ON SOCIAL HOUSING, YOU CANNOT KEEP A GOOD IDEA DOWN

We are

celebrating

 winning the arguments

A city tenants` group was  celebrating victory this week…and in a similar way  a national victory was being celebrated about much the same thing- winning the argument about housing.

The housing magazine Inside Housing used  this dramatic picture from seven years ago to the illustrate the national argument that has been won: social housing is on the way back after being “abolished”  in 2010.(Sir  William Beveridge is on the left, with the former Chancellor, George Osborne.)

Martin Hilditch the Deputy Editor wrote:

“Back in October 2010 this magazine pronounced the “end of social housing” when covering the news that the government was intending to channel its future funding into a new product – affordable rent.

It was a defining moment for housing provision. In that year 35,180 social rented homes were built – by 2015/16 this had collapsed to 6060.

As it turns out, you can’t keep a good idea down – and given time, 2017 may be seen as a similar defining moment in housing policy.

Theresa May’s announcement at the Conservative Party Conference of a £2 bn fund– which the Conservatives’ press release suggested could deliver “around 25,000 homes for social rent” – means all the main parties in England are now committed to upping the delivery of homes at social rents for the first time in more than a decade.”

The tenant group`s argument was with Carlisle City Council.

The city Tenants` and Residents ` Federation (which publishes this blog) has spent much of the last 15 years criticising the way the city`s 6.000 former social houses are being run by the Liverpool-based Riverside Housing Association, a grossly inefficient, bossy, and dictatorial  property development organisation.

Whenever possible during those years, the Federation has brought  Riverside issues to the attention of the city council. Sadly, the council failed to listen and was more interested in  attempting to cover up Riverside`s failings.

This week the Federation agreed that the council had performed a U-turn in its relations with Riverside and that much of what the Federation had been campaigning for in the last 15 years had now been incorporated into 

the council`s proposals for Riverside.

The Federation  has received the  following  reply from the city council`s Chief Executive Mr Jason Gooding, following a complaint to the council. The complaint was published on the previous post (September 28)  on this blog.

Complaint: Update on Riverside`s Proposals to Vary the Stock Transfer

 

Thank you for raising your concerns about the ongoing scrutiny of the Riverside Agreement, I have noted the background information that you have provided and hope the responses to the specific points you have raised alleviate your concerns.

 

1, The council`s questioning arrangement at panel meetings now seems to have come to a halt and the Federation has no access to the panel and is out on a limb.

 

The Federation can access the panel by contacting the Health and Wellbeing Chair. The Constitution clearly states in the Overview & Scrutiny Procedure Rules that:

 

‘An overview and scrutiny committee may invite people other than those people referred to in paragraph 13 above to address it, discuss issues of local concern and/or answer questions. It may for example wish to hear from residents, stakeholders and members and officers in other parts of the public sector and shall invite such people to attend.’

 

The Economic Growth Chair will be able to invite the Federation to the Panel meeting to ask questions or discuss issues. The current chair is Councillor Paul Nedved (Paul.Nedved@carlisle.gov.uk). This request can be facilitated by the Scrutiny Officer (Steven.O’Keeffe@carlisle.gov.uk).

 

2, It appears that all issues raised by the Federation in the longstanding and continuous Federation campaigning against Riverside have not been given deserved inclusion in your council`s “demands” of Riverside.

 

The work completed so far on a new agreement with Riverside was presented to the Economic Growth Panel on 7 September 2017. The purpose of the agenda item and report was to provide Members of the Panel with details of Riverside’s response to the priorities identified at the Community Overview and Scrutiny Panel workshop on 2 March 2017, in respect of Riverside’s governance arrangements.

 

The Panel also reviewed the work programme and agreed to scrutinise Riverside Housing Association on 1 March 2018, this would be an opportunity for you to raise questions and concerns. If you would like to do so please contact the Scrutiny Officer and this will be facilitated.

 

3, The Federation does not consider that the “scrutiny” workings of the panel over the years have been in accordance with the workings of the parliamentary select committees. These workings, as outlined earlier in this letter, have in fact been in direct contradiction to the parliamentary workings.

 

Riverside Housing Association has been scrutinised by an Overview & Scrutiny Panel on annual basis over recent years. The Panel with the remit for housing has consistently operated within the Overview & Scrutiny Procedure Rules as set out in the Constitution.  The Overview & Scrutiny Panels are not a local version of the parliamentary select committees and therefore do not need to follow these procedures.

 

If you have any further concerns about the scrutiny of Riverside Housing Association please do not hesitate to contact the Scrutiny Officer". 

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