Thursday 26 March 2015

THIS BLOG WAS MEANT FOR "FIGHTING"



A birthday

boy

reflects on

Riverside`s

bossy ways


It`s celebration time...this blog is a birthday boy, two years old this week.

Image result for Patrick Leonard Riverside picture
Irresponsible claim....PATRICK LEONARD
After those two years, it`s time to reflect just how successful the Community Voice Carlisle blog has been in what it set out to achieve: putting a stop to the bossy ways of Riverside Housing Association of Liverpool and keeping a check on all Riverside activities.

We have had our successes and sadly, we have failed in some  things. But the fight against Riverside`s incompetence goes on.

Chief among our successes was the resignation of the former Carlisle regional director, Mr Patrick Leonard. He  sealed his fate when he made  a fatuous and irresponsible claim after he stood for election as Cumbria Police and Crime Commissioner.

The claim was that he hoped after that election that he would  combine the police commissioner`s job with his Riverside job.

Image result for dEAN bUTTERWORTH rIVERSIDE PICTURE
Only one job up to now...Dean Butterworth
Mr Leonard has been succeeded at Riverside by Mr Dean  Butterworth. Up to now, Mr Butterworth   has not promised to combine
his job with any other job.

Another success  was reported only very recently. It is that Riverside have decided to  shed all the work attached to running its 270 Carlise leaseholdings. It is moving the work
to  its head office at Liverpool.

News of the shift to Liverpool is  no surprise 
to the Carlisle leaseholders. They have suffered for years from Riverside`s incompetence... rocketing bills that no one understood and  numerous failures to deal with outstanding problems and difficulties.

And the fact that Riverside has had to make this shift indicates just how incompetent is its Carlisle operation.
Image result for Jimmy Robb picture
Tenants` leader...Jimmy Robb

Will the shift to Liverpool make any difference?The only difference seems to be that Carlisle letters of complaint will have 100 miles further to travel.

 There has been success too in ending  thei advertisements Riverside has been running every week for two years in  the Cumberland News, Carlisle.

The advertisements claimed that Riverside was ”transforming lives and re-vitalising neighbourhoods.”
  
The advertisements  suddenly stopped appearing this month. Riverside may have pulled the plug on them, Or the Cumberland News may have pulled the plug.

The advertisements claimed that Riverside was supporting (presumably, financially) the page of the Cumberland News where the advertisements appear,  the district news page.

Possibly, the Cumberland News came to the conclusion that it is just not good policy to have the support of Riverside on one page  of the newspaper and to have articles criticising Riverside`s shameful record at Longtown on another page.

Whatever the reason: Good riddance to the Riverside page!

The big failure in the fight against Riverside has been over the appalling neglect of the Longtown  Riverside tenants . 

These unfortunate people are now emerging from their third winter in ice-box homes that they cannot afford to heat because of the dodgy  boilers installed by Riverside.

Carlisle Tenants` and Residents` Federation has   fought continuously for these tenants, backing Jimmy Robb leader of their   pressure  group, Longtown Action for Heat.

Saturday 21 March 2015

OUR DRINKS HAVE NOT BEEN SPIKED




No truth in this

malicious

Riverside

 gossip



The long absence of a new post on this blog was not caused by Riverside Housing Association  of Liverpool as has been rumoured. The Federation is happy to deny the  malicious  gossip that Riverside has been spiking the drinks of Carlisle Tenants` and Residents` Federation members in order to shut us up. 

That is not to say that Riverside would not like to shut us up. Riverside in the past has tried to ensure that we cease  to exist-...Riverside told  Carlisle City Council  exactly that. And over the years, Riverside has threatened us several times with its obnoxious Persistent Complaints Procedure.

That was after Riverside withdrew a £1,200 a year grant to the Federation for no apparent reason.

But spiking drinks in order to shut us up?

Riverside would never stoop so low.

For the record, the absence of a new post on the blog was caused by illness. Carlisle Tenants` and Residents` Federation apologises for this.

Community Voice Carlisle is the blog of Carlisle Tenants` and Residents` Federation. Information about the Federation is available on 01228 522277 or 532803.