RIVERSIDE IN THE DOCK AT LAST

A 14-year fight against Riverside Housing Association`s failures and abuses is at last being won by Carlisle Tenants` and Residents` Federation and its supporters.

At last, the city council  is  acting to curb Liverpool-based Riverside as the Federation has urged it to do since 2002.

It was in that year that Riverside moved into the city  and took over the council`s 7.000 council homes, a property estate it  took the council more than a century to create.

Riverside`s shocking management of that estate  and its abuses of power are at last being tackled by the  council in an historic turnaround.

The story of that historic turnaround is told in the Federation`s 2016  chairman`s report  which was recently presented at  the annual meeting.

That report is reprinted here:

Federation links with city council strengthened  as councillors up the pressure for major changes at Riverside Housing Association

The Federation has had another very successful year with  regular  monthly meetings and committee meetings held in Eastern Way Fire Station. All our meetings have been stimulating and enjoyable and have attracted people from other groups in the city.

The following are the highlights of the year:

Open-ness and accountability: . A gigantic increase of open-ness and accountability is sorely needed  in the Carlisle area as far as the principal landlord, Riverside Housing Association, is concerned. Riverside, in the view of the Federation is accountable to no one but itself.  It is no longer a housing association but is a profit-making  property development company.

Links with other campaigning organisations: The Federation has continued to strengthen working links with the North West Tenants` and Residents` Assembly. Nationally, housing stock transfers continue to be questioned and successfully challenged, Locally, questions  persist in the city and  district about the wisdom and legality of the Carlisle transfer of its housing stock to Riverside fourteen years ago.

City Council and questions for Riverside:  The Federation has continued to hold Riverside to account through meetings with Councillor Colin Glover, Leader of the city council  and with other councillors and officials. The meetings together with other campaigning against Riverside abuses probably played a part in a complete change around during the year in the  council attitude to Riverside. The council` s relationship with the council is no longer passive and tame but is now very pro-active and critical  when necessary.

Riverside campaign of hostility to the Federation:  The Federation has continued to challenge Riverside`s  campaign of hostility to the Federation which started  when Riverside provocatively and outrageously told the city council that the Federation would cease to exist. This  statement was noted  by the council and entered in the minutes.

Riverside followed this  statement by twice attempting to block the Federation `s participation in the business of the city council`s Community Overview and Scrutiny Panel. Riverside has  still not explained why it wishes  the Federation`s demise and how it proposes to ensure that demise. Nor has Riverside explained its frequent  use against the Federation of its obnoxious Persistent Complaints Procedure.

 Riverside`s  Carlisle governing board:The board was abolished by Riverside a few weeks ago as part of an apparent  reconstruction of the housing association. The Riverside  decision has been challenged by the  city council which claims it is invalid because the council`s agreement to it was necessary.

The tenure of Mr Dean Butterworth as regional director of Riverside Carlisle:  Mr Butterworth resigned  a few months ago as Riverside`s Carlisle regional director and was succeeded by Ms Sarah Paton who was recruited from outside the organisation. She has the role of Northern Regional Director based in Newcastle upon Tyne and including Carlisle. The post of Carlisle regional; director has apparently been abolished. Hopefully Ms Parton will have more success than   Mr Butterworth. He  arrived from Sheffield  three years ago and made various promises about improving Riverside Carlisle, Up to now there have been none of the promised improvements.

Mr Butterworth inherited a very difficult legacy from his predecessor Mr Patrick Leonard, a fact which has been  recognised  by Ms Carol Matthews, Chief Executive of Riverside . Mr Leonard`s   legacy  persists through Riverside`s continued deplorable use of incomprehensible gobbledegook in communications with tenants and others. His legacy also persists in  Riverside`s failure to  adopt an acceptable effective complaints procedure and its failure to to have any democratic arrangements available for effective tenant and leaseholder community representation on the Riverside board. It is a scandal that all the previous tenant  and leaseholder community groups which existed before Riverside  arrived on the scene were abolished at the takeover and their grants terminated.

Mr Leonard`s very difficult  legacy also persists through its deplorable bossy culture which has been publicly criticised by a Carlisle city councilors.

Riverside`s excessive rents and unfair charges: A lot of time has been spent challenging Riverside about its excessive rents,  unfair charges and its incomprehensible chaotic business practices.  Riverside imposed  greatly increased service charges which are currently being challenged by the Federation.

BILLY LYON... death a big blow

Cumbria Riverside Action Group: Michael Gee a former Carlisle city councillor and supporter of the Federation has  pioneered awareness about Riverside` failures  through Cumbria Riverside Action Group (CRAG) which has been supported by the Federation since it started about three years ago. This group has links with the Church of England through its Chairman, Canon Michael Manley, Carlisle Cathedral Missioner and Carlisle Rural Dean. The group meets at Canon Manley`s home at the Cathedral every two months and attracts  all those wishing to hold Riverside to account. The Federation Secretary, John Barker is also secretary of CRAG.

The death of Billy Lyon:.Billy Lyon one of the Federation`strongest  supporters died on August 5.  His death was a big blow to the Federation particularly because of his work in getting the Church of England  involved in  the fight for justice for those Riverside tenants who were victims of Riverside`s failures. It was his initiative that  Cumbria Riverside Action Group (see above ) came into being. The Federation is currently seeking to  create a permament memorial to Billy.

Longtown Action for Heat: Much of the Federation work during the year has involved much active  help for the  very unfortunate tenants of Riverside who live in Longtown.

An estimated sixty of them, together with others at Crosby- on- Eden were victims of appalling Riverside mismanagement following the installation in their homes of dodgy heating systems  which are so expensive to run the tenants cannot afford to use them. Many of the affected properties now have new tenants on short term tenancies but the  properties are  still affected and  Longtown Action for Heat, led by Jimmy Robb and backed by the Federation are tackling this problem together with problems arising from undesirable tenants being  moved into the town by Riverside.

The city council, following an initiative by the Leader Councillor Colin Glover is now actively working to get justice for the Longtown  and Crosby – on - Eden tenants.

Carlisle South Community Association: The Federation continues to  be actively involved in the work of Carlisle South Community Association   which does excellent work supporting communities, particularly in tackling dog fouling and improving  the facilities in Dale End Park at Petteril Bank. A  group, Friends of Dale End Park was formed by the association which is now planning further improvements to the park, particularly the provision of  a BMX Track. The association continues to have the active help and co-operation of  the  city council Green Spaces and of the county council..

Botcherby Forever . The Federation has continued to give active support to those members of Botcherby Residents` Action Group(BRAG) who were banned from BRAG meetings following the takeover of the group  by  a group of Durranhill residents and other residents living outside the original Botcherby estate. These  banned members formed a new community group, Botcherby Forever which meets  monthly, helped by the Federation.

                                                                                      St. Andrew`s Church, Botcherby

 Botcherby Forever has spent much of the last three years helping local author Pat Hitchon in writing a history of Botcherby, entitled Botcherby ... a Garden Village.It is due to be published in May. Pat has attended all our meetings along with many residents, all very keen to help the planned publication. Altogether, Pat has had help from more than 1000 local people, many of them  linked together  through Botcherby Forever meetings which have been a great success and are now held  in Eastern Way Fire Station

Botcherby Forever  members  also published another book during the year. It is Botcherby Heroes Remembered  which  tells the stories of the Botcherby men killed in World War One.

Federation blog: Most of the issues raised in this report have been previously covered by the Federation blog. The blog`s viewing figures have risen consistently since the blog started  in March  2013. The blog is increasingly seen as a very useful Federation publicity and information tool.

The blog is  named Community Voice Carlisle.The link  is:http://carlisleruraltenantsfederation.blogspot.co.uk/

Thanks to everyone: I wish to thank everyone who have helped the Federation during the year and thank all who have attended our meetings and contributed to our many interesting discussions and debates.

Thanks too, to Kenny Simpson and George Cornish and other members of Carlisle South Community Association who have helped at our meetings