FIGHTING THE RIVERSIDE HOUSING SCANDAL

Pioneer Billy

pays a

very heavy

price

Sad to report that Billy Lyon is not well. Billy pioneered much of the fight against the appalling neglect and failures of  Riverside Housing Association over the years and sadly he is suffering because of it.

He is fighting against a serious illness in his Riverside flat in Sunnymead,  Carlisle where he lives alone.

Billy ,68, a retired factory worker is a Riverside leaseholder and like many of Riverside`s other Carlisle leaseholders had constantly to put up with botched repairs and other neglect by the Liverpoo-based property development organisation.

He complained repeatedly but nothing happened. Councillors, MP`s and community groups  were all approached. But no one could help.

.

Riverside was a law to itself: it was untouchable.

And there were other people suffering too among the 6,000 Riverside leaseholders and tenants  in the Carlisle area.

So out of desperation Billy wrote  to his local bishop, the Bishop of Carlisle (Rt. Rev. James Newcome) asking for help for all the victims  of Riverside`s neglect. Sadly, the bishop had no power to give direct help.But he put Billy in touch with Carlisle Cathedral where  a meeting  was organised by one of the clergy, Canon Michael Manley(above) at his home in the  cathedral close.

Canon Manley is the cathedral missioner and Carlisle Rural Dean.

That meeting attracted more than 20 leaseholders, tenants and others, all of them victims of the ramshackle inefficient Riverside organisation. Representatives attended  on behalf of the sixty  Riverside ice box tenants at Longtown  who for four winters have been unable to afford to properly heat their homes.

Those at that meeting formed themselves into an organisation to fight Riverside. It is called Cumbria Riverside Action Group (CRAG) which has its next meeting  in September, two years after it was formed.

Billy`s initiative  and meetings of the action group sparked off a much greater awareness of Riverside`failures and neglect. Carlisle City Council started to ask questions. And the extent of the scandal started to emerge.

Sadly, the pressure caused by fighting Riverside – not to mention  additional  pressure of a  botched court action brought against him by Riverside- took its toll on Billy`s health.

He now says: “People can only take so much pressure.After that, the strain begins to tell. I blame Riverside for causing my illness”

Today, Riverside is still a law to itself.

But thanks to Billy, Riverside is less untouchable.

Much less untouchable.




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