Carol
Matthews,
Annie
Graham,
and
letters
to Santa
Just like children waiting for Christmas...tenants
and leaseholders cannot wait for next week`s Autumn Statement by the Chancellor
of the Exchequer. So much depends on what George Osborne has in store that speculation
about it seems endless.
 |
| CAROL MATTHEWS... presents for her? |
Santa Osborne will have big presents in his Statement for the lucky few, depending on your political viewpoint. But what about the unlucky few, the struggling?
What about housing boss Carol Matthews, far from struggling personally on her lavish salary, but her organisation struggles, too bossy, far from efficient, and accountable to no one? And what about Annie Graham, one of Carol Matthews`s forgotten tenants in Longtown (near Carlisle)? What sort of presents will Santa Osborne have for her?
Ms Matthews is Chief Executive of the giant Liverpool-based Riverside Housing Association which is now struggling to cope with a government blitz - some call it a government vendetta- along with other housing associations, as Santa Osborne decides what presents he has for them.
Or has he any presents? The forecast is not good for housing associations. There may be no presents. Santa Osborne may become Scrooge Osborne, or someone even more sinister.
Annie Grahan is a widow in her seventies, struggling, as she has been for four long winters. Her struggle is with her Riverside heating boiler which like many others is dodgy, and the sky-high energy bills of £4,000 which it produces for her small flat in Moor Road.
 |
| ANNIE GRAHAM...she dreads £4,000 energy bills |
Annie dreads these bills and worries incessantly because she cannot afford them. Sadly, the forecast for Annie, like the forecast for Ms. Matthews, is not good.
So what happens now for the two strugglers in the week that is left
until the Chancellor`s Autumn Statement on November 25?
Struggling Ms Matthews is cautiously hopeful. She has written what might be called a letter to Santa Osborne telling him what presents she would like in her stocking on Christmas Day. Her letter was an article in the social housing journal, Inside Housing, much of which was reprinted recently in an earlier post on this blog .
The article attempted to fend off the government attacks with some new ideas to change housing associations.
No letter to Santa from the struggling Annie Graham. But ”kind neighbours” this week held what might be called a pre-Christmas get - together with friendly council bosses to see what can be done about her boiler and all the sixty other dodgy Riverside boilers in Longtown houses and elsewhere, and the vicious £4,000 bills that go with them.
The “kind neighbours” are two officials of Longtown Action for Heat, a community group which was formed to fight for justice for Annie and all the other tenants condemned to live with Riverside`s dodgy boilers.
The two, Jimmy Robb and Tim Hall spent more than an hour pressing Annie`s case and that of the others at a meeting with Councillor Colin Glover, Leader of Carlisle City Council and two of his senior colleagues.
The councillors promised to do what they could to help.
And what about that that speculation about George Osborne`s Autumn Statement? The speculation follows a report in the Financial Times that Mr. Osborne has his eye on £44 billion in government grants made to housing associations over the years.
The Chancellor wants to get hold of this money and privatise it in a massive Thatcher-style sell-off to the public, says the Financial Times
 |
| SINEAD BUTTERS..."our existence under threat" |
One of them, Sinead Butters, chief executive of the Newcastle-under-Lyme based Aspire associaton said:“Should the sell-off actually happen, it will be the latest in a series of government policy changes that rock the housing association sector to its very core, threatening our existence.”
CarlisleTenants`
and Residents` Federation publishes this blog. Information about the
Federation is available on 01228 522277 or 01228 532803.
No comments:
Post a Comment