HOUSING ASSOCIATIONS AND THE "DANGER" OF WORRIED COUNCILS

Sweetness and  Light...           
and Cameron`s attack dogs

David Cameron`s attack dogs have  been called off. Everything is now Sweetness and Light. Housing associations can relax  while they  face up to the big  loss of income the attack dogs have caused.

And of course, housing associations also face up to the big cuts in operating costs they  have been forced to make.

                             

Last year`s  cuts  to  tenants` rents  caused by the attack dogs 

cost one association, Riverside, £100 million  which in turn led to lost jobs and  lost community services.

And incidentally,  it has also led to lost sleep at nights for the Riverside chief executive, Ms Carol Matthews, worried about the £100 million.

Other senior housing associations officials warn of a crisis  to come for all 1,700 associations  after the attack dogs, if they cannot get back to their core purpose of providing social housing.

So, a big welcome to Sweetness and Light.

Not such a big welcome however  to a government U-turn this week that  will increase the protection for housing associations 

Not extra protection from Mr Cameron`s attack dogs. Oh no! This is extra protection from the "danger" of worried councils who might, heaven forbid, want to keep a check on what housing associations are up to and what they do with the millions of pounds of taxpayers` cash they get.

Keeping a check  for example in the Carlisle area on botched Riverside  heating arrangements in many of its properties  and on dodgy administration, both of which have made life  very hard for dozens of tenants and leaseholders. Just like Riverside boss Ms Matthews, many of these people also are having sleepless nights. 

The U-turn comes in an amendment  to the Housing and Planning Bill now before parliament. The amendment would give the government the power to create regulations  which would limit or remove the ability of councils to exert influence over housing associations.

Councils for example would no longer would have the right to have  representatives on the governing boards  of  the associations.

Carlisle City Council  has exerted that right for 14 years. Ever since  the city handed its council houses to Riverside in 2002 the council has had four representatives on the Riverside governing   board.

How effective these four representatives have been in keeping a check on Riverside is debatable. For 14 years  that organisation has   been unhindered in its  policy of bossyness to  tenants and leaseholders and  its policy of asset stripping on the city estates.

What is not debateable is the new city council policy  of  bringing pressure on Riverside issue by issue.The policy was  initiated by the Leader Coun Colin Glover and has  resulted   in improvements at Riverside for the first time in those 14 year.

Now that policy is in danger from the Housing and Planning Bill.

Fortunately, the bill  with its damaging amendment is still on hold: it has yet to become law.

What then about  Mr Cameron`s Sweetness and Light?

Is that still on hold?

And the attack dogs?

Are they stlll being held?Tightly held?


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