RIVERSIDE`S 14-YEAR FAILURES "A DISGRACE"

Sarah Paton
and the

headless

chickens

Just over a week now and Sarah Paton will be making her debut appearance before Carlisle councillors. 

Amazingly, some of those present will have thoughts about a most unlikely topic: headless chickens!

Just what have headless chickens to do with Ms Paton the new Carlisle boss of Riverside Housing Association making her first appearance before the city council`s Overview and Scrutiny Panel?

The story of these headless chickens goes back a long way. It dates from the time 14 years ago that the Liverpool based Riverside moved into Carlisle and took over the city`s 7,000 council houses.

That takeover was intended to bring improvements to the city`s housing stock. Instead, it has proved to be a disaster in the opinion of many people.

The many reasons for that disaster have been well documented over the years in this blog. But now, a new importance is being given to headless chickens - the name coined by Carlisle tenants and leaseholders for their Riverside bosses and officials.

They get the name because it is claimed, they have no idea what they are about. They go about like headless chickens, say the tenants and leaseholders.

So it is no big surprise that there should be thoughts of headless chickens as Overview and Scrutiny councillors (in close touch with critical tenants and leaseholders)  prepare to question Ms. Paton.

But there is another reason why thoughts of headless chickens are likely to take centre stage on November 24, the date of the panel meeting. And that is that tenants and leaseholders after 14 years are at last able to see just how headless these chickens are.

That new view of the headless chickens has come about because the leaseholders have recently had a change of bosses and their day to day administration has been moved from Carlisle to the Riverside head office in Liverpool.

Carlisle leaseholders, instead of contacting the Carlisle office as they have done for 14 years now contact Liverpool. There have been surprising results of the new arrangement.

For the first time in 14 years, these leaseholders are getting a proper service and help when needed.

Correct bills are being sent out, financial discrepancies are being ironed out and relations conducted in a helpful way

A Riverside official explained: “There was a lot of suspicion when the change was made But we are gradually overcoming that suspicion and are pleased  that leaseholders now appear to be  satisfied with the service.”

A spokesman for Carlisle Tenants and Residents Federation which represents many of the leaseholders said: “It is disgraceful that Riverside leaseholders have been denied a proper service  for 14 years.”

As for the headless chickens.

Their time was up years ago.

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

THE RIVERSIDE WORRIES ON DEBUT DAY

Sarah Paton,

sleepless nights

and the need  of Horlicks

As Riverside Housing Association`s Carlisle boss Sarah Paton gears up for her debut appearance before  the city councillors in three weeks` time, her thoughts will very much be  focussed on  what had just happened  in Westminster.

On that occasion (November 23) just 24 hours previous to the debut appearance, Ms Paton and the rest of the nation will have found out just what Chancellor Philip Hammond had in store for us all when he delivered his Autumn Statement.

What will that statement contain? Will it be a repeat of last year`s statement and have big financial shocks for people like Ms Paton, regional director of Riverside`s Carlisle operations? Last year`s statement really did shake things up.

The shaking was so severe that Ms Paton`s boss, Riverside`s Chief Executive Carol Matthews had sleepless nights worrying about it in her Liverpool home. Little wonder there was no sleep, the Autumn Statement imposed massive cuts to the income all housing associations, including a forced reduction of rents paid by tenants.

Estimates then were that the cuts would cost Riverside £100 million a year. Ms Matthews told the world all about the cuts and about  her sleepless nights in an article in the social housing trade paper, Inside Housing.

 

Readers of this blog will recall that we recommended that  in future, the worried Ms Matthews gets some sleep by going to bed  with a cup of steaming Horlicks.

One year later we wonder: Will there be Horlicks for Ms Paton too?

Her debut appearance is  at a meeting of the city council`s Community Scrutiny and Overview Panel on November 24 . The question of Horlicks could depend on what happens at that meeting.

The question of Horlicks could of course also depend  on the Chancellor`s Autumn Statement the previous day. What is certain is that last year`s statement continues to reverberate as Riverside continues to make controversial savings  by cutting its operations.

These cuts  have already provoked much criticism from the councillors she will meet on November 24. That criticism together with councillors` long standing criticism of Riverside`s bossy ways, its ramshackle Carlisle operations and lack of accountability is worrying enough to create sleepless nights for the toughest housing association chief executive.

So get out the Horlicks and  be prepared to  brew up, Ms Paton.

If the city councillors are doing their stuff you will need it.
  
Carlisle Tenants` and Residents` Federation publishes this blog. Information about the Federation is available on 01228 522277 or 01228 532803.