TWO politicians have called for a planned merger between the troubled Cantref housing association and Wales and West to be stopped and a judicial review to be carried out.

The merger, which will see the Newcastle Emlyn base kept but the Cantref name lost, was approved at a shareholders’ meeting last week.

The £30m deal would result in the Wales and West Housing Association taking control of around 1,800 Cantref properties.

But Carmarthen East and Dinefwr MP Jonathan Edwards and AM Adam Price, are concerned about “sub-standard” housing and claim there has been a “deplorable” lack of consultation with tenants.

Mr Price said: “The Welsh Government has been negligent in its monitoring and support of Cantref. If the cabinet secretary for housing allows this merger to proceed without the input of tenants, it will rightly be seen as a cynical move to mask the abject failures of the Welsh Government.”

A Cantref spokesman said: “Our tenants are our number one priority and this merger will ensure they continue to receive the best service possible and that housing services can continue to grow and develop.”

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