FAREWELL TO A CHAMPION

PRESS STATEMENT

WILLIE WHALEN- LEADING

CAMPAIGNER AGAINST

RIVERSIDE

People living on housing estates in the Carlisle area have lost a very good friend with the death (on June 8) of Councillor Willie Whalen, says Carlisle Tenants` and Residents` Federation in a tribute today.

Councillor Whalen- a Carlisle city and Cumbria county councillor- led the way in championing  the cause of Riverside tenants and leaseholders since the handover of the city`s former council houses to the Liverpool housing association twelve years ago.

And  he continued to fight their cause up to a  few days before his collapse with the heart attack that led to his death.

Councillor Whalen was then in a hospital bed. He was unable to  preside at an important meeting to help the leaseholders he had spent months arranging .

So the meeting- with  experts from the  government`s Leaseholders` Advisory Service-  went ahead without him in the council chamber of the Civic Centre. And from that meeting the leaseholders got much help and advice.

In a statement before that meeting Councillor Whalen attacked Riverside bullying and refusal to negotiate with leaseholders. But that  Civic Centre meeting he had arranged had at last given leaseholders a chance to fight back,  he said.

Councillor Whalen also fought  hard for Riverside`s 6,000  tenants. Only a couple of weeks ago he was in Longtown  at  a meeting  of Riverside tenants fighting for proper heating in their homes in the face of rocketing fuel bills they cannot afford.

At that meeting, a tenants` action group was formed, Longtown Action for Heat, which he supported enthusiastically.

A Federation spokesman said today:”Willie was a good friend to everyone who need help, including the Federation. We worked with him for several years and were always happy to help him in his battles”.

Issued by Carlisle Tenants` and Residents` Federation

June 10 2014