Cedar Tenants Association

Draft Newsletter - The Neighbour, Issue One, March 07

2007-03-14T10:56:00.000Z

Hi Folks,

Give us your views on the first of our monthly newsletters, The Neighbour. We want to hear from YOU!

The Neighbour, Issue One, March 07

washing machine victory

2006-11-25T03:55:00.000Z

"After two years of fighting, GHA has now finally fixed my water pressure!"

Tenant Alice Coy of the middle block has now had her water pressure fixed to allow her to run a washing machine. Previously water travelled from a rooftop storage tank to a tank in her house. As the water was coming from a tank in her house the pressure wasn't sufficient to run a washing machine. Her water also tasted nasty as the tank will never have been cleaned. Now a pipe has been fitted to miss out this tank.

"My water tastes great... I've been washing an industrial amount of clothes since I got it fixed."

Before Alice had to manually fill her washing machine, in a degrading and tedious process that lasted twenty minutes or more, and required her to be at home by the washing machine while cleaning her clothes.

"I'm a student - I need clean uniforms every day."

GHA had told Alice that a washing machine was a luxury item, and that if she got the repairs necessary to make hers work properly done privately then she would be liable for any damage caused. This is what they tell all tenants in Cedar. However Alice challenged the local housing manager Stephen McAvoy during a meeting organised by the tenants association that his wife wouldn't like to be told that a washing machine was a luxury item. McAvoy agreed, and as the meeting was recorded and the transcript posted on this website, Alice has never since been told that a washing machine is a luxury item. In fact the GHA carried out a study and paid a contractor to look into the problem. The contractor then issued a report which was passed onto the tenants association outlining the options available for the GHA. The recommended solution costs them £250 per household. This is less than they make a month from each of us (average rent bills are around £300 per month). It took a while, and much faffing but eventually Alice's washing machine is now fixed, is yours?

The tenants association is aware that people are still being told that a washing machine is a luxury item. Yet Alice's washing machine has now been fixed. Alice doesn't think it's fair that she should get special treatment because she's annoyed the GHA with constant emails and telephone calls. Neither do we. If you live in Cedar and you have a water pressure problem, you can't run your washing machine, or your water isn't fit to drink we want to hear from you. Let us know by emailing cedarta@gmail.com today

Tenant pressure works

Alice has now had her water pressure fixed because she, and the rest of the tenants association didn't take 'NO!' for an answer. The lifts in the three tower blocks are now being fixed because we fought for them to be fixed, and a number of other victories have been achieved.

We will fight to ensure fairness. If the GHA can fix the water pressure for Alice, they can fix it for everyone else, now.

Join the tenants Association today, and help us fight for a better community. With your help we get stronger and everyone benefits.

Email: cedarta@gmail.com if you have any queries about this post, or the association, you live in Cedar and want to join the association, or if you have water pressure problems and you want us to take up your case.

Our tenants Association

2006-11-25T03:52:00.000Z

This is a short article one of our members contributed to a magazine...

"Our tenants association has been going for 18 months now. We started up after
the lift that services my floor broke down and was off for over 4 months with

no explanation or official word from the housing department. So we booked a
room in a local community centre and wrote a leaflet which we delivered to
every flat saying how angry we were about the lift, and telling everyone about

the meeting.

At first the housing were totally dismissive of us because they wanted us to be
a sweetheart association. They tried to dictate our constitution and wanted to
sit in on all our meetings. However we just carried on anyway. We set up an

email account and a blog, which is a very easy way to have a website that can
be kept up to date.

We've already had successes with the main things we've been campaigning on. The
lift motors are currently being replaced on all 6 lifts that service the 3 high

rise blocks. One of our members has got her plumbing fixed so that she now can
run a washing machine. That was a big battle as the water pressure is too low
in most of the flats but the housing don't want to have to pay to put it right

for everyone.

One major lesson we've learnt is to escalate to the next person up the chain if
you don't get anywhere with the housing officer. Also we contact our
councilors, MSPs and MPs if we aren't happy with the response from the housing.

We have put out press releases and got in the local newspaper a couple of times
which really embarrassed the housing. We also painted on 2 large sheets "FIX
OUR LIFTS NOW" and hung them from the top floor balconies – they looked amazing

and you could see them across the whole neighbourhood!

If you're not prepared to fight for what you want, you won't get it. The first
step is to complain, but don't let it lie, keep on demanding that they fix the

problem. Talk to your neighbours. Most people in our blocks had given up trying
to get things done, whether it was repairs to their own flats or the common
areas. But its that attitude that lets our communities crumble away. We need to

fight for the fabric of our neighbourhoods because with a bit of effort we can
get improvements not just in the buildings but also in people's confidence that
we really can get together and shape a better world.

by Alice"

Cedar Goes To Maryhill...

2006-10-03T13:41:00.000+01:00

Here was the text for the leaflet for the demonstration which took place last Wednesday, as part of the emerging Glasgow Residents Network's campaign to see Local Housing Organisations which have been mistreating tenants shown up and brought into line through targetted demonstrations. Cedar Tenants Association went along to support the demonstration...

[Cedar Tenants Association Supported the Small Demonstration, which marched to Maryhill Local Housing Office, and which forced a manager to come out and speak to the assembled crowd]

Why Are Cumlodden
Residents Still Being
Forced To Live In
Squalor?!

Wednesday
27th Sept.

Meet: 1:30PM - Cumlodden Evangelical Church, Cumlodden Drive
March to: Maryhill Local Housing Office, Gairbraid Avenue.

Residents of the Cumlodden Estate in Maryhill have been the subject of years of neglect by their landlord, the GHA, and before that by the council. Many residents currently do not have flushing toilets, and have had to cope with Eastern European piping fitted by GHA blocking and causing effluent spillage in their homes. For months now Community Housing Manager Bill Lanigan has been making a series of promises to residents, often in writing, to state that investment is due to be made, all of them have proven false. This culminated last week in a meeting held for residents in the area called by the GHA where the landlord tried to disavow earlier promises of installing apex roofs to the flatroofed damp properties. Residents had had enough and voted against the betrayal, for new apex roofs to make their homes watertight.

Come along on Wednesday the 27th September, at 1:30PM, at Cumlodden Drive and show your support for a Maryhill Community that is fighting to be treated fairly.

Demonstration supported by the Glasgow Residents Network and a number of Glasgow Residents Associations – we expect people to come from across the city to lend their support so we also need to see as many people from the local area as possible – we need answers and we need them now.

Anger over GHA 'neglect' - Evening Times Article

2006-10-01T21:11:00.000+01:00

Anger over GHA 'neglect'

MARK ROONEY, left, and Graham McGunnagle say GHA has badly let them down

ANGRY residents from three city tower blocks have accused Glasgow's biggest landlord of neglecting their homes.

Cedar Tenants' Association uncovered a range of complaints when they asked hundreds of residents at Cedar Court blocks in Maryhill what they thought of Glasgow Housing Association's performance.

Their survey found 80% of residents said there were not enough facilities for children in the area, while two-thirds said their rents were too high.

Meanwhile, 63% of residents said their water was undrinkable and a further half reported having problems running a washing machine because of low water pressure.

Exposed wiring is also a safety concern for residents, as vandals routinely rip covers off the wall.

Tenants' Association member Mark Rooney, who is registered blind, claimed GHA was continually letting them down.

He said: "We are being treated like second-class citizens. We're always hearing how other GHA tenants have had their homes improved and upgraded, while ours are left in a state of ruin and neglect."

Fellow resident Graham McGunnagle, 20, added: "The fire door on our landing disappeared last week and should have been replaced within 24 hours. Five days later we're still waiting.

"GHA are a disaster - they haven't got a clue."

A Glasgow Housing Association spokeswoman said: "The Cedar Court properties fall within the Queens Cross Housing Association Local Housing Organisation area and have already seen significant refurbishment including the installation of new heating systems and new windows.

"Plans have now been approved for improvements to the two local play parks serving Cedar Court within the next six months.

"We have only been advised by one tenant about problems with the water pressure in one household and offered them immediate solutions, unfortunately the tenant has not

followed our advice."

12/09/06

Victory! Unwanted development shelved

2006-07-30T21:36:00.000+01:00

http://www.eveningtimes.co.uk/news/5055241.shtml

Another victory! Cedar Tenants Association has been part of a campaign to have a tower blocked planned for our area knocked back. The block would have cost taxpayers 12 million pounds and is part of a masterplan for our area to build lots of expensive housing for sale at the canal.

We won a public inquiry into the development and the developer then scrapped their plans to build the tower block.

Who says local residents can't ever achieve anything eh!? That's two major victories in one week! :-)

Victory! New Lifts!

2006-07-30T21:03:00.000+01:00

If you can view pdf files on your computer then click on the link below to see the original letter from Michael Lennon.

https://cedartenantspages.wordpress.com/victory-michael-lennon-promises-new-lifts-in-september/

If you can't then the letter sent to us by Robert Brown MSP (who has been assisting us with the campaign) it's reproduced in text below. Please note that there is no truth to Michael Lennon's huffy statement that the GHA have offered to discuss their proposals with the tenants association. The GHA have offered to meet with us on a regular basis and we will be pursuing this, however at no point have they offered to discuss proposals and Lennon must just be miffed that we forced them to replace our lifts. It's also interesting to note that he claims the problems have been overstated. Anyone who stays in the flats can be the judge of that:-

The Scottish
Parliament

Robert Brown
MSP for Glasgow Region

REB/MSP /HW /PA/180706
18thJuly 2006
Cedar Tenants Association
Email: cedarta@googlemai1.com

Dear Cedar Tenants Association,

Lift Situation in Cedar Court
I refer to our recent exchange and enclose a copy of the reply I have had from GHA regarding teh lifts in the tower blocks in Cedar Street. As you will see, they are to upgrade the lifts in September. I hope this will deal with the problems.

Best wishes,
Robert E Brown MSP
Liberal Democrat MSP for Glasgow Region

Parliamentary Office
Olympic House, 2ndFloor
142 Queen Street Glasgow G13BU
T: 0141 243 2421 F: 0141 243 2451
robert.brown.msp@scottish.parliament.uk
www.robertbrownmsp.org. uk

--

The Glasgow Housing Association Limited
Granite House
177 Trongate
Glasgow G1 5HF
Tel: 0141 2746200

www.gha.org.uk
- --
GLASGOW HOUSING ASSOCIATION LTD
Our Ref:ML/AW/ewd
Your Ref:REB/MSP/MR/PA
5thJuly 2006

Robert Brown
MSP for Glasgow Region
Parliamentary Office
Ol1mpic House
2" Floor
142 Queen Street
Glasgow G1 3BU
Dear Mr Brown
Cedar Street, St George's Estate,_Maryhill

Thank you for your letter regarding the lifts in three tower blocks in Cedar .street.

As part of GHA's ongoing investment commitment to regenerate the St Georges Cross
area, substantial works to upgrade the lifts at the Cedar Street flats have been scheduled. This work will involve the replacing and upgrading of both the gear and lifting machinery associated with all six lifts covering the three blocks. This will improve both the performance and reliability of these lifts. The work will commence in September 2006 and last for approximately seven to ten days.

Contingency arrangements have been made to ensure there is always at least one lift per block operational at all times. GHA's concierge staff will provide as much assistance as possible to residents to further minimise any inconvenience during this work. The cause and extent of this problem has not perhaps been as chronic as might have been suggested but we do accept there is a problem and have consequently acted to improve this issue. The average monthly breakdown of all six lifts has been five service breakdowns, repaired at an average response time of thirty minutes. Eighty percent of these breakdowns are attributable to vandalism and not mechanical breakdown. Where we have identified those responsible for this vandalism we have taken appropriate action.

We have offered on several occasions to discuss our proposals with the Cedar Tenants
Group, which offer, unfortunately, thus far they have declined. The local housing office will, however, attempt to do so again.

GHA is committed to delivering improvements as quickly as possibly to our customers and we hope our plans set out above will resolve this issue and, as always, we strive to make service improvements where possible.

The Glasgow Housing Association Lld is a non profit making housing association registered under the
Industrial and Provident Societies Act 1965, Registered No. 2572R(S).
Registered Office: Granite House, 177 Trongate, Glasgow G1 5HF.
The Glasgow Housing Association Lld is recognised by the Inland Revenue as a Scottish Charity, Scottish Index No. SC034054
and is registered with Communities Scotland under the Housing (Scotland) Act 2001 as a Registered Social Landlord, Registered No. 317.
VAT Registration No. 796 7094 66

Working for equality

Page 3

I trust the above information is of assistance.
Yours sincerely
Michael Lennon
Chief Executive

What it means when the lifts go off

2006-06-25T23:45:00.000+01:00

A few days ago the right hand lift in 65 Cedar Street was off for some time. What that mean this time was that an elderly lady who has lived here since the flats went up was left stranded with no knowlege of what was going on at the bottom of the lift for twenty minutes. She then gave up and had to take the other lift and walk down three flights of stairs in the fire escape with bags of messages.

Lift in 65 off today and yesterday.

2006-06-23T16:35:00.000+01:00

I phoned up GHA at Queen's Cross to find out why the right hand lift in 65 was off today and yesterday with no word from anyone about what was going on.

The housing officer at first didn't know what I was talking about, but then phoned me back to say that it was because GHA contractors and put the lift off deliberately while they were doing "environmental clearout". Apprently it was for our safety so that we wouldn't get into the lift with them. The lift has been left in a really dirty state, there's old carpets and a large metal plate left in the foyer and a large wheelie bin just outside the door so it loks like they were clearing out a flat. My guess is that they just wanted uninterrupted use of the lift so they could move all the stuff out and so locked it so they had it on priority.

I said that they should put signs up on all the landings when the lifts are off. I think it shows distain for the residents that they think its fine to just monopolise our lifts, which are the access to our homes, and not even let us know, and then to leave the place in such a tip. At least if a sign is up you don't have to stand pushing the button for 5 minutes and not know whether its just taking its time as normal, or whether to risk the backstairs.

We are not treated as if we are valued in our own homes, but that it doesn't matter if we are inconvenienced. I think that this stems from a culture from before GHA took over but they need to change it. Its fine for them to put up expensive billboards and adverts on the TV and radio about how happy all their tenants are with their new kitchens and bathrooms (and when are we going to get them?) but if there was actually a culture that residents mattered and have a right to know what is going on in our own homes they wouldn't need to waste our rent money telling us how happy we are with them because it would actually be true!

Broken lifts are making our lives a misery

2006-06-12T19:34:00.000+01:00

http://www.eveningtimes.co.uk/hi/news/5053480.html


	MUM Natasha McKay struggled up 20 flights. Pictures: Mark Gibson


	GRAHAM McGUNNAGLE is worried about his gran trapped in the 22-storey block


	ONE of the tower blocks in Cedar Street on the St George's Estate

TENANTS in three city tower blocks are demanding urgent action to stop their ageing lifts breaking down.

People living in the 22-storey flats in Maryhill say they are trapped in their homes every time the 20-year-old lifts pack in.

They claim one lift was out of action for four-and-a-half months.

Now, after another breakdown last week, they are calling for landlord Glasgow Housing Association to replace the faulty lifts in Cedar Street, part of St George's Estate.

Last Wednesday the lift at

No 65 broke down for a day, and many pensioners, disabled tenants and mums with prams were unable to make the lengthy journey down the fire escape stairs.

Volunteer Graham McGunnagle, 20, lives on the fifth floor and can use the stairs when the lift is broken. But his 66-year-old gran on the 17th floor has to stay at home.

Graham, who is a member of Cedar Tenants' Association, said: "My gran can't do stairs so it would have been too much for her to walk down 17 flights.

"She was stuck at home all day. We've complained numerous times but are given no explanations as to why it's happening."

Disabled nursing home volunteer Mark Rooney, 37, who stays on the 20th floor of No 104 says he is at the end of his tether.

Mark, who is registered blind, said: "Going up and down stairs is an absolute nightmare for me. This happens regularly.

"The lifts should have been replaced years ago. I'm angry, disappointed and downhearted."

Mum Natasha McKay, 22, struggled up and down 20 flights with her son Daniel Nixon, 2.

Natasha said: "When I took Daniel to nursery I had to bump him all the way down 20 flights in the buggy. I had to struggle back up with the buggy while carrying him. It's terrible."

In a previous breakdown, lifts in No 65 were out of action for four-and-a-half months and on at least four occasions since, lifts have jammed at No 104. The third tower block, No 9, has also been affected.

A GHA spokeswoman said the breakdown last week was due to a burst water pipe which damaged the lift's electrical supply.

Last year's repairs were held up because the GHA was waiting for a part to be delivered.

The spokeswoman added: "We do understand the tenants' frustrations and can assure them our staff dealt with the isolated lift breakdowns as quickly as physically possible.

"GHA is spending £1million every two days on improving tenants' homes across the city."

Last week, GHA announced the city's 80,000 tenants are to be given more control over housing decision-making and will be able to choose how much cash is allocated to specific projects.

http://www.eveningtimes.co.uk/hi/news/5053480.html

Press Release

2006-06-08T00:43:00.000+01:00

NO LIFTS, NO WATER, NO LIGHTS
Tenants in Maryhill take action!

Angry and bemused tenants in Cedar Court who woke up to find both their lifts off, fire escape lighting broken and water not running, hung banners from their verandas in protest. The lifts are over 20 years old and are regularly not working. Last year Cedar Tenants Association was formed after a lift in the middle block remained out-of-order for four and half months, leaving half the tenants with compromised access to their own homes.

"This is scandalous! We weren't told what happened. We weren't told when it was getting fixed. The intercoms were out as well so couldn't buzz to find out what was happening either," said Graham, a tenant in the block.

The breakdown of both lifts simultaneously, the water supply cut off, and the lighting black out in the fire escape came just two weeks after Cedar Tenants Association published an electrical engineers report which listed a catalogue of repairs and sent into the housing association landlord. The report alleges the "entire site presents an appearance of dereliction of duty and would seem to be without properly organised maintenance. Urgent work is required to render the site fit for purpose and put in place the mechanisms to efficaciously manage maintenance issues in the future." GHA is yet to make any response to the report.

"The landlord is legally required to ensure that tenants are living in accommodation that is windproof and water tight and otherwise in a habitable condition" (From Statute)

The lifts were finally fixed at 4 o'clock, after being off all day, but residents are concerned about when they will break down next. GHA have refused to give any compensation or rent rebates for any of the times that the lifts have been off. Nor will they give a definite timetable for their replacement.

Cedar Tenants Take Action!

2006-06-07T14:47:00.000+01:00

Today Cedar tenants were faced with yet another disgraceful example of neglect as tenants, who let's not forget include mothers with prams and the elderly, in block 104 are at this moment being forced to walk up and down up to 22 flights of stairs in the fire escape. Both lifts have broken down and are out of action, and people are reporting that their water supply is not working. The backstairs fire escape is also shrouded in darkness as all the lights in all the corridors are now off, making conditions dangerous for many.

Tenants felt enough was enough, and banners will now stay up until the lift situation is resolved while we consider further action. Enough is enough! No more running this scheme into the ground!

Living in Cedar St

2006-05-21T22:22:00.000+01:00

I love living in the Cedar St high flats. I like the view, I have a good close and I know my neighbours. I like being able to see what the weather is like in the Southside and seeing the hills around Glasgow from my balcony. Most of the concierge are friendly and I feel safe even walking home late at night on my own because I know someone is always around. The local shops serve all my needs, and I think there is a feeling of community, although I know some people dont think so. I like seeing all the kids play football together in their celtic and rangers kits when there's an old firm match.

I think it would be difficult to live here if I had kids. There's not really anything for them to do if they don't play football. I don't think I'd feel safe letting them out on their own, especialy as if they have any problems in the lifts the emergency button would be out of their reach.

I also don't like the state of the back stairs. If there was a fire or when the lifts aren't working we all have to use them but they are really slippery and vandalised. I've seen the remains of where someone's been shooting up heroin. Also there's sometimes blood. The kids often hang out there and there's lots of graffitti.

I've heard that there's asbestos in the flats but I don't know where it is, so I don't know where its safe to drill eg to put up shelves.

I think we should get new kitckens because if they took the big old cupboards out it would be much more spacious and the existing units are disgusting. Also the lifts should get replaced as they often break down and they're too slow. Because they are two seperate lifts if someone on the 20th floor presses both call buttons they both trundle all the way up so you can be stuck at the bottom for ages waiting for them to come back down.

I think heat with rent is ridiculous - I only have the heating on for a few months a year but I still pay for it all year round £30 per month on top of my rent! And thats for "storage" heaters that are get too hot at night but don't heat the house in the late afternoon and evening when you really need it.

Alice - tenant in 65 block.

Email list

2006-05-21T22:18:00.000+01:00

I just created a new email discussion list as quite a few of us use email.

You don't have to be in the tenants asociation to join the list, but you do have to live in Cedar St or Cedar Court.

It will allow people who can't go to meetings to still be involved in discussions about our area, and to help us get to know each other.

To join, put your email address in the box at the top of this website. You will then get an email back to ask you to confirm your email address by clicking a link. On that page it asks you to describe yourself - please give your address so that we know that you really are resident here.

Please leave a message here if you have any difficulties or questions or you can email me sei531@yahoo.com

how you can help us

2006-04-29T14:16:00.000+01:00

During our survey we need a number of people to be surveying their neighbours. In their closes and landings.

We also need people to take the time to answer the survey

We are a small independent group of tenants and residents who live in the area, and we don't have the resources of the GHA or the council so without your help and involvement it will be difficult for us to carry this survey out.

the reason we are doing this is that when we go to the housing and demand that repairs be carried out we won't to know exactly what the situation is. Currently we are often fobbed off as individuals by the GHA telling us that only we have this issue or problem and nobody else is affected. We know that isn't the case and we want to prove it.

If you want to get involved and you live in Cedar write to CedarTA@googlemail.com, or ring and leave a message for us at the George's X Chalkboard on 332 2902.

Tenants Association embarks on ambitious survey campaign

2006-04-15T15:49:00.000+01:00

Cedar Tenants Association is currently finishing a pilot of a survey for the whole of Cedar Court. The association wants to survey the whole of the scheme to gauge people's views on a variety of subjects, to let people know about what the association has been up to and to widen the membership of the association and the range of activities that we are involved in, but most importantly to find answers to some questions.

In the survey will be questions about whether or not people have been stuck in lifts, whether people feel included in the community, whether rents are appropriate or too high and also how people feel about a range of ongoing issues from repairs to GHA's underspend.

You can help out by filling in the survey when a volunteer comes round, but also by taking some of the surveys, getting involved and asking your neighbours! If you can help with the survey in any way and you're a resident in the area please let us know either c/o the George's X Chalkboard (0141 332 2902) or via our email address - CedarTA@googlemail.com

Camapign group and local community centre hold housing meeting

2006-03-15T12:51:00.000Z

Some members of Cedar Tenants Association have been helping to publicize the following meeting. A few of us are involved with helping to run The George's X Chalkboard. I received this news release about the event this morning.

The George's X Chalkboard has been the venue for Cedar Tenants Association meetings since the GHA banned Cedar Tenants Association from using our tenants meeting room (see previous posts for further details). The Chalkboard exists to promote active community participation, direct democracy and to help groups (such as Residents Associations) get together that will take this forward:-

Public meeting organised jointly by "Georges X Chalkboard" and "Save our Homes Campaign" Thursday 16th March 7: 30 at the Woodside Hall, 36 Glenfarg Street, Glasgow G20 7QF (Map)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE.

Public meeting organised jointly by "Georges X Chalkboard" and "Save our 
Homes Campaign" Thursday 16th March 7:30pm at the Woodside Hall, 36 
Glenfarg Street, Glasgow G20 7QF 

"The need to know. The publics right to be informed"

The meeting was called to address and demystify a range of issues 
including: Second stage transfer - What is the future of your home and 
your community.

"Save Our Homes Campaign" is a group who recognise the need for joined 
up thinking, and cooperation - and that the housing problems and 
confusion that tenants are experiencing, is city wide and systematic.

The George's X Chalkboard is a small drop-in social centre, set up and run by 
volunteers. We have been involved in a range of activities, from local 
history projects, music, local group meetings and cater to all ages.

What the group is finding more and more through talking to local people, 
is a need to discuss housing problems which is becoming one 
of the staple occupations of the shop. There is confusion and insecurity
amongst local people on issues such as where they will be in a year or two,
whether 
their house will be demolished, will they get one of the new houses that 
have been promised. This is having a drastic effect on the community.

Compounded by the private development that is sprouting up all around them,
there is insecurity due to the lack of repairs to rented property, or the over
pricing for work carried out to "Right to buy" house owners. This frustration
has fueled the need for a meeting.

The Chalkboard has risen to the challenge of assisting tenants to independently
decipher the plans, strategies and promises, of organisations such as the
Glasgow Housing Association, and Glasgow City Council, who spend great deals of
money selling ideas to the public and very little, on allotting costs towards
public representation.

This meeting will attempt to address and explain the wider issues that will
eventually have an effect on all of our houses and the social, as well as the
financial costs to ourselves created by the upheaval of property development
that is consuming our city.

The George's X Chalkboard is in receipt of no public funding, is independent,
and is not affiliated to any political party.


Georges X Chalkboard,
34 Clarendon Place,
Glasgow, G20 7PZ,
0141 332 2902
http://www.chalkboard.org.uk/
info@chalkboard.org.uk
--------------------------------------------------------





---------Info on flier---------------

What does GHA's business plan mean for you?

Is your home under threat of demolition, and if so why?

What is second stage transfer
and what does it mean for
Woodside?

What is the future of GHA
rental guarantees – will rents
go up?

GHA's planned doubling of
charges for homeowners, what
does it mean for you?  Are
you already being charged too much?



Whether you are a tenant of the GHA or a homeowner GHA's latest business plan
is likely to have implications for you.  This is a joint meeting being held by
the Save Our Homes Campaign and the George's X Chalkboard.

Invited speakers include:-

- Sean Clerkin  (Save Our Homes Campaign, Chair)
- The George's X Chalkboard

Press release - longsuffering residents in Cedar Court furious as lifts break down constantly

2006-03-10T12:17:00.000Z

Last week the lifts in the front block broke down three times. At the Tenants Association meeting last Thursday (2/3/06) it was decided to issue a press statement.

---

Longsuffering tenants of a tower block in Maryhill are becoming
increasingly frustrated as their lift was off[1] three times in one
week. Last week Mark Rooney, himself disabled, helped a young mother
struggling to carry her baby, pram and shopping up three flights of
stairs[2].

"I find this totally unacceptable. These lifts have been off on a
number of occasions - this is really affecting people's quality of
life. Stephen McAvoy [3] wouldn't put with this, why should we have
to?" Mark Rooney said.

This is not the first time lifts in the three tower blocks have been
off.[4] In addition to regular short periods of breakdown, two years
ago a lift in number 9 block was off for several months, and lift in
block 65 was off for four and a half months last year. This prompted
tenants to hold a public meeting on the issue, and form a tenants
association.

A member of the tenants association commented, "Two children that we
know have been stuck in lifts in the past few months.[5] We are
conducting a survey to find out how many people this has happened to."

Residents have also raised questions about the safety of lifts.

"These lifts are constantly breaking down. Not only is this an
inconvenience but it's also a really alarming safety issue.[6] What
if the brakes fail, the next time it breaks down?" Mark went on to
say.

At a recent public meeting called by the tenants association Steven
McAvoy agreed that the lifts would be replaced but only after new
kitchens and bathrooms were fitted. This has yet to be finalised
leaving the tenants unsure if and when this will happen. In the
meantime access to and from their homes remains a daily stress and
potentially hazardous.

---
Article Ends

EDITORS NOTES:-

1. lift for even floors was not working, in block 104.

2. Mothers have been forced to push prams up and down three flights of
stairs via the backstairs/fire-escape and elderly residents were left
unable to leave the building.

3. Stephen McAvoy, refered to in the article, is the community housing
manager for the Glasgow Housing Association, who own and manage the
Cedar Court scheme.

4. Lifts have been breaking down intermittently in the three tower
blocks for several years.

5. There was a child stuck in a lift a couple of months ago in 104
block. The police were called as the child was terrified. There was a
boy stuck in the lift in number 65 block for half an hour on the 25th
of October.

6. When in use lifts in the front block have been marking alarming noises.

Additionally both lifts in the front block were off for most of the
day in block 104 in mid November for servicing (after tenants were
forewarned), and both lifts were off in block 65, again for
serivicing, on Friday 4th November (without prior warning. Under
agreement by Glasgow City Council historically it has always been the
case that housing authorities would not put both lifts off
simultaneously for repair. It marks a precedent for tenants that GHA
has done this.

Cedar Tenants Association, which covers the area, was set up in July.
It exists to promote tenants and homeowners interests in the area and
to campaign for tenants and homeowners to get repairs and maintenance
carried out.

Electricity wiring

2006-02-11T20:20:00.000Z

At the meeting two weeks ago Stephen McAvoy promised to deal with the problem of live electricity wires, lying exposed and often vandalised in the landings, backstair areas and closes of the three tower blocks in Cedar. This has been a problem for many years now and it is about time it was fixed, as it presents a real hazard to people living in the blocks. We were therefore very glad of the commitment that was made at this meeting.

Having allowed a week's grace our meeting last week agreed that we should survey the three tower blocks to see what improvements had been made, and this Thursday past (9/2/06) we made a comprehensive survey of all the landings, backstairs and closes within the three tower blocks. Our members were actually really shocked to note the level of disrepair recorded in the findings below.

Floor 22/block 104: the live electricity wires in the backstair are exposed dangerously, and piping insulation is exposed. The plaster in the doorframe to the liftshaft room is broken. On the landing electrical wiring is exposed.

Floor 20/block 104: The electiricity wiring on the landing is exposed and the area is a mess with fire damage that has not been delat with. In the left hand close there is a large crack in the roofing tiles, there is a light that has gone out, and there is exposed wiring. in the right hand close there is exposed wiring, cracked roofing tiles, and the guard on the window preventing it from swinging 360 degrees is broken - this is a massive hazard for children. In the backstairs electical wiring is exposed above the NTL box.

Floor 19/block 104: the chute has a large crack in it.

Floor 17/block 104: The NTL box is broken and exposed. In the left hand close there is a broken glass door. The landing roof tiles are 'decorated' with national front graffiti. In the right hand close there are exposed wires.

Floor 14/block 104: The chute is very badly damaged and the NTL box exposed. In the left hand close the wooden frame at number 57 is hanging from the wall. In the left hand close the end window has been very badly vandalised with paint. In the landing the drying room has had it's wooden panel slap-dash repair for broken glass kicked in. In the right hand close there are tiles missing from the walls and various doorways have large gaping holes in them.

Floor 11/block 104: The NTL box is exposed. In the right hand close the wiring is exposed.

Floor 8/block 104: The chute is badly damaged, the NTL box is hanging off the wall and the wiring in the backstair is exposed. in the right hand close the wiring is exposed.

Floor 5/block 104: The NTL box is broken and the chute is badly damaged. in the left hand close tiles are missing and wiring is exposed. There are also holes in the wall and cupboard in this close.

Floor 2/block 104: The NTL box is broken. ***The landing wiring is exposed dangerously***. A roof tile is broken. In the left hand close the wiring is exposed.

Floor 22/65: Wiring and piping in the backstair are exposed. A landing light is not
working. the wiring is exposed in the left hand close. There is exposed wiring in the right hand close as well.

Floor 20/block 65: the NTL box and the chute at the bin are broken. Tiles on the landing are exposed. One of tha landing lights is off. In the left hand close the light is off.

Floor 17/block 65: The chute at the bin is broken. The NTL box is exposed. The landing has exposed wiring. The right hand close also has exposed wiring.

Floor 14/block 65: Both the NTL box and the bin are broken. One of the landing lights is out. In the right hand close the light is off and ***the exposed wiring is a deathtrap***. The light in the left hand close is out.

Floor 11/block 65: the NTL box is exposed. The landing has uncovered wiring. The right hand close has holes in the walls at doorframes. The right hand door is graffitied.

Floor 8/block 65: The NTL box is exposed along with ***dangerous wiring***. In the right hand close the roofing tiles are cracked. On the landing there is exposed wiring.

Floor 5/block 65: There are exposed wires by the bin. There are wires exposed in the
landings. On the left hand side there is dangerous wiring exposed and one of the lights has gone out.

Floor 2/block 65: The landing has a hole in the roof and there are exposed wires. in the left hand close there are wires lying unsafe and in the right hand side the window is broken.

Throughout the whole of number 9 block the only area which does not suffer from broken NTL boxes is floor 2, and the wiring problem there remains endemic. On the 14th floor there is an NTL box without a cover.

Extracts from meeting with Stephen McAvoy

2006-02-05T18:38:00.000Z

On heating, with reference to the newly fitted storage heaters coming away from people's walls leaving gaping holes in the plasterboard because the brick-filled storage-heaters were improperly attached and fitted by workers incompetent to do the job:-

"I'm no defending that, I mean we're paying substantial money for these contractors[...]
These houses should have been marched in and marched oot when the work was finished, so some'dy should have checked it immediately after the work was finished. I'm presuming what you're telling me is that after that check was done this things come away fae the wall. In any event that's no acceptable. I don't know about it and i didnae know about it at the time but if you don't mind we'll still make contact wi ye and well still take up the issue wi the contractor as well...

[...]

“I'm no suggestin the heatin system you've got's the best. [...] the idea o putin the new radiotors in was to give you upgraded heat, and the concern that I'm taking back the night is that we havenae achieved that objective.”

“Ma personal opinion is that type of heatin system that's there is not the best that GHA can provide for ye. That's ma honest opinion.”

On lifts:-

“The contract is already let. ... Six lifts in all of the blockas will be done.”

On Raglan Halls:-

“There's a feasibility study going on at the momenty to open that as a 'cyber cafe'.”
---
On Water pressure/washing machines:-

“firstly I accept your point, I don't think a washing machine is a luxury to be prefectly honest wi you... what I wil do is speak to the local repair team manager tomorrow and I'll find out who's been to see it and if there are any possible solutions... “

With reference to the close door at number 37 being kicked in and left unmended over the whole Christmas period, prompting further vandalism:-

“Well I'm in complete agreement wi ye in the sense that prevention would be better than the cure if we got to it a bit more quickly, What did it cost us to fix the graffiti, what did it... Apart fae the heartache that you had what did it cost us in terms o additional repairs to dae what's to be done. And ma suggestion is there's a duty officer in that office everyday and if there are any problems and issues that you have then by aw means I'm askin that you contact us because we have the means to do somethin about it, and also have the means to put a bit [sic] – the contract's there in terms o building services and the're timescales for them to carry oot their repairs but there has to be common sense as far as that, that, that's applied and I still reserve the right to have the discretion to apply that common sense, and I encourage ma staff to have the common sense to apply that as well, in the sense, that what ye;re sayin to me is it wasnae, it wasnae a simple case from a door burst or a lock, the were associated problems fae that and that's something should'ae been taken in account in terms o how quickly they got there to actually fix it.”

On the external fabric, and the roofs of the low-rises:-

"Well we are committed to doing that [upgrading the existing close doors] and that's actually in the current programme o works. Erm. The reason for the delay is that we intend to tag... tackle the outside fabric o the buildin, erm, and some problems wi the roof, perticularly at the corner of St. George's Road, there's a real issue wi water penetration in one o the roofs as well and the intention is to tackle all the work. Nou apart fae the fact that this makes sense from a common sense there are also some owners who are elligible for a grant."

[...]

"The reason for the delay is nothing to dae wi the owners. Believe it or not we want to overclad and roughcast the buildings – or at least part of them there as well to improve the heat insulation in them. And part of the problem we have - you'll be aware that there's been issues wi cracks in part of the buildings as well – we need planning permission from the city council, because those buildings are classed as brick buildings"

[It should be noted at this point that many of the low-rise flats have suffered from levels of dampness which have made the houses near uninhabitable. The association is aware of one lady who moved in with her children eight years ago whose kids suffer from bad asthma and bronchitis, because the walls are wet and black with mould. In the winter her kids need to sleep in her living room because it is too damp in their bedrooms for them to sleep. She has complained about this repeatedly and received no satisfaction. GHA's attitude to her problems is encapsulated in the one time they bothered to address her situation – they sent two workers round with a pot of white paint 'to cover up the damp'. Needless to say her walls were black again within a week.]

On controlled entry systems:-

“Due to be done is a new controlled entry system and that's a changeoverto the metal-magnetic system that they have further up on Garscube Road.”

On the mobile phone mast situated on the top of number nine block:-

“No there's no health and safety risk coz ye remember we had an issue in the whole city a few years back about suggestions that radiation and suchlike came from these masts, so there was a health and safety assessment done for every multi-storey property across the city at that point in time, so it's kinda raking the ashes o somethin that's already been checked if you like but you have my assurances that that has been checked.”

[I wonder if Stephen would mind if we let the top of his house to a mobile phone company without telling him? I wonder what he would say if, when he raised questions about its safety and why he was never consulted when we chose to let his roof to the highest bidder for the erection of a mobile mast, we had said to him – 'No worries Steve, we looked at this issue a while back and believe us there really is no problem here, and we feel you're raking over old ground there mate' ?]

On the issue of Raglan concierge not being in their office during their duty hours:-

"There's a reduction in the numbers o staff so obviously if the guys are oot and aboot, cleaning the stairs or whatever it is that they're daein, the station is going to locked at that point in time, so what they've been instructed to do is to put a notice on the door saying I'ma away for an oor, or I'm away for two oors or whatever's happenin."

[Oh well, that's alright then...]

"So if that's not happenin and also they're being instructed that if they're away for that period o time that they leave the contact number... the guys are in radio contact ok so see when the fellas that work in raglan are out and about they're still in radio contact with the control centre at Cedar, so they're still contac... for a health and safety point of view fae their point of view but also on the basis o bein able to contact them, but I take on board what you're sayin about it no being opened for the oors that is should be open."

[There are obvious issues for people in Raglan street about anti-social behaviour and violent crime, and it's very brass-necked of Stephen McAvoy to say that concierge staff – who I think should be in the station in Raglan 24/7, especially in light of both the Peggy Weir murder, and recent serious disturbances such as an incident where dunken/drugged youths were chucking objects such as televisions at passing cars on St George's Road – are not available because of GHA staff cuts. I have no doubt that Cedar Tenants Association would do all it could to support tenants in Raglan if they wanted to address this issue.]

Meeting With Stephen McAvoy

2006-02-04T18:15:00.000Z

Cedar Tenants Association has been working for some time to secure a meeting with the community housing manager of Queen's Cross Local Housing Organisation - the local branch of the GHA which manages Cedar. We had been looking to secure such a meeting since a consultation we took at a public meeting revealed that something tenants and residents in Cedar would like to see most was that they got a chance to put their concerns and questions to, and had them dealt with by the housing boss for the area.

On Thursday the 26th of January the association held this meeting and managed to extract a few commitments from the Queens Cross LHO boss:-

1) Exposed live electricity wiring (in many cases left unfixed, and often dangerously vandalised for years at a time) will now be fixed in the three tower blocks, as of Friday the 27th of January.

2) He will meet with us again whenever we like, at any point in the
future.

3) That washing machines will no longer be treated as "luxury items" (previously Queens Cross LHO stated that low water pressure issues in the tower blocks - the result of an antiquated water system, where tap water is drawn from rooftop water-storage tanks as opposed to from rising mains - were not a problem because it only affected washing machines and other domestic appliances, which were "luxury items" which therefore tenants should do without).

[No washing machine being manufactured today will run on the low water pressure in the flats in Cedar, and special filters which were formerly produced to deal with this problem are no longer available to buy. The reason for this is that every other city in Europe has already dealt with this water pressure problem and so there is no need outside of Glasgow for these filters to continue to be produced.]

4) That the association will be able, towards the end of February, to view the timetable and list of investments and repairs due to get underway in Cedar over the next year.

Mr McAvoy also promised the following, but outlined no specific proposals, and gave no firm timetable:-

1) That all of the flats will receive new kitchens and bathrooms this year.

2) That the lowrise flats (which have suffered from dampness due to longstanding, unmended, leaking roofs and cracks in the masonry) will be overclad and harled, pending planning permission.

3) That the lowrises will have new heating installed.

4) That badly-needed magnetic, security doors will finally be fitted to the closes of the lowrises.

5) That the ill-conceived and poorly fitted installation last year of new storage heaters to the tower blocks will be reviewed to see if proper thermostatic controls can be fitted.

6) That following the installation of new kitchens and bathrooms the six lifts at Cedar will be replaced. The current lifts are 24 years old and are subject to constant breakdowns.

We believe it marks a significant milestone that we were able to meet with Stephen McAvoy, and that he gave a commitment to meeting with us in future whenever we want. Previously he had refused all contact with us, and denied the existence of our tenants association. As a result of our campaigning we were able to get him to come to our area and meet with us, to discuss what WE, as tenants and residents in this area, believe should be happening here. Tenants in this area have had enough of being bullied, ignored and lied to, left to live in a community which has not received the investment needed to sustain it. Now we are getting active.

We hope to post an audio file of this meeting to this website in the next week so that people can hear what was said at the meeting. In the meantime over the next few days we will post extracts from some of the things Mr McAvoy said during the meeting that are of relevance to tenants in the area.

Increasing Anti-Social Behaviour Problems

2006-01-15T18:49:00.000Z

It's late at night and a closedoor in one of the maisonette flats is being kicked in for the second time in a few weeks. It's not an isolated case. Glass litters the pavement at the Cedar st lowrise flats and bit of wood, not some few days installed, covers the glass door.

At the community council the members were concerned. "This is happening all over Woodside!" exclaims one member.

The events of the past few weeks are familiar to most people in Cedar and across Woodside, and the problems have been going on for some time now. The police have stopped attending many incidents and many residents are at the end of their tether. What is all the more shocking is that the vast majority of these incidents are not the result of criminal gangs, drug traffickers or addicts (as much as those are real issues in this area) but are simply some very bored teenagers.

There is little or nothing for the large numbers of 12-13 year olds in this area to do, so as a result they amuse themselves by chucking stones and other bits of rubbish left lying about this area from all the half-assed jobs our various civil authorities (GHA, Queens Cross, Glasgow City Council) have abandoned. They daub grafitti on walls because there's nothing else engaging their creative energies, and they vandalise property because they've grown up in a scheme that has received little or no investment for decades. They are used to seeing live electricity wiring poking out of walls, windows broken, smashed or otherwise hazardous, lifts often unoperational with burnt-out entrances, closes that are covered in litter and dirt, bare, exposed asbestos where there should be walls and grim steel doors boarding up drying rooms filled with pigeon droppings and rubbish. If these kids hadn't grown up in a dilapidated environment and they had activities to do which were fun and burnt off some energy then perhaps they wouldn't spend their time smashing bottles and making a nuisance of themselves.

However the focus of the authorities has been so far to talk tough and be completely ineffective. Mobile street patrols of CCTV are being used to cover up for the fact that the real crime here is that the youth of Woodside have been completely let down by the council and now the GHA, who have between them closed our youth centre and allowed our area to become run-down and completely uninteresting and unengaging for our kids. I've been asking a few kids recently what they think of our area, generally I get told, "It's shite!" We, in the community, should be asking ourselves why our kids think this, and we should be talking to one another to see how we can achieve good youth facilities and an area and community our children can be proud of, not alienated by.

That is not to dismiss crime or the victims of Woodside youths, and there are real problems with drugs and violence in Cedar and the broader Woodside area as well, but we have to recognize that if the social services that we all want were in place and we had a strong and vibrant, clean and pleasant community then we might see a good deal less of the youth crime which is plaguing people at the moment.

Secondary Stage Transfer - what does it mean for Woodside

2006-01-15T18:14:00.000Z

Queens Cross Housing Association, the Local Housing Organisation of the GHA in Woodside, is to take part in a pilot transfer scheme (assuming they win a ballot of tenants in the areas which are to take part). The areas which are to take part are Dundasvale, Cromwell and Burnbank. The st Georges estate, where Cedar Court is located, which along with some of the housing around Trossachs st forms the district of South Maryhill LHO committee, will not be balloted and will not take part. The same is true of Hamiltonhill (Hamiltonhill LHO committee).

Reading between the lines in many ways this development is suggestive. We already know that the areas which are not to be included in the trial are under what the GHA terms 'options appraisal', where they make pull our homes down at any time, whereas those areas taking part in the trial are not. Equally we have seen significant underspends in those areas not taking part in the trial with no corresponding underspends in those communities which the GHA and Queens Cross have chosen to include. It seems then no great leap to suggest that our homes are under threat.

Tenants have of course been given absolutely no role in developing these plans, and it goes without saying that we have received absolutely zero information on our area's future. If we want to stop this from taking place and/or achieve some meaningful say in what our landlord and our wannabe landlord are up to, we in this community will have to start to talk to one another, exchange information and try and co-operate to let each other know what these developments mean for all of us and what we should do about them. It should, afterall, be the job of a community to decide its direction, not the role of aloof housing professionals who almost always live somewhere else.

GHA buries awkward business plan

2006-01-15T16:44:00.000Z

The Glasgow Housing Association revealed its latest business plan on the 21st of December by sticking it up on a little used neuk on its website, completely unpublicised, and by burying copies in dookets in public libraries across Glasgow unannounced. It did not announce that the document was in existence and had been published and to date none of the Glasgow media have investigated the plans.

Tenants in the Cedar area only found out about it when a friendly housing camapigner alerted us to it.

The plan (which is available at: http://www.gha.org.uk/content/mediaassets/doc/Draft_Business_Plan_0607.pdf) will mean the demolition of 11,000 houses in multis across the city (corresponding to roughly half of all the city's tower blocks) along with a new charge for tenants in tower blocks as well as rent rises and a doubling of the service charge of home owners in years to come.

The plan also stipulates that GHA would like to see 50% of its remaining housing stock transfered to housing associations before the end of the year 2008. Tenants of Queen's Cross are to be balloted on whether or not they want to see their homes be transfered to Queens Cross Housing Association. If the GHA win the ballot then tenants in Burnbank, Cromwell and Dundasvale will have another change of landlord and Queens Cross Housing Asociation will becomeone one of seven of the first housing associations to take on the new role, in a series of pilot transfers.

GHA has a statutory obligation to publish its documents for public scrutiny and the plan is described a a draft, but they have not alerted tenants to it.

Ongoing communication with GHA

2005-12-21T16:06:00.000Z

Dear Stephen McAvoy,

Thank you for your prompt response on this occasion.

Welcoming your commitment to ensuring that our posters will be put up
in future, we would like clarification on what you mean by requesting
that you see the content of the Tenants' Association notices before
they are put up as we do not believe this to be the case with posters
for other groups publicity that are put up on the notice boards in the
high rise foyers.

We do not feel that it is an accurate representation of events to
state that we have not wished to enter into dialogue with yourselves.
Indeed our previous representations requesting a meeting were not
responded to, nor our letters on specific issues. We would welcome
dialogue between our organisations for the benefit of tenants and
residents in Cedar St/Court.

We would like to move forward to setting a time and date some time
early in the new year for a meeting with yourself in order to discuss
matters affecting residents in the Cedar Street/Court area further. We
propose the Woodside Halls, some evening in the last week in January
as a suitable arrangement. Please can you confirm your availability at
that time, or suggest an alternative timeframe.

Yours faithfully,
The Secretary (Cedar Tenants Association)

On 12/14/05, McAvoy, Stephen wrote:
> to secretary cedar group,
> GHA have no objection to posters, as assisting you put them up in
past has demonstrated. would like to see content before it goes up and you
have been advised to that effect.
> please also ensure senior concierge are aware of your intention to
put posters up, as this has not always been the case.
> I also think it best we agree number of posters, best locations i.e.
notice boards and that concierge put posters up.
> other than that I have no problems with poster and we will give you
every assistance.
> if there has been a mis understanding on this occasion with concierge
then please accept our apology. if necessary I'll resolve problem of
mis understanding with concierge to ensure no repeat.
> I believe GHA have given your organisation as much support as we can
including attempting to support role and development of your group. I
believe this is not assisted by your decision not to enter into dialogue
with GHA and I ask that you as a group reconsider that decision. GHA
would very much welcome the chance to discuss cedar with your group.
> I have explained the H&S and operational difficulty we currently have
allowing part of the concierge work area to be used for meetings. we
have however offered our support to arrange and if wished meet you at any
other local location of which there are many.
> as explained to residents from cedar, GHA will under certain
conditions provide resources to support organisations like yourself.
> I presume the common area problem you refer to is drying area ? if so
as part of GHA's continued and extensive investment plans for cedar
this problem is being addressed. if not please specify problem to
concierge.
> is this not an example of some of the issues jointly we could resolve
?
> I would again re state I am happy to meet to discuss cedar and you
can contact me either by email as you have done, by telephone tel 945
3003 or via concierge.
> GHA has an official complaint policy that I would be happy to send
if you let me know who and where to send it to. alternatively it can be
accessed via GHA website.
> we make no attempt to restrict your organisation in fact we can
demonstrate our attempts to encourage and develop a tenants group in cedar
including arranging public meeting, personal meetings to offer training
and organisational support. our forthcoming newsletter contains a
specific request to encourage a tenant group in the cedar area.
> if there is anything other than trying to support development of your
organisation as offered, assisting arrange public meetings, promoting
interest via newsletters, displaying posters we can offer then please
let me know. thanks

Comment from a long standing resident

2005-12-21T12:15:00.000Z

This was posted as a comment on a previous post, but it is important so I am reposting it here, as a top level post.

"i think for an area such as cedar court having more than 300 families within the 3 blocks, that some sort of social recreation centre should have been built instead of a so called bowling green no one uses, except those who walk their dogs they aint meant to have living in the flats. people talk of teenagers and crime rates in this community , but what is there for kids to do? there is a small wall for them to gather on and drink their bucky and there is always the backstairs for them to drink and smoke on when its raining and cold, of yes and there is always a climbing frame if they get bored.........come on cedar tennants lets get out there and fight for the future of these flats and get the community spirit back into this area. i have lived in this area all my life and i am ashamed to bring visitors to my house because of the state of the area. places like easterhouse, drumchapel and possil have all received a face life making it look better, if this happened here then maybe people would take pride in where they lived and the youngsters would have something to do rather than commiting crime in this run down pathetic area."

Official Complaint Regarding Posters

2005-12-15T10:57:00.000Z

Dear Stephen McAvoy,
I am writing to you to make an official complaint regarding Cedar Tenants Association being prevented from using noticeboards located in each of the three tower blocks in Cedar Court. A copy of this email (and subsequent letter) is being sent to both the MSP and councillor for this area also.

Since our inception as a tenants association in July this year, and prior to this point throughout June, we have sporadically been prevented from using facilities set aside for tenants, including the meeting room, and noticeboards, but latterly it had seemed as if GHA had become more reasonable in allowing us to pursue at least some of
the activities that we should expect to be able to. However the period covering the past few months saw the head concierge systematically taking posters advertising our meeting down in October, after the concierge failed to put up posters in the noticeboards; senior concierge Frank Quinn had personally received these posters
some weeks prior to the meeting. The justification given for the removal of these posters (located in closes) which was given was that these posters were a fire hazard, an implausible pretext given that rubbish is still lying in neglected common areas (as it has for years)within the flats and GHA does absolutely nothing to address this.

We do not understand why this happened and would like an explanation.

Notwithstanding that we were much heartened to see our posters go up (somewhat late, but they went up) in the run up to our November meeting, and we had hoped that in future we might be able to publicise our meetings unhindered. We were much annoyed then when not one, but two separate sets of posters handed into the concierge failed to go up, over a period of several weeks, which saw members of the association continually ask the concierge senior to put the posters up. Obviously this fell on deaf ears.

On one or two occasions it would be possible to pass such events off as accidents, absent-mindedness or something similar but what we have experienced seems to be more the result of a deliberate policy to prevent Cedar Tenants Association from growing and broadening its membership. We would therefore remind you of your commitments to
tenant participation and point you towards GHA's own tenant participation strategy. We would further advise you that the STO are taking these matters into consideration and we are seeking advice on how to take this matter further.

Yours faithfully,
The Secretary (Cedar Tenants Association)

Further barriers to tenant participation

2005-12-03T17:19:00.000Z

"This is your city. These are your homes. [The GHA] is your organisation."
[Foreword to the GHA's tenant participation strategy document]

Well if the Chairman of GHA is correct then he should explain why it is that despite two separate sets of posters handed into the concierge for them to put up in the nnotice boards of our blocks advertizing our meeting, given to the concierge 4 weeks and one week before the meeting did not result in them being put up, despite constant reminders from members of the association to put them up. Obviously this was not an isolated incident, or a result of incompetence from the concierge because it has happened on so many occasions. Other organisations can put up their publicity inviting tenants to come along to their events and meetings without any problem. Apparently for an independent tenants association like Cedar TA the situation is different.

Is the GHA doing all it can to promote tenant participation when Cedar Tenants Association is being effectively barred from access to facilities that are supposed to 'belong' to tenants?

Perhaps what is most annoying however is the casual disregard in which we are held. Nobody from the GHA would ever openly admit that the posters continue not to put up because they concern the tenants association. They are always graciuously accepted, and then presumably quickly thrown in the bin.

So what's that 18 times now, or something?

2005-11-27T19:12:00.000Z

In yet another 'surprising' incident the right hand lift at 65 Cedar street broke down last night and a lift engineer had to be called to 'fix' the problem.

This has happened well over a dozen times now since the lift was repaired having been out of action for four and a half months.

So what did they do with all that money they never spent?

Welcome to the New Venice

2005-11-27T13:39:00.000Z

"It's a good looking scheme for what is, at present, a disaster zone. Good stuff. Will be very dominant on the hill too, weird contrast next to the power station! Unfortunately I doubt it'll be big enough to overpower the council blocks in Cowcaddens."

This is what passes for a public debate on the subject of 'little venice'. There is much talk about strategic masterplans, regeneration, and 'the image of the city' that this building project will project, along with sunny images of futuristic buildings coupled with happy smiling people, but it is notable that amongst the talk about how house prices in Spiers Wharf - the gated community of 149 houses and offices on the other side of the canal from the St George's Estate - will surely rise there is absolutely no mention of how the vast majority of people who live in this area will benefit from them.

In fact it is telling that whenever the publishers of glowing reports and articles discuss 'New Rotterdam Wharf', and 'New Dundas Wharf' in the context of those who live in this area currently it is partly in a fearful tone. We are something to be controlled and moved on. Our areas, the communities we live in, are eyesores that need to be 'dealt with' and any possible 'benefit' from this scheme can only be construed as something that moves significant 'new people' into the area, rather than being developed as something that improves the lot of the ordinary people who actually already live in our communities.

A MASTERPLAN to transform the Forth and Clyde Canal in Glasgow into a "Little Venice" has been given the go-ahead. [...] However, the report makes no secret of potential problems - notably security issues because of a perceived threat from yobs along the canalside in areas such as Maryhill.

Indeed even the objections lodged to the scheme have been couched in the adverse effects perceived to the folk in the Spiers Wharf flats (who as we've said constitute a tiny minority of this region's tens of thousands strong population. Little or nothing has been made of the fact that while Glasgow City Council is prepared to lavish money in a PFI scheme to build hundreds of £200,000+ luxury flats money cannot be found by the authorities to re-open our community centre in Raglan Street, our provide decent play areas for our kids.

In our communities we've seen massive underspends (over 50% in the South Maryhill LHO area - which covers the St. George's Estate - and over two thirds for Hamiltonhill LHO).

If the £100 million of investment that the council is keen to 'help out' with was to be used to regenerate our area for the people who live there I'm sure this plan would have no detractors. However, having spoken to one of the architects behind this plan, in the near secret 'public consultation' it became abuntantly clear that this scheme is in no way going to benefit locals. When I asked this archect whether any of his 'warehouses' would have flats which were available to rent, he said no. He went on further to say that he had been speaking to 'the key partners in social housing', and 'to the GHA' and he had been told that "nobody wants to live in social housing", so therefore his plans didn't incorporate any.

So what we have is the authorities on one hand sponsoring a development for the super-affluent, which will need to be 'protected' from the wilds of Maryhill, and on the other a pre-existing community, that has seen massive neglect over many years both under the council, and now under their pals at the GHA, which stands to gain exactly nothing, apart from an encroaching population. A population that is to some extent frightened by the existing community, and which will not interact positively with it, and one which will need to import its goods and services because its 'needs' are not taken care of by what serves the current community.

This is effectively a yuppy colonisation, and it will result in a change in the character of our area for the worse, making it harder for the people of our communities to afford to live in them. It's bad news and it needs to be stopped. It is also deeply ominous that a time when all this luxury flat building is taking place in our community the flats that we live in - which we know the GHA considers to be under 'Options Appraisal', where they may choose to knock them down at any point between now and 15-20 years down the line, depending on their own undisclosed priorities - are seeing massive underinvestment.

Does the GHA know something we don't?

Strategic Underinvestment

2005-11-27T13:21:00.000Z

South Maryhill LHO Investment Spend for year April 2004 - March 2005

Target | Planned | Actual | Variance
£1,788,081 | £1,058,746 | £856, 497 | £931,854

---

The GHA can gloss those stats up in fancy brochures through the letter box all they like, but the numbers speak for themselves. Out of a budget of £1,788,081 for the whole year, they managed to spend just £856,497, which equates to just under 48% of the actual budget for the year.

In other words they managed to spend less than half their budget on this area. This is despite the fact that the Cedar Court part of the St George's Estate is needing its lefts replaces its common areas better maintained, its repairs more efficiently carried out, it potential asbestos problems dealt with, its childrens' play areas invested in and upgraded and the general look of the place improved.

Our housing officials and representatives have become so incompetant they can't even think of things to spend money on while the people who live in the area have ideas coming out of their eyeballs in terms of what that near million quid they forget to use this year past could have been spent on.

A letter from Patricia Fergusson

2005-11-18T01:47:00.000Z

In response to the letter from our treasurer Patricia writes the following:-

"Dear X,
Thank you fo your letter of November 5th regarding the breakdown of the lifts at your home in 65 Cedar Street.

I have forwarded your correspondence to Bailie Malik's office as she will be best placed to deal with your concerns. I had noted however, that you had said you were yet to hear from either myself or Bailie Malik with regards the issues you had raised with us during our roving surgery in Cedar Street. Bailie Malik has infact been in touch with Stephen McAvoy at Glasgow Housing Association to bring to his attention the issues you had raised. I believe that Bailie Malik is still awaiting a response from Mr. McAvoy and as soon as this is forthcoming; she will be back in touch with you.

In the meantime if you wish to contact Bailie Malik to discuss your concerns, she can be contacted at Glasgow City Chambers on (0141) 287 5883.

Yours sincerely,
Patricia Ferguson MSP"

In other words the elected representative for this constituency in the Scottish Parliament has declaimed any responsibility for the state of social housing in her constituency. Apparently social housing is not under her ambit of responsibility, as long as it is issues affecting tenants that really matter to them. This is passing the buck.

Tenants Are Not Puting Up With This Carry-on

2005-11-18T01:10:00.000Z

A message from the Association's Treasurer

Tenants are not puting up with this carry-on with our flats, and when Tenants have to walk down the (excape root) the backstairs, the stairs are so dangerous they are slippy, and wet, that someone could have a bad accident, and fall its not right for old people or tenants who have kids, babys with prams having to walk up and down all those stairs. It's not right, and something has to be done to our lifts. We need some new ones, and I think its about time we got them, everyone knows that. Also the engineers they said the same thing that the lifts are no use so why are we not getting new ones, as we cannot put up with this, lifts out of order all the time. It's not us if GHA can't afford them, it's just not acceptable the continuous breakdown. We the tenants are sick of it.

A letter to Patricia Ferguson MSP

2005-11-16T11:16:00.000Z

A copy of this letter was sent to the Housing Manager at Queens Cross - Steven MacAvoy.

It was written by the current treasurer of the tenants association.

--

Dear Patricia Ferguson,
I am writing to you regarding the breakdown of our lifts at 65, Cedar st,.
As I left the house on Friday 4th Nov morning the two lifts were off and the was for (25 mins) there were 7 tenants walking down all the backstairs as we reach the foyer tow of the oldest tenants who have lived in the flats since they were built were standing to get the lift to their houses. When I spoke to the concierge he did not know they were putting the two lifts off, I was really, really, annoyed at having to walk down all the backstairs from the (17 floor). Its getting beyond a joke, two weeks before this the wee boy who lives along the corridor from me he was stuck.
But he said it was to be about 10 mins or so, and thats what the two oldest tenants said they would be back on in (10 mins). It was (25 mins) but no one told us, the Tenants , whether or not it's 10 mins or not we are supposed to know. Plus 2 lifts off at the one time was never allowed they must keep one lift operating so I was so annoyed. Also the wee boy along the corridor was stuck in the lift the week before, for more than (1/2 hour) and that was just after 6-00PM. Its just getting beyond a joke the week before the boy was stuck the lift kept banging at nearly every floor the banging, and noise was terrible then the boy was stuck in it. The the two lifts off on Friday morning, is it not time GH payed out for new lifts?
GHA never let you know what is happening with out lifts, also don't tell tenants the lift is going off, for a period of time, and having the disgrace to put both lifts off, and don't let the tenants know it's reidiculous. I don't think yourself Patricia od Councillor Malik or GHA members would put up with it either - so why should the tenants of Cedar st. We want new lifts not lifts that break down every so many weeks - it's getting worse. I would be grateful if I would have a response this time regarding our lifts, and other repairs they are going to do in our flats, or whether they are being pulled down like in Springburn.

Yours sincerely,
XY

Looking Forward - Youth Facilities

2005-11-13T17:02:00.000Z

At a recent meeting of Cedar Tenants Association it was decided that we would like to see a meeting for the whole North Woodside area where many people from the wider community came along and had their say, and which gave us, as a community, a chance to think and plan about youth facilities in the area.

The Association has learned that the community council in our area (woodside community council) has been trying to tackle some of the anti-social behaviour that goes on in the area, where missiles have been chucked dangerously from heights and where youths have been causing trouble on the wider st George's estate by playing loud music. We think this is a major issue for issue for people living in the area, but we're also pretty clear that a lot of what goes on could be avoided if there were decent facilities for local kids and youths to play and be rowdy in.

Considering that many of the trouble makers are as young as twelve we think that this position is all the more justified. Yes we need to be tough on crime but we feel some of it is simply kids with nothing to do making a nuisance of themselves, and certainly in Cedar there is little for them to be getting on with and the play facilities that exist are not good enough, or not fit for the purpose, or in the case of the climbing frames in front of the concierge station they are badly maintained and actually unsafe.

We feel that there is a space now for people across woodside to get together to talk about these issues and we would really like to see a wider number of groups get involved in organizing an event that would bring together people from across the wider community and we will over the course of the next few weeks being making contact with other groups and agencies to see if we can make this come together.

Lift Off Again!

2005-10-30T22:11:00.000Z

Tuesday the 25th of October

Our lift is off again. The single event that casued the most anger and catalysed us to start the tenants association off was that the right hand lift in block 65 (the lifts go to every alternate three floors, the one 2, 8, 14 etc. the other 5, 11 etc.) was off for four and a half months leaving the elderly people in the lfats housebound, and making life more difficult for people with babies.

Since the lift was ultimately 'fixed' it has broken down or otherwise malfunctioned almost a dozen times. On the 25th of this month it did so again, leaving a young man trapped in the lift for over half an hour, until he was freed by the fire brigade. Naturally we have received no information on why this lift, which we all use on a daily basis in block 65, continues to break down. Why has it taking so long to fix these problems?

Various lift engineers and those with experiences of dealing with lifts have told us categorically that these problems are inevitable, due to the lift's extreme age (22 years), and from the scraps of information we have received from the GHA we now know that replacement parts which will be increasingly necessary as the lift breaks down more and more are hard to find because the GHA has made no attempt to store spares (an error justified on cost efficiency that leads to tenant misery which is grossly negligent and makes a mockery of GHA's claim to being a 'scoail landlord'). What is necessary is for the whole lift to be replaced with a modern one. This would undoubtedly be quite expensive, but they have 150 million in the bank which they're not spending, particularly in areas that are 'up for review' (ie that they may decide to demolish in five or ten years time), and the figures we're talking here are in the thousands.

What makes the most recent galling example of the lift breaking down so much the worse is the fact that tenants had been complaining constantly of the lift making loud, frightening noises during motion. This had resulted in lift engineers being called on two occassions. These engineers then left having found that the lift was still running. It was not repaired and nobody in the GHA bothered to explain what the actual complaint was, so they failed to identify that the lift was making terrifying metalic snarls.

Two weeks after the lift broke down with this young man in it. This is just another example of the chronic neglect that the Cedar area community has to put up with on a daily basis. Those who sit in these offices and make these decisions for us are never the people who have to put up with them afterwards. It may save GHA money, and be 'prudent' not to stock spare lift parts but for the people who are affected by these decisions it is a slap in the face, and for some (the longest standing tenants, some who will have been residents since the flats were first built) it is a virtual prison sentence. It's not on and it has to change.

General Meeting

2005-10-22T06:42:00.000+01:00

Despite low turnout - perhaps because of GHA attempts to undermine our publicity - the general meeting at the George's Cross Chalkboard went well. A programme of events was arranged for the coming few months, as well as the election of office bearers for the next three months, and a strategy for winning back our basic resources and rights to organize worked out. Minutes of the meeting are distributed to all members of the tenants association.

The results of the elections are available to members through the minutes.

The programme for our upcoming events is as follows:-

Thursday the 3rd of November - General Meeting of the Association
[@ the Georges X Chalkboard]
Saturday the 5th of November - Surgery (open to all tenants and residents in Cedar)
[@ the Georges X Chalkboard]
Thursday the st of December - General Meeting of the Association
[@ the Georges X Chalkboard]
Saturday the 3rd of December - Surgery (open to all tenants and residents in Cedar)
[@ the Georges X Chalkboard]

* And every first Thursday and first Saturday of every month thereafter to be the General Meeting and the Surgery respectively

The posters

2005-10-22T03:53:00.000+01:00

In order to discuss how we are going to win our basic facilities from the GHA, the Association began calling a general meeting of the membership, to take place on Thursday the 20th of October.

In order to publicize this members went round all the closes and landings in the scheme and put posters up inviting members and non-members alike to a meeting at the George's X Chalkboard (http://georgesxchalkboard.blogspot.com/). We became disheartened when we saw that many of these posters were being removed not long after we put them up. We put it down to weans being ignorant. However we were suprised to find out later, that it had been the head concierge; he informed a member of the association that the posters had constituted a fire hazard, that the children had been setting them alight, and had taken it upon himself to take all the posters down. He had also (perhaps to strengthen the pretext) quizzed the member why the association wasn't puting leaflets through everyone's door. Perhaps he should print them? Or perhaps GHA could give us access to our facilities so that we can run off leaflets ourselves?

At any rate the association is convinced that these childish and churlish attacks on our ability to organise as tenants was not merely off the bat of our senior concierge, but came from those at the housing. 'Just you take these posters down, and make up some reason why you did it,' rings much more true than the ludicrous idea that posters (which GHA is apt to put up in the same places when it feels like, or gets round to, informing tenants about something) constitute an intolerable fire hazard. This is especially true and the latter especially ridiculous when looking at the usual blase fire safety conduct shown by GHA - who are often happy to leave bagged rubbish in ever growing piles by bins for weeks, or who do nothing, in some cases for years, when antisocial tenants turn communal drying areas into makeshift cowps for the disposal of their rubbish - a phenomenon that has led to dangerous fires and that still remains in some cases to be dealt with.

Notwithstanding the behavious of the GHA on this occasion, the meeting did go ahead as planned.

October and the meeting room

2005-10-14T12:49:00.000+01:00

In September a member of Cedar Tenants Association had attended a meeting of the STO - the Scottish federation of tenants associations and tenants organisations - and had told them of Cedar Tenants Association's trouble in getting the GHA to allow us access to our own meeting room and facilities. On the back of the case presented to their meeting, the STO was motivated to write to the GHA on behalf of Cedar Tenants Association, such was the flagrant abuse by the GHA of its publicly available policies on tenant participation.

However when Cedar Tenants again asked why it was that they were being prevented from accesing their facilities, they received the startling response, in writing from a GHA representative (Jane McGrory), that 'there are other facilities that can be used if the tenant [sic] wish'.

Naturally Cedar Tenants wished to find out about these other facilities, and book them for our meetings, but, when pressed about it, the line from GHA (Queen's Cross LHO) was that we had to return the original letter we had received concerning these facilities (presumably so that it could be destroyed, and the miscreant who wrote it punished), that the GHA representative had passed on incorrect information, and the the manager at Queen's Cross wished to have a closed meeting with members of the Cedar Tenants Association, ostensibly to find out what their needs were.

When asked to put this in writing Steven MacAvoy - heid bummer at Queens Cross (echoing a letter he had written previously on the same issue some months previously) wrote:-

"I am sorry to advise you that the room at Cedar is unavailable for use at this point in time.

The room presents some potential health and safety difficulties for GHA. The room in question is actually an integral part of the concierge workstation.

Can we suggest some alternative venues such as Woodside Halls or Maryhill Community Centre [sic].

I am on holiday until 01/11/05. however I would be happy to meet with you anytime thereafter."

THANKS STEVE!

So Cedar tenants are supposed to use community centres at a cost of around seven pound an hour because 'there is some potential health and safety difficulties' (what he is refering to here is the hole in the wall made some two years ago to fit an extractor fan that was never installed. it has hitherto, or at least before the inception of Cedar Tenants Association, never been an issue for any groups meeting in the room. Indeed while Stevie-boy was writing missives telling us the room was unsafe for us to meet in may months ago, he was simultaneously allowing a benefits advice drop-in organised through Queens Cross HA to meet there. Apparently the hole in the wall - some five inches or so, suspended 9 feet in the air - only presents health and safety problems to those of us with jobs? or is it something else Steve?)

The battle for use of our basic facilities as tenants in the area continues.

Meeting in the Chalkboard

2005-10-13T15:22:00.000+01:00

A new resource centre in the George’s Cross area of Woodside allows the Tenants Association to hold meetings there, while it gets ready to open and afterwards.

Cedar Tenants Association makes progress, due to having a regular, free, public meeting space, in organising fundraising events and campaigning activities.

On the first Saturday in October Cedar Tenants Association holds its first surgery.

The day after we hold our first Bring and Buy sale.

The membership grows as a result of these activities.

Public Meeting

2005-10-13T14:52:00.000+01:00

4/08/05

The public meeting we called takes place on the 4th August in the Woodside Halls.

In it various new issues arise; tenants who attend this meeting raise a quite shocking list of problems.

The association makes an agreement to pursue the various issues and suggestions that were raised.

More On The Meeting Room

2005-10-13T14:42:00.000+01:00

3/08/05

Prior to the public meeting one of our members receives a letter from Steven MacAvoy saying why we can’t use the meeting room in block 65. This letter is in response to telephone conversations with GHA officials regarding the use, or otherwise, and the official explanations for this, of the room.

The letter dated 3rd August claims that the room is unsuitable due to it being located in the conierge workstation, and cites the falsehood that it is being used currently as a store area.

Through the telephone conversations preceding this letter (which included intimidation of tenants association representatives – GHA officials requested names of inquirees and then hung up immediately) we were told that the official reason f why we were not allowed to use the meeting room was that, "The room is only for the use of GHA approved registered tenants organisations."

The Next Meeting

2005-10-13T14:38:00.000+01:00

14/7/05

less people attend this meeting but a working constitution is battered out and agreed upon.

Again the meeting takes place in a drying room because GHA is still citing ‘holes in the wall’ as presenting a threat to tenants’ health and safety for meeting in the ‘cedar street meeting room’ where the GHA had initially held the meetings it had invited tenants to.

There is an agreement to hold public meeting.

[Minutes of this meeting are on record to members. Contact Cedar Tenants Association c/o the George's X Chalkboard]

2005-10-13T14:33:00.000+01:00

30/6/05

The first start up meeting of Cedar Tenants Association takes place in the 22nd floor drying area of block 65.

A draft constitution is presented to the meeting.

[Minutes of the meeting are on record for all members to see - contact Cedar Tenants Association c/o the George's X Chalkboard]

Meeting Room

2005-10-13T14:29:00.000+01:00

June

Throughout June various requests to meet in the meeting room are made.

Concierge senior informs us we can’t use room for health and safety reasons citing a ‘hole in the wall’ (tiny hole was made two years prior, it later turns out, to make way for an extractor fan which was never fitted).

GHA insist during this period that this hole in the wall prevents them from allowing us to meet in this room. Cedar tenants are aware that these excuses are vacuous and untenable but there is no budging from GHA.

Lift Party...

2005-10-13T14:20:00.000+01:00

Monday 16th May

We held a small ‘lift party’ outside Queens Cross LHO offices Firhill.

We spoke to 'the Director of Policy for GHA' where we issued some demands not least to be kept informed and to find out information about what’s going on in the area. She “hear[d] what [we were] saying.”

The Lift had been off for four and a half months.

Lift On!

2005-10-13T14:17:00.000+01:00

Tenants started to take direct action to draw attention to the continuing situation with the lift. Tenants publicly made several banners which together read 'fix our lift now!' the intention was to drape these over the balconies on one floor of the flats but the lift was back in action before being brought into use – 7th May weekend.

Authoritarian Farce

2005-10-13T14:02:00.000+01:00

The GHA send out details of further meeting dates and send along men in suits from Granite House - headquarters of the GHA.

GHA officials had told tenants participating in these meetings that they were to 'act as a buffer between tenants and the GHA'.

What was meant by this was that if tenants had a problem the job of the tenants association, as the GHA saw it, would be to allow people to express their frustrations to the tenants association (a small committee). The tenants association would then carry their concerns to the GHA. The idea behind this was that concerned tenants would only speak to the tenants association.

In the case that the GHA wanted to announce something the role the GHA outlined for the tenants association would be to relay the message of the GHA word for word.

In effect what was being proposed was that a tenants association would be a small committee of known individuals who would be effectively co-opted into the management of the GHA. They even went to the extent of handing us 'our' constitution.

This was a total farce and Cedar tenants rejected the whole premise of a couthy, GHA-friendly committee by boycotting these meetings, which soon ceased taking place.

The Response

2005-10-13T13:55:00.000+01:00

- The GHA ‘invite [people] to the first meeting of the new tenants assoc.’

- The meeting takes place cedar meeting room 19th April, 7pm

- The GHA minutes refer to “cedar street meeting room”

- The GHA attend with one man dressed in a suit identified by the minutes simply as ‘GHA’ but no job title plus Margaret Docherty from tenants meeting who is the “acting community housing manager”

- The two GHA officials present ‘the constitution' and set the bounderies of the association for the tenants association without consulting anyone.

- Many people do not receive an invite to this meeting and nobody was asked whether the time and date suit.

A Discovery

2005-10-13T13:33:00.000+01:00

Cedar Tenants discover at the public meeting that the GHA has lied about a missive they circulated concerning their supposed desire to set up a tenants association at Cedar Court. It emerged at the meeting that the GHA had said variously to half a dozen people or so, who happened to be present at the meeting, that they ‘had been the only person to inquire about it’, following their missive.

[missive circulated over xmas/new year period]

The begining - lift off!

2005-10-13T13:21:00.000+01:00

13th April – Fix our lift now! - public meeting -

Some tenants and their supporters organize a public meeting in the nearby Woodside Halls because their lift has been off for some time.

There were some twenty or so people in attendance, including many people from outside of the Cedar Court scheme who were interested in the situation there.

The meeting was also attended by Margaret Docherty (at that point the Acting Community Housing Manager) who hides in the audience, and then begins interrupting people and being disruptive. When she was asked to leave she refuses. When asked again she makes a move to go but starts speaking to people 'to resolve their problems' while the meeting is continuing.

The right hand lift at 65 Cedar st. has been off for two months by this point.