Selby council bosses were today labelled "diabolical" over their attempts to win support for the controversial housing sell-off.

Council leaders came under fire after it emerged many households had received multiple copies of the documents and a video promoting the transfer.

Opposition councillors also claimed council employees were recording tenants' voting intentions, a charge strongly denied by Selby District Council chiefs.

Councillor Doreen Davies said she was fed-up of people blaming her and other Labour councillors for the "wasteful" consultation exercise.

She said the council had "gone too far" with a video sent to all tenants, and she had been fielding complaints about the campaign.

She said: "It is time to speak out now against the waste. I am sick of the complaints.

"I have kept quiet for a long, long time to let the people decide by themselves, but I am getting the feedback of how angry people are. We have kept quiet, but now people are saying you are wasting so much money."

"They are not only getting one piece of literature per house. If there is more than one person in the house they are getting lots. Somebody turned round to me and said they would put the video straight in the bin. I am just absolutely disgusted."

The video features former Emmerdale star Johnny Leeze.

Coun Davies also spoke out over rumours council staff were asking tenants how they intended voting.

One Barlby tenant, who would not be named, told the Evening Press an "N" had been written beside her name on a list after she told a council worker she planned voting "No".

Coun Davies said: "What they are doing is force-feeding people. I understand that they have allegedly got workmen from the district council asking tenants if they are going to say yes. I think it is absolutely diabolical."

But Steve Martin, the council's strategic director, denied tenants' voting intentions were being recorded.

He said employees were visiting tenants to check they had received the documents, and to ask if they had any queries.

He said: "All staff that are out have a set script. The nearest you would get to any indication is the very last question, which is 'What do you think about transfer'?"

He said: "We will speak to the team and reiterate that, but I would categorically say that there is nowhere to mark that people intend voting one way."

Council leader Mark Crane said the council had no choice but to send multiple copies of the documents and videos to some homes.

He said: "Anybody who is named on the tenancy agreement must legally receive a copy of the documentation and the video, so if we have three people we have to send three copies.

"I regret it, and I know it seems a waste of money, but we legally have to do it."

Updated: 10:06 Friday, January 27, 2006