THE
DISTRESSED TENANTS
OF
LONGTOWN AT LAST
GET A
CHANCE
TO SPEAK OUT
Things
have moved quickly in Longtown, near Carlisle since the spotlight was turned
on a stormy meeting in the town and a
large number of annoyed and frustrated tenants.
 |
| Longtown from the air.........
The town is at the northern
fringe of Cumbria
which was the centre of
Anglo-Scottish disputes for
centuries and became known
as the Debatable Lands.
Four hundred years later,
the debate is resumed
through the Scottish referendum
on independence in September
|
They
are forced to eat and sleep in one room because they cannot afford to heat
other rooms. And this appalling situation has gone on for nearly two years with
one old lady facing a fuel bill of £3,500.
Tenants
are unable to understand why this has dragged on over two winters - and why
tenants who complain have been threatened with eviction. Tenants suspect a
cover-up.
A
group of them, desperate for help, contacted Carlisle Tenants` and Residents`
Federation –the Federation publishes this blog- and at meeting in Carlisle they
urged support for some emergency action.
The
disastrous story started when their landlord,
Riverside Housing Association, a giant Liverpool property organisation,
decided to install solar panels
in 175 properties in Longtown with the
promise of cheaper electricity fortenants through reduced fuel bills.
But it didn`t work out like that and for about half the properties, fuel bills
rocketed. And there has been no sign of the £70 a week that tenants estimate
each property makes through the sale of electricity to the national grid.
The Federation
quickly responded to the tenants` approach with a protest sent to
Riverside and request for
an urgent investigation and
emergency action to help the 80
or so affected.
 |
| Supporting constituents ..Rory Stewart M.P (holding document) He says "no heating is unacceptable" Picture taken near Kirkby Stephen. |
Two
local councillors, Ray Bloxham ( Mayor of Carlisle) and Val Tarbitt are also very concerned and like Mr Stewart are giving the tenants total support.And
the four Carlisle city councillors on the board of Riverside have also been
contacted for help.
A
Federation spokesman said today:”This is a shocking story, particularly the
threat to evict those who complain. Riverside seems to have no duty of care for
its tenants >>>nor any respect for its
tenancy agreements.
“Tenants
have no voice- no democratic body to represent
them. Riverside abolished about a dozen democratic local tenants groups
when it took over the council houses in
the Carlisle area eleven years ago.
“That
abolition was a disgrace. It now appears that Riverside`s answer to distressed
tenants who complain is a threat to evict them.”
Community
Voice Carlisle is the blog of Carlisle Tenants and Residents` Federation.
Information about the Federation is on
the first post of this blog, dated March 25 2013
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