BRITAIN ON THE BRINK AND CARLISLE ON THE BRINK

QUESTIONS

OVER EUROPE,

QUESTIONS OVER

RIVERSIDE

The  Riverside fiasco is a bit like what`s happening today over Europe. Just as the questions are now increasing about how  much longer Britain can stay in Europe,  questions  are now increasing about just how long Carlisle can stay with Riverside Housing Association.

New boss Jean-Claude Juncker

In Brussels, David Cameron said  Britain had moved closer to  leaving the European Union.

In Cumbria,  Riverside tenants were told that Riverside  is facing massive problems  that  threaten  the very existence of its Carlisle operations.

Old boss Patrick Leonard

David Cameron`s problems come from his failure to block a new boss for Europe, Jean-Claude Juncker, who as result, won the election to become the new president of the EU.

Riverside`s problems, it is claimed, come from the time of the old boss, Mr Patrick Leonard who tried to be elected Cumbria Police and Crime Commissioner and said he hoped to run that job alongside his Riverside job of Carlisle regional director. He resigned soon afterwards.

That resignation and the obvious questions about Mr Leonard`s judgement have been followed by other serious questions  about the judgement and ability of its top officials and whether Riverside is now up to the job of running the 6,200 former Carlisle council houses it took over eleven years ago

Should Riverside now clear out  of Carlisle and go back  to Liverpool?

Riverside`s 200 leaseholders certainly think it should go and are increasingly critical  of  its management and  its rocketing charges.

And  the despairing Longtown tenants certainly think Riverside should go as they face up to their many problems caused by Riverside`s dodgy heating systems. This week it was reported these systems are resulting in energy bills of £900 a quarter for one house.

Nearly thirty of these tenants came together again  a couple of days ago to continue their fight for proper heating.

 It was the fourth meeting of tenants run by Carlisle Tenants` and Residents` Federation which has been spear-heading the fight for four months.

For these tenants, the meeting was an eye-opener. There were allegations  from a private investigator and  from a Riverside part- house owner from Hallbankgate.

These allegations explained  and backed up many of the suspicions  long held by the tenants about dodgy contractors , dodgy workmanship and  incompetent management in getting things put right.

The tenants hope to do their own spear-heading soon.

Their own newly-formed group, Longtown Action for Heat, plans its first public meeting on July 10.

Community Voice Carlisle is the blog of Carlisle Tenants`and Residents` Federation. Information about the Federation is available on the first post of this blog, dated March 25 2013.

                                              

AFTER SUAREZ, TENANTS TAKE A BITE AT FAVOURITISM

LET`S  HAVE

RIVERSIDE 


FOR 

BREAKFAST,


LADS

The World Cup last night caused the postponement  for a week of the tenants` meeting at Longtown. Instead of getting their teeth into Riverside Housing Association  as they planned to, the  tenants stayed at home and sadly, had to watch Luis Suarez (above) get his teeth into England.

“Let`s have Suarez for breakfast, lads” proclaimed the Sun newspaper earlier in the day, alongside pictures of Rooney and company, each  player decked out  with evil-looking fangs.

It was not to be with England`s  2-1 defeat by Uruguay.

Now the question is this: if the England lads cannot have Suarez for breakfast, is there any reason why Longtown lads (and lasses) –still without affordable  heating at home- should not have Riverside for breakfast?.

The Longtown meeting postponement – to Thursday of next week-allowed the protesting tenants and other critics of Riverside to focus on another coming meeting.That meeting is to be held next Tuesday.

Peter Farmer- a surprise

It is in Morton Community Centre in Carlisle. And  it  is getting a lot of attention because everyone is wondering why in fact the meeting is taking place.

The mystery centres on a surprise announcement  by two former Carlisle City councillors, husband and wife Peter and Nan Farmer who will be running the meeting for  an organisation  called TRAMP- Tenants`  and Residents` Association of Morton Park.

 TRAMP is now a Riverside organisation – it is also a limited company-which over the years has had many hundreds of pounds of Riverside funding to keep it going. And at each meeting of TRAMP, Riverside staff are there with support and advice for tenants and residents.

Over the years too, that generous Riverside funding  and that  generous Riverside support has been complained about time
after time.

Other similar Carlisle tenants and residents groups could never understand why they too could not get the same generous Riverside cash and support.

 But Riverside would never  give the other groups cash and support, nor would it explain why TRAMP  got such favoured treatment. And  city councillors too would never explain.

The favouritism  seemed harder to justify because public money is involved through the millions of pounds of Government funding that is given to Riverside.

Nan Farmer -a surprise

Added to this, is the fact that all the 6.000 Riverside homes were built by the people of all of Carlisle, for the people of  all of Carlisle and not just for a favoured few.

But is change on the way? Is the favouritism about to end.?

Back to theTRAMP meeting on Tuesday.

Nan and Peter Farmer`s surprise announcement was that Tuesday`s meeting is being called  to wind up TRAMP and its limited company.

After that meeting,  TRAMP  will no longer exist, say Nan and Peter Farmer.

They still haven`t explained why.

But taxpayers who built Riverside homes and now fund Riverside itself want to know why.