NICOLA STURGEON BOOSTS HOUSING ASSOCIATIONS

Carol Matthews

and a call

for tenants`

`freedom...`

Another storm is brewing for the beleaguered Carol Matthews struggling with a government attack on housing associations. 

Nicola Sturgeon...more freedom

Now comes an attack from Scotland.

Nicola Sturgeon`s Scottish  government wants more freedom for the tenants and leaseholders of housing associations. That freedom is very much in short supply here in England.

The freedom news comes this week in an announcement that Scottish housing associations are set to become subject to Freedom of Information(FOI) laws.The associations include  the  giant Liverpool-based Riverside Housing Association whose chief executive is Ms Matthews.

Riverside owns  the Irvine Housing Associaton in Strathclyde covering much of south west Scotland, and extending to the English border at Gretna. Irvine Housing Association is a subsidiary of Riverside  and owns 2,100  of Riverside`s total of more than 50,000 properties.

The freedom news is a worry for Ms. Matthews, particularly as the Irvine Association area is  next door to her troubled Carlisle area and its 6,000 properties- the Irvine area`s Gretna boundary is just a mile or two from Longtown  with its well-publicised Riverside heating fiasco of ice box properties. This fiasco is  dragging unresolved  into a  fourth winter.

Peter Howden....worried

The freedom news is also a worry in Scotland because of  the expense involved.Peter Howden, chair of the Glasgow and West of Scotland Forum of Housing Associations put it this way:“ 

We’re worried about associations being dragged into time-consuming and expensive processes to deal with FOI requests,”

“Compliance with the bureaucratic FOI procedures can divert staff away from providing services to tenants. It also means more of tenants’ money going to lawyers as associations take advice on matters such as what is and isn’t covered by FOI.”

The beleaguered Ms Matthews has enough on her plate already to tackle this new layer of expensive  bureaucracy, particulary faced with the increasing Whitehall attacks and her forecast of a massive £100 million  loss of income in the next four years.

So, what now?

Carlisle Tenants` and Residents` Federation has this to say to the beleagred  Ms Matthews:

·     Riverside has had four years to get the Longtown problems

   sorted and the tenants there are still suffering.

·        

   After `13 years, leaseholders in Carlisle are still struggling  to cope with with Riverside`s incomprehensive expenses` tangle.

·       

   Scottish Freedom of Information is a big new Riverside worry.

·     

    How many years will Riverside take to get Scottish Freedom of Information sorted?

CarlisleTenants` and Residents` Federation publishes this blog. Information about the Federation is available on 01228 522277 or 01228 532803.