WHY ARE TENANTS` COMPLAINTS NOT BEING HEARD?

 

Now the ombudsman  wants some answers

No surprise that formal investigations by the Housing Ombudsman, Richard Blakeway (pictured) have risen by 65% compared with last year, while enquiries and complaints of  the service have surged by 139 per cent in the last year .

The figures were published this week as the ombudsman launched a consultation on its three-year corporate plan from 2022 to 2025,

In this plan the ombudsman sets out how it will tackle an “unprecedented increase” in casework and to “reinforce the importance” of complaint-handling in the social housing sector.

 

 

 

 Community activists have long been concerned about the lack of accountability in the housing sector, particularly complaints to housing associations.

One of these  associations,the giant Liverpool based Riverside Housing Association, the biggest landlord in the Carlisle area, has been targeted by  Carlisle and District Tenants` and Residents` Federation.

A spokesman for the Federation said: “We welcome these new initiatives by the ombudsman. Riverside  is a law to itself and  in the experience of our members has never been properly held accountable since the Audit Commission was stopped from regular inspections about ten years ago.”

The ombudsman service is undergoing a major overhaul following the publication of the Social Housing White Paper, created in the wake of the Grenfell Tower fire when questions arose about why residents’ complaints were not heard, or in some cases ignore

Complaints are likely to significantly increase even further as the white paper recommends a more consumer-focused social housing regulatory system.

Among several changes that have already taken place, the watchdog started publishing reports on all investigations in March in a bid to increase transparency.

In September, it opened applications for a new expert group that will focus on improving the accessibility of its complaints system, particularly for those without internet access, with low literacy, or whose first language is not English.

The new consultation, open until 12 November, sets out its four strategic objectives – extending fairness, encouraging learning, increasing openness and achieving excellence – and how it will achieve them.

The plan involves “significantly” increasing awareness and understanding of the ombudsman’s role, improving access, and taking a “intelligence-led” and proactive approach to improving landlords’ complaint-handling to encourage earlier and more local resolution . 

 Carlisle Tenants` and Residents` Federation publishes this blog. Information about the Federation is available on 01228 52227

 

LEAD MINE POISONING MAY HAVE ENDED

  

 

Last notes

of a swan song for swans?

How polluted are the lakes in the Lake District? Two of the biggest lakes have different stories this week.

At Windermere, a local conservationist has started an online petition calling for a ban on sewage pollution. He says  the lake could become ecologically dead.

 

 At Ullswater(pictured) a few miles further north, the sight of swans   swimming  happily raised hopes that lead  was no longer polluting the lake.For many years swans   on the lake have died of lead poisoning

This phenomenon- possibly not generally known about- seems to have been first identified by a local GP who was also a keen naturalist. He lived near Ullswater and had a regular nature column in the Herald, a Penrith local newspaper.

In his column in the 1930`s he reported his thoughts and observations of the swan mystery and came to the conclusion that the birds may have been poisoned by the lead from Greenside lead mine that had polluted the lake. But he never proved that this was so.

His findings appeared in the Herald and some years later  another local man became interested in solving the mystery  and carried out his own investigation.

Local people managed to get the bodies of several swans which had died in the lake and they were sent  off for post mortems to a Ministry of Agriculture veterinary establishment in Edinburgh.

There it was found that the swans had all died from lead poisoning. The findings created a great deal of interest and were reported in the Penrith Observer, another local newspaper.

Since then the man has not had an opportunity to establish whether swans on Ullswater were living or continuing to die.

Now the man says:”If the swans are staying alive, it may be that Ullswater is now free from lead pollution. Or perhaps they no longer feed on their natural food, the underwater greenery growing in the lake, because they are being fed with pollution-free food.

“Whatever the explanation, the sight of swans swimming happily  may be the welcome evidence we need that Ullswater is today now much more free of lead pollution and  may be no longer providing a swan song for swans".

Carlisle Tenants` and Residents` Federation publishes this blog. Information about the Federation is available on 01228 52227

GINGERBREAD OR MINT CAKE?....YOU CHOOSE!

 

Time to 

polish up

our tastebuds

 Two stories about Cumberland Sausage caught my eye last week and I marvelled at  the importance of this local delicacy in the county`s heritage.

In the first story, Mr Mark Jenkinson, MP for Workington(pictured) was reported as celebrating Cumberland Day by tucking into a traditional Cumberland sausage sandwich, flavoured with Fletchertown Cumberland Sauce. 

Mr.Jenkinson says his sausage represents all that is best in Cumberland and also reflects the planned local authority shake-up and his campaign to have the  Western Authority-consisting of Allerdale, Copeland and Carlisle-  named Cumberland.

In the second story, Penrith butcher Chris Clough is reported as celebrating his creation of the ultimate traditional Cumberland sausage, which incidentally  has won an  award.

Mr Clough`s sausage will no doubt add strength to Mr Jenkinson`s campaign, particularly as the creation of the Western Authority and the Eastern Authority - Eden, South Lakeland and Barrow- involves cutting the present  county of Cumbria in half.

 

  This in exactly what Mr Clough`s firm says it does  according to ithe firm`s name : Chopping Block.

One  important factor in this mouth-watering tale remains. That is a name for the planned Eastern Authority . So far, no campaign it appears has started in support of the name Westmorland . 

But Mr Clough`s other award-winning speciality, Westmorland sausage,  seems  an appropriate’  second symbol for the coming fight to replace Cumbria.

Possibly Kendal Mint Cake also represents all that is  best in Westmorland, which of course is a mountainous county .And Kendal Mint Cake, so they say, has been to the top of Everest.

Or  should  our support go to, say, Grasmere Gingerbread?

It`s time to polish up our tastebuds.