PRESS STATEMENT
Council deputy` s
comments "offensive",
says community group
 |
| Statements of discontent not allowed..Darren Crossley |
Some years ago , Carlisle Tenants` and Residents` Federation was
encouraged by the council to attend meetings of its
Community Overview and Scrutiny Panel and engage with the council by
asking oral questions which the panel chairman answered.
The Federation says in the report that it now finds it
increasingly difficult to do this because the council has not been
allowing the questions without a lot of alterations.
On the last occasion, the Federation`s questions were blocked by Mr Crossley.
On the last occasion, the Federation`s questions were blocked by Mr Crossley.
The Federation protested but Mr Crossley in his ruling said in an
email: : “The facility for questions is an opportunity for residents to
engage with the council and not to provide organisations with a platform to
make statements of discontent”.
The federation report says that this ruling is offensive.
A spokesman for the Federation said today:” We are not in the business
of making statements of discontent.
“We are in the business of supporting tenants and leaseholders of
Riverside Housing Association because Riverside cannot or will not
properly support these people and tenants find it impossible to get
Riverside to change things.
“Asking questions at panel meetings is one of the few
ways we have of bringing these matters to the attention of the
council and to the public of Carlisle.
“We are surprised and offended by Mr Crossley`s offensive
ruling, particularly as thequestions we asked are about specific issues raised
by councillors at panel meetings. They are certainly not statements of
discontent.
“There has been a complete turnaround by the council .We were encouraged a few years ago to ask these questions and were made very welcome at panel meetings, probably because no one else was asking questions. Things have now changed and with Mr Crossley`s curt and unhelpful ruling we have been made to feel guilty for attending.
“That is not the way to encourage taxpayers to engage with the council.”
The questions blocked by Mr Crossley were:
Concerns were expressed by Councillor Michael Gee at the last meeting of the Panel about the failure of Riverside Carlisle to reply to letters from leaseholders in Dalston and the failure of Riverside to adequately address problems raised by these leaseholders. Councillor Gee said he had raised these issues with Mr Dean Butterworth, Regional Director of Riverside Carlisle and it had been agreed at a meeting between them that what Councillor Gee called “the culture of Riverside Carlisle “ had to be changed. Councillor Gee later said that the culture of Riverside was “too authoritarian.” Does the Panel agree with Councillor Gee and if so, is it satisfied that Riverside Carlisle is dealing adequately with these concerns?
The concerns of Councillor Gee, mentioned in the previous question, have been replicated at Longtown for two years and latterly at meetings of Longtown Action for Heat, a community group formed in recent months to address these concerns which in Longtown are those of an estimated sixty Riverside tenants who are unable to afford to adequately heat their homes.These concerns have also been raised with the two elected members for Longtown and also the elected Cumbria County Council member. These concerns have also been raised with the tenants` M.P., Mr Rory Stewart . Mr Stewart has given the tenants strong continuous support and has now called on Riverside to finalise, what is a very serious situation for the tenants, without further delay. It appears that the elected members of both councils have no power to influence this situation. Is the Panel satisfied with the elected members` lack of power in dealing with Riverside and Riverside`s consequence lack of accountability, and if not, what remedy does the Panel propose?
Issued by Carlisle Tenants` and Residents`Federation
Enquiries to 01228 522277 or 01228 522277
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