Knowsley Housing Trust have once again sat back and allowed another block of 8 pensioner's flats to be destroyed by the local vandal/arsonist brigade. The flats on the corner of Kramar Walk and Westhead Avenue, had been repeatedly targeted by local youths , and tenants either side of the pensioner's flats were sick to the back teeth of the problems they had to endure. Knowsley Housing Trust have simply repeated the mistakes of Knowsley Council and left emptied properties standing for months whilst deciding what to do next. One tenant has had to dump thousands of pounds worth of property, and will need to have the whole house redecorated.Maybe John Mc Hale may care to visit and apologise. I'm waiting for him myself for about 200 apologies, but in all fairness suing him is a better option.

Fire endangered Lives and ruined furniture

The fire was so bad that tenants either side were badly affected by the smoke. Luckily the fire was not set later on as people were sleeping in the early hours. Knowsley Housing Trust has once again made people lives a misery by their ability to allow properties to lie un-occupied for months on end. Is it possible KHT get grants if the property has been vandalised? This may explain the policy of allowing local youth to demolish half the property, then going to SRB funds to 'regenerate' a problem which has been allowed to happen time and time again. KHT, like Knowsley Council have carried on in the same old fashion. Wreck and Sell. All they need to do to wreck a property in Kirkby is leave it empty. Every last KHT worker will surely have worked that out. But, it's not the workers who run things is it?

Flats previously photographed October 2002

These pensioners' flats have been in a terrible state since at least October 2002 when I took photos. Meanwhile, another block of pensioner's flats has once again been funded by SRB funds to be demolished, by contractors who seem to take an age, as in all SRB funded contracts it seems. Why are KHT using SRB funds when they already have money for looking after their own property? How much to a penny did it cost? - Who awarded these contracts? - And who decided that flats opposite Cherryfield School (ex sacred heart) should be demolished using more SRB funds a few weeks after residents leave, whilst flats on Kramar Walk are left for 12 months. The contractors employed are not KHT, as seen by the lack of any unionisation and no real enthusiasm for the very safety laws made clear on notices on the fence outside the flats. KHT staff do a good job, they are trained and accredited and adhere to safety laws and regulations very strictly. Some of the contractors this website has covered are not so concerned about safety, non unionised workers are generally less aware of such matters. KHT staffs Union website educated me. Please enlighten yourself here! (more soon on this oasis of common sense)- its what the workers are saying that count. We all know the management are talking a language all of their own. They should be forced to live next to these empty properties.

KHT Hijack local Poverty Funds - KHT board members look to get paid 20K a year!

Repeated vandalism had already seen steel doors and steel window shutters ripped off allowing youths to access the property. Many of these kids are local, but this website has repeatedly pointed out that many have nowhere to go as local facilities for kids are few and far between. The Council and KHT Fat Cats can vote themselves fat pay rises yet talk about 'regenerating' Kirkby whilst YOUR children are sitting on the street corner smashing things up out of boredom. SRB funds - which could easily have built several youth facilities are actually being seized upon by KHT who are actually using a sneaky method of getting SRB funds to fund work which KHT themselves should be funding. All the money they save is going to come in handy to pay 15 board members up to 20K a year.(they were getting expenses only but now want 20K!)

Kwest - More Ways to waste KHT funds - Lets use a Manchester Firm!

The recent KHT 'tenant satisfaction' survey was undertaken by a Manchester Firm called Kwest Business research Ltd. In this great survey (they never knocked at my door) 70% of tenants were 'very satisfied' or 'fairly satisfied' Let's not forget that statistics are like women's underwear - what they reveal may be interesting, but what they conceal, is vital! - Don't trust statistics to reveal everything - or KHT management when it comes to down it. How much money were Kwest paid for this? Why could KHT management not just paid me or any one of a thousand odd unemployed to do this survey? But no - let's throw our dwindling money at a Manchester Firm which likely got paid a stupid amount for doing this survey. Why are KHT using Manchester firms? Kwest must be 'friends' with someone up above as they seem to be able to land contracts to do surveys for a lot of Councils.

Bagnall Group - SRB funds awarded to Warrington Firm to demolish flats.

The Bagnall Group seem to have gotten contracts paid for SRB funds and presumably the firm, based in Warrington, was chosen by the SRB committee. Why could this work not have been done by KHT staff? Or some local firm if KHT had not the know how to demolish these flats. The Bagnall Group took an absolute age to demolish pensioner's flats on Westhead Ave and the corner of Burnard. They have had several contracts so far, and it seems those in Northwood have been paid out of SRB funds - it would be interesting to see the figures for this as it would be for ALL SRB funded projects.

Waiting for SRB funding figures to be released in full.

We may well be absolutely gob smacked once the figures for SRB funding in Northwood are released. Northwood S.R.B's last report, the Glossy booklet 'Northwood in a nutshell'explained nothing and left many concerned at the lack of clear info. Every penny should be accounted for; the books given a good inspection and those involved asked to explain any matters which seem less than clear. It's about time we had a bit of openness in Kirkby's political circles.