Caerphilly County Borough Council has said it expects to announce the result of its homes transfer vote on the same day the ballot closes.
Council tenants have until midday on Friday February 17 to cast their vote on whether their homes remain under council ownership.
The ballot will determine whether the council’s homes can transfer to the new, not-for-profit, Community Housing Mutual, Castell Mynydd, or if they will stay with the council.
Transfer can only go ahead if the majority of tenants who vote in the ballot, vote ‘yes.’
A council spokesman said: “The announcement is expected late afternoon, although there is a chance that the result could be delayed to the following Monday if the count is not completed on Friday afternoon.”
Last week council Leader Allan Pritchard urged tenants to use their vote.
He said: “If tenants don’t use their ballot paper, they will not have had their say on the transfer proposal – one way or the other. We are urging tenants who haven’t returned their ballot paper not to waste their opportunity to have their say on such an important issue.”
Tenants were due to vote on the transfer of the council’s 10,980 houses to social landlord Castell Mynydd in November 2011.
In October 2011, Caerphilly County Borough Council revealed that it could match the £173 million needed to upgrade and maintain its properties to the Welsh Housing Quality Standard.
It had previously stated the only way to get the housing to the WHQS was to transfer the stock to a new social landlord to release Government funding.
The revelation that the council could afford the changes to its homes was forced by Labour councillors, who entered into a political row with the leading Plaid Cymru group over the issue.
Council tenants should have received their ballot papers through the post from Electoral Reform Services, an independent and widely respected organisation that runs ballots for trades unions and building societies, for example.
Once completed, Council tenants are asked to post it back using the FREEPOST envelope provided. You can also vote by phone, internet or text and information on how to do this was provided.
The vote is confidential – no-one, including the council and Castell Mynydd, will ever know which way individual tenants have voted.
If tenants have misplaced their ballot paper, they can contact the Electoral Reform Services on 0208 889 9203.