FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT IS NOW NOT SO RESTRICTIVE

  Theo and his battle to end town hall secrecy 

 

Theo Blackwell`s days

 as a campaigning 

councillor  have come 

to an end .He now has

a  top London  job.But he

has left a legacy of  

near success with

a nationwide 

campaign.

 

 Theo, pictured, was a leading Camden borough councillor.He was concerned that the Freedom of Information Act which  applies to local and central government  does not apply to private companies, voluntary firms and housing

associations.

 

These bodies are publicly-funded to carry

out work for local andcentral government.The act allows the public to ask for details about how these bodies work.

 As a councillor,Theo was Cabinet Member for Finance at Camden , one of the largest local authorirties in the country, and had overall responsibility and budget setting for £250 million.

 He dealt with a"complex web"of private contracts. "It is time for  private sector firms to work by public sector rules" he said during his campaign.

“The act should apply to these organisations”, he added.

 The Carlisle campaigning community group, Carlisle Tenants` and Residents` Federation,  which publishes this blog, agrees with all of that. The group has said so dozens of times in letters, emails, and meetings with councillors and with the city council.

 In all these efforts the Federation has been aiming to get answers from the highly secretive and highly inefficient Liverpool-based Riverside Housing Association which took over the city`s 6,000 former council houses when they were privatised, 20 yeras ago

 This week the government published its long-awaited Social Housing Regulation Bill, putting into law a host of reforms to the regulation of the sector.

 Housing associations are covered by the bill and will now be subject to  Freedom of Information sector rules though, sadly, these rules are only for tenants and not the wider public. 

The bill requires social landlords to give tenants information relating to their accommodation, facilities or services. Social landlords must also publish its executives’ salaries and management costs. 

Theo is now London's first Chief Digital Officer. He leads on London-wide digital transformation, data and smart city initiatives at City Hall.

Community Voice Carlisle is the blog of Carlisle Tenants` and Residents`Federation. Information about the Federation is available on 01228 522277.

 

 

"OMBUDSMAN INVESTIGATION IS NO SURPRISE"

 Probe may bring Riverside

to heel

 Have we ever seen a busier fortnight for housing policy asks the social housing magazine Inside Housing today.

 

   When the news broke last Tuesday evening that the government wouldfinally be publishing its Social Housing Regulation Bill , it was hard to predict that that would be the tip of the iceberg in terms of what was to come.

A day later came Boris Johnson’s comeback speech after a bruising no-confidence vote result. At its heart were new announcements around driving up homeownership numbers, including extending the Right to Buy to housing association tenants, and for the first-time allowing benefit recipients to spend welfare payments on deposits.

Whether these policies will actually see the light of day is one question that Inside Housing has tackled.

Then within hours, the Social Housing Regulation Bill, which had been trailed by the government just 24 hours earlier, was published in full.

It contains a number of significant proposals that promise to change the way social landlords operate and the power tenants have.

Tuesday was a day of reflection, with the fifth anniversary of the Grenfell Tower fire. Not only was it a time to remember the 72 people, including 18 children, who tragically lost their lives but also the bereaved and survivors who are still waiting for justiice

Yesterday saw the publication of the much-anticipated Renters’ Reform White Paper, which laid out a complete overhaul of current private rented sector legislation and looks set to redress the balance between landlord and tenant.

And the Housing Ombudsman published its latest list of landlords who have been found wanting when it comes to the handling of complaints.

The giant Liverpool based Riverside  Housing Association which has more than 50,000  properties is listed as having complaints within the Housing Ombudsman’s formal investigation.

"It is  no surpise that the Ombudsman has finally caught up with Riverside  which up to now has been accountable to no one," said a spokesman for Carlisle Tenants` and Residents` Federation  which publihes this blog.

In the 20 years since Riverside took over the Carlisle council housing stock it has proved to be a  master of inefficiency and bossiness to tenants and others.

 Carlisle and District Tenants` and Residents` Federation which  over the years has campaigned against these continued Riverside failures wishes the Ombudsman much success in bringing Riverside to heel. 

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