COUNCILLOR WHO `FORGOT` HER ROOTS

`Poacher  who 

turned

gamekeeper`

The late Olwyn Luckley who is to be buried this week was an inspiration to many in the Carlisle community. Sadly, there are those who take a very different view.

Mrs Luckley was an active worker for many voluntary organisations in the city and a leading Lib Dem member of the Tory-Lib Dem coalition that formerly controlled the city council.

But it was her support for the shambolic Riverside Housing Association of Liverpool that led to her being much criticised

That criticism came from  members of Carlisle Tenants` and Residents` Federation who had previously actively supported her as she pushed for nomination for a seat on the  council.

For several years Mrs Luckley attended  meetings of Federation members and appeared to give support  to the Federation campaigns against the continued Riverside bossiness and incompetence in running the the city`s 6,000 former council houses

But once Mrs Luckley was a member of the city council, it was not long before she appeared to forget the Federation`s support and became member of the Riverside`s  Carlisle governing board.

Not that that appointment in reality meant anything.  That board never achieved anything and was as incompetent as Riverside itself.

But what angered the Federation members was Mrs Luckley`s  leading role on the council`s Overview and Scrutiny Panel.

She was chairman  of that panel. In that role she has had the job of answering oral questions put to the panel by the Federation. These questions were framed in order to hold  Riverside to account.

Mrs Luckley had  no difficulty in holding down her membership of the Riverside board while responding to the Federation questions by kicking them in the long grass.

Annoyingly for the Federation there was  kicking further into the long grass. This came from the council`s Deputy Chief Executive.He  accused the Federation of using the panel as a platform for propaganda.

A Federation  spokesman had this to say today:”No one would deny that Ms. Luckley was in inspirational worker for many voluntary organisations.

“She was backed in much of this work by the Federation which also gave her great support  in her efforts to become a councillor. Sadly, she soon appeared to forget that support and then as a councillor went on to oppose the Federation`s campaign to hold Riverside to account.

“In our view, Mrs Luckley for all her good works was  also something else. She was a classic case of a poacher turned gamekeeper.”


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