GRIT YOUR TEETH COUNCILLORS, AND SUPPORT THE OUTRAGEOUS

Riverside,

asset-stripping

and

Le Grande Stitch-up

There are no prizes for guessing all about  the latest accusation in the stormy referendum debate. It is called: Le Grand Stitch-up.

David Cameron and his allies are accused as they slog it out with a group of fellow ministers in the split Tory cabinet. 

Accusations  of a stitch-up by the Prime Minister are not much different from accusations about another Tory leader 300 miles away here in Carlisle.  Here also, another cabinet is  split. This cabinet is Carlisle City Council shadow cabinet.

Le Grand Stitch-up  accusation is made  by those campaigning  for Britain to withdraw from the E.U: the Brexit supporters. In Labour controlled Carlisle the shadow cabinet leader, Councillor John Mallinson and his  supporting allies face accusations of being part of another Le Grand Stitch-up, organised by  supporters of Riverside Housing Association the city`s biggest landlord.

Stitch-ups are all very well. But they tend to unravel.  And this is what seems to be happening as the referendum arguments become angrier. And  unravelling seems to be happening here in Carlisle as arguments become angrier over Riverside`s decision to withdraw key aspects of its vital Careline telephone support service for the city`s elderly and vulnerable.

Gritted teeth... Coun. Rob Burns

Rob Burns, a  well respected Labour  city councillor  says the Riverside decision is outrageous. He goes on to add  some angry and very revealing words  about Riverside which is now no more than a Merseyside-based property development organisation. He says:

”Carlisle City Council has been very supportive of Riverside over the years, admittedly sometimes through gritted teeth, and often against a background of discontent from others, but it would appear that our support has meant very little to an organisation so apparently self-obsessed that they felt they could make a decision like this without any recourse to, or even conversation with, not only to us(the city council)  but its own local board.”

Councillor Burns` attack comes in a letter to  the Carlisle newspaper, the News and Star. His letter appeals for public support for a Labour Party petition to save Careline saying : “It will be tantamount to  moral negligence on all our parts if this service is allowed to be withdrawn or even dissipated”

His attack echoes other attacks on Riverside, made  by Carlisle Tenants` and Residents` Federation, a group of  community activists who for 14 years have fought  Riverside`s disgraceful programme of asset stripping of the city housing estates and  the 7,000 former Carlisle council  houses.This  city-wide estate of social housing had been built up over the last 100 years by caring city councils.

The Federation has warned the city council repeatedly of the dangers to the city as Riverside stripped away four complexes of sheltered housing in the same way they  now plan to strip away Careline. The four are in Longtown, Harraby, Morton  and Brampton.

Riverside`s asset stripping has gone full steam ahead in the words of Councillor Burns, "without any recourse to, or even conversation with the city council”.

And what about the Riverside local governing board also mentioned by Councillor  Burns as being rudely ignored by the Riverside bosses in Liverpool? The city council has five councillor members on that board,  all helping to make these decisions for Riverside,  the latest of which is described by Councillor Burns as outrageous.

What have these five Riverside councillor directors got  to say? And what did they have to say while the asset stripping was going on? Did they go along with it?

Yes, Councillor Burns, Riverside is outrageous. Equally outrageous is the fact that Riverside has never had any sort of scrutiny as it  stripped away Carlisle`s heritage .  Riverside  felt safe  because it was  unhindered .

Riverside in fact has been super safe.

It had  the super protection of  Le Grande Stitch-up. 

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