COUNCILLORS ATTACK "PRESENT HOUSING SYSTEMS"

City housing move to get back on top

 
Things are moving in Britain`s former social housing star local authority, Carlisle.

The city`s return to stardom may not be far off because two decades on, building council houses is again on its agenda.

 

Building council houses is now to be considered  by the  city council  following a successful motion by two  councillors backed up by 12 colleagues

The motion had echoes of Carlisle`s former  star status.  There was also similar echoes in  supporting speeches by the  two councillors - Councillor Lisa Brown and her Denton Holme colleague Ruth Alcroft.

Coun Brown... recalled start of counci housing

 Ruth is  also Carlisle`s Labour candidate in  next week`s election.

The star status was gained in the  the years between the wars when the city,  proportionate to its population, had the best record  in Britain for building council houses.

The two councillors recalled that the year 2019 marks the 100^th anniversary of the Addison Act, the act which marked the creation of council housing.

The act made housing a national responsibility and local authorities were given the job of developing new housing where it was needed by working people. But fifty years later things changed dramatically when tenants  were given a right to buy their homes.

Then came what the two councillors called  “present housing systems”. This they attacked.

 In the attack, the councillors   did not specify which “system” they had in mind. But in Carlisle there is little doubt that  the city`s biggest landlord, the Liverpool- based giant housing association, Riverside, owner of 55.000 homes nationwide best fits that description

Riverside took over the city`s 7,000  council houses 17 years ago and has been criticised many times since.

This what the two councillors said about “present housing systems”(or Riverside if you prefer it):

“Present housing systems respond poorly to life events such as relationship breakdown, job insecurity and the onset of poor health and caring responsibilities.

“Low rents, such as council house rents make an important contribution to reducing the degree of housing cost -induced poverty and material deprivation among tenants.”

Carlisle Tenants` and Residents` Federation which publishes this blog joins the two councillors in their crtiticism of “ present housing systems.”

The Federation has no problem in naming Riverside as the Carlisle organisation which best fits  that description.

  

The Federation has also no problem  in adding to the two councillors` criticism .

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A spokesman said  “The right to buy policy   was largely responsible for the present housing crisis.  Right to buy gave us remote  dictatorial and grossly inefficient organisations like Riverside  which is responsible to no one but itself.

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 “Congratulations  to councillors Brown and Alcroft  for their campaigning. And congratulations to Carlisle city council in its  newly-found  support for council house building and the happy prospect of a new era of social housing.

“Hopefully soon, Carlisle will once again be top".

Carlisle Tenants` and Residents` Federation publishes this blog. Information about the Federation is available on 01228 522277