MPs MAY ACT AGAINST HOUSING ASSOCIATIONS

Housing

secrecy:

challenges

grow

 For many years the giant Riverside Housing Association has been challenged about its secrecy in dealing with its 50,000 tenants and leaseholders. 

Sometimes the challenge has been backed up with Freedom of Information requests.But every challenge has failed because housing associations unlike the majority of public bodies are not subject to Freedom of Information laws.Because of that loophole, secrecy continued unchallenged.

 That loophole- and many others-  allows failures, abuse and waste  to be covered up. As Tony Blair said when he introduced Freedom of Information in 1998: “Unnecessary secrecy in government leads to arrogance in governance and defective decision making".

The purpose of the Freedom Information Act is simple. Members of the public, including journalists, can ask public authorities for information they hold. Unless divulging it would cost too much, or prejudice national security or there is another good reason to hold it back, officials have to oblige

Now Elizabeth Denham (above) the Information Commissioner has said that parliament should act to close the loopholes.

Ms Denham said that housing associations are the clearest example of exempt organisations, as they carry out public tendering processes to provide public services.

Closure of the loopholes cannot come soon enough for critics of  Liverpool-based Riverside which has come under increased pressure recently from Carlisle City Council and others, particularly over its Longtown(near Carlisle) heating scandal where dodgy boilers led to tenants` unafordable energy bills of up to £4,000.

The full story of why these boilers were installed has still to be revealed by Riverside despite a  continued campaign by the tenants over several years.

The picture is likely to be completely different soon a few miles over the Scottish border from Longtown. Riverside will actually face Freedom of Information laws through its ownership of Irvine(Ayrshire) Housing Association.  

The Scottish Government announced today that it and other Scottish  housing associations would be subject to the Freedom of Information Act from November 11.

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