£80,000 PLAY AREA SCHEME AND BIG HOPES FOR DALE END PARK

COMMUNITY  GROUP

HAS A VIEW…

TO BETTERING THINGS!

 Local people call it the Valley- a popular area for walks beside the River Petteril at Petteril Bank in Carlisle.

But the Valley is also well-known for its panoramic views of  the river- and the  M6 motorway and the West Coast main line- as it  quietly meanders its way into the city,  bound for the  River Eden.

Petteril Bank people say this  view of the river (seen in picture) is one of the loveliest   in the city. 

There are now hopes that this view will soon be much better known  following recent  efforts to improve the area. efforts that were prompted by the local community group, Carlisle South Community Association.

The association is well-known for its environmental work in Petteril Bank. particularly for the efforts led by Jenny Cray (pictured here) to make the area free of dog dirt.

Jenny`s efforts have been given publicity thoughout the city by the city council  Her picture is on the city buses and the council`s rubbish collection lorries. She is vice-chairman of the associaton

Jenny and other members of the association have been working with the city council Open Spaces Team for several months on work to improve the area, starting with the play area in  Dale End Park  which adjoins the Valley.

Groundwork North East and Cumbria is also involved, putting together a £80,000 scheme to  remove and renew play equipment  and install some new items.

The scheme is just a start.

 Hopefully the park and the valley with its lovely views will eventually be improved by more schemes and will eventually take its place alongside  the better-known city parks, Chances Park,  Rickerby Park, Talkin Tarn, and Hammonds Pond.

Carlisle South Community Association is part of Carlisle Tenants` and Residents`Federation.

Community Voice, Carlisle is the blog of Carlisle Tenants` and Residents`Federation. Information about the Federation Is contained in the first post of the blog, dated March 25 2013

FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT SHOULD BE UPDATED

RIVERSIDE SHOULD

WORK BY PUBLIC

SECTOR 
RULES

Welcome to the club, Theo Blackwell.

Your nationwide Freedom of Information campaign is a welcome help to what for  years a Carlisle community group has been aiming for.

Theo Blackwell (right) is a leading London borough councillor. He appeared this week on the BBC Two Politics Today show  in a campaigning film to get the Freedom of Information Act updated.

The act applies to local and central government and allows the public to ask for details about how these bodies work. But the act does not apply to private companies, voluntary firms and housing associations who are publicly-funded to carry out work for local and central government.

Councillor Blackwell says the act should apply to these organisations. The Carlisle community group, Carlisle Tenants` and Residents` Federation agrees with that. The group has said so dozens of times in letters, emails, and meetings with councillors and with the city council.

In all these efforts Federation has been aiming to get answers from the Liverpool-based Riverside Housing Association which took over the city`s 6000 former council houses when they were privatised, 

But now Riverside fails to give answers when questions are raised about such issues as the demolition of several blocks of sheltered housing and the recent demolition of one-bedroom flats in Botcherby despite increased demand for one bedroom flats caused by the bedroom tax.

Councillor Blackwell is Cabinet Member for Finance at Camden Borough Council, one of the largest local authorirties in the country, and has overall responsibility and budget setting for £250 million.

 He says he deals with a"complex web"of private contracts. "It is time for  private sector firms to work by public sector rules" says Councillor Blackwell.

And that says the Federation should also apply to Riverside Housing Association. Riverside too should work by public sector rules.

Community Voice Carlisle is the blog of Carlisle Tenants` and Residents`Federation. Information about the Federation is given in the first post of this blog, dated March 25 2013

A CITY WAITS FOR THE MILIBAND EFFECT

THE END  OF COUNCIL HOUSE OWNERSHIP NEVER GOT THE  OPPOSITION IT DESERVED

Ed Miliband has stung  politicians into real  debate again. He stung his party at Brighton last week and this week stung the Tories  at Manchester.

At both party conferences, his threat to the power companies dominated  debates.

Ed Miliband`s sting cannot come soon enough for Carlisle where not so long ago his many supporters succeeded in giving him the city`s backing  when he was elected party leader

These Miliband supporters may now  get a chance to face up to  some of the disasters of the Blair years: the Cumberland Infirmary and the Academy schools –both now among the worst in the country- and the privatisation of the city council houses.

Carlisle council house privatisation never got the political opposition it deserved. Opposition was nowhere to be seen.

What  privatisation did get was an extra political push from John Prescott  when he was communities secretary.

Since then  privatisation has been enthusiastically embraced by the Carlisle Labour leaders, some of whom have joined in as company directors to help privatisation.

These supporters of privatised housing are happy to see consigned to history the social purpose of municipal housing.

And also consigned  to history,  the long tradition of Carlisle council house building lasting over a century and now replaced  by  a giant organisation running the houses for profit from Liverpool 100 miles away.

Ed Miliband`s sting cannot come soon enough for Carlisle.

Community Voice Carlisle is the blog of Carlisle Tenants` and Residents` Federation. Information about the Federation is  contained in the first post of the blog, dated March 25 2013.