Thousands of tenants may now
get a voice...
Don`t hold your breath, but things may be looking
up for a big group of people with no
voice… frustrated people who have long-standing problems with their
landlord, the giant Riverside Housing Association.
New arrangements are underway that might improve
things for Riverside`s 6,000 “voiceless”Carlisle tenants and leaseholders. The
city council plans this improvement and hopefully the new arrangements will
be agreed this week.
The tenants` problems with Riverside date back 16 years, to the date the Liverpool
housing association took over the city`s
council houses and abolished democracy- the democratic tenants` groups ceased
to exist.
It was to these groups that the tenants and
leaseholders had previously taken their problems, to be quickly sorted out by
their representatives or by city councillors.
Since then tenants and leaseholders have had no
democratic voice. Worse than that, city councillors who tried to help ran into
great difficulties on the ground. They had to go right to the top of the
organisation-100 miles away- to get any sort of response.
Problems came to a head in April when
Riverside asked the council for a new
relationship following its re-organisation.
Riverside had abandoned its Carlisle regional
governing board which supposedly had run the city`s Riverside houses since the handover in
2002. In fact , according to critics,
the board served no obvious purpose because it was accountable to no-one, was
unable to deal with complaints and never appeared to achieve anything.
In place of the regional board, Riverside proposed
what it called a north regional liaison group with representatives from the
council and Riverside. It will “discuss matters that are important to our
customers and to Carlisle communities.
“But it will not be part of the Riverside formal
governance structure,” said a report to the council`s Economic Growth Security Panel
by Sarah Paton, Riverside`s Northern Director.
Ms Paton`s report has been extensively discussed by
councillors in the last few months.Tory councillor Michael Mitchelson said he was anxious to ensure that tenants “have a
voice” under any new arrangement..
Labour
Councillor Pam Birks said: “We need something that gives us some teeth to cater
for those in need”.
And panel vice-chairman Steven Bowditch,(Labour) reminded members of the
farcical regional board, now abandoned.
He said that in the past he had taken up complaints about Riverside but could not get them dealt with locally.
”Each time, I had to go to the very top of that organisation to get them dealt with. That cannot be right.”
He said that in the past he had taken up complaints about Riverside but could not get them dealt with locally.
”Each time, I had to go to the very top of that organisation to get them dealt with. That cannot be right.”
On Thursday, the council`s Economic Growth Scrutiny
Panel will discuss two options to replace
Riverside` regional board. One is to go ahead with the regional liaison
group.
The other is to withdraw from any formal board
arrangement with Riverside.
What that panel decides will hopefully fulfil the
hopes and expectations of councillors Mitchelson, Birks and Bowditch.
But don`t
hold your breath.
Carlisle Tenants` and Residents` Federation publishes this blog. Information about the Federation is available on 01228 522277 or 01228 532803
Carlisle Tenants` and Residents` Federation publishes this blog. Information about the Federation is available on 01228 522277 or 01228 532803
