds of service cuts.
In a consultation session Sheffield Homes, which looks after council-owned properties in the city, offered 100 tenants' representatives the chance to play The Price is Right – a game designed to help them better understand the budget-setting process.
Tenants were asked to choose £4million of savings from a range of options, including reducing the neighbourhood warden service, closing area offices and reducing the number of times the grass is cut each year.
They were also asked to choose £1million of possible investments.But councillors have accused Sheffield Homes of trying to get tenants' representatives to unwittingly approve service cuts.
Labour councillor Chris Weldon said the 'deceitful' exercise was presented to tenants as a meaningless game which in fact will directly influence next year's budget. He said councillors felt tenants were being "hoodwinked" into ratifying service cuts. And councillors on the scrutiny board refused to play the game, originally developed by an agency in West Bromwich, calling it a 'veiled attempt' to hide the serious implications of budget cuts.
Coun Weldon said the board members were led to believe the game involved simulated figures, until they recognised the numbers as coming from the actual budget.
Councillors from both main political parties then called off the meeting.
But Sheffield Homes chief executive Peter Morton said the game was designed to "introduce lay people to complex budgeting issues" and to enable tenants to "prioritise savings and improvements to services".
"The process has been as transparent as it is possible to be," he said. "It is clear that the figures are taken from the real budget but we have also made it very clear that the eventual budgeting decisions are going to be made by the council.
"Our customers have the right to be consulted and I am proud to say that we have had some great feedback from the tenants who took part in this exercise at our annual meeting.
He added that the company had invited area boards to take part in the consultation last Thursday and the results would be fed into the budgeting process for next year.
In a letter to Sheffield Homes on behalf of Labour councillors, Coun Weldon said: "We are very supportive of endeavours to engage tenants into a wider understanding into the issues associated with housing management. But we very much object to serious budget issues being treated as a game, when any decisions would have significant implications for tenants and the services they rely on. This exercise is a veiled attempt to hide the serious implications of service cuts for Sheffield tenants."
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