Knowsley Housing Trust has decided to declare Oak and Cedar Towers surplus to requirements and tenants have been notified that this is to take effect from the 25th March, some have already left. This means that tenants will be compensated with 'homeloss allowance' and offered 'similar accommodation' elsewhere. Not too similar we hope.

Kirkby Times has ran a number of articles on one of the Tower Blocks involved, pointing out that both Oak and Cedar Tower were an absolute disgrace, and the conditions tenants were living in were appalling. The Housing trust ducked and dodged its own obligations towards tenants as outlined in the tenants' agreement. It threw money at contractors (all of this needs scrutinising publicly) and for the last few years both the Council and KHT charged tenants for a non existent security and concierge system. This is blatant fraud as far as many of the tenants are concerned. The Housing Trust, far from being open and honest, has consistently avoided answering questions. This is typical of any players in Kirkby's political/business/corporate circles. But it's also a response to the lack of any tenants groups or organised resistance.



The announcement came as tenants threatened to get more proactive. Kirkby Times has outlined the issues involved and there still remain a number of issues which remaining tenants would like to be involved in. For a start, some of us believe that there should be replacement rented accommodation built in place of the flats. After all, if there are to be more private houses built then it will lead to a shortage of accommodation here which can be rented. Furthermore, why can we not be involved in the plans for any future accommodation? In truth they want to get us out so they can sell off the land, there's money waiting to be made now and the contractors are already drooling at the mouth in anticipation of landing another tasty deal. KHT need to do more than just throw us a letter saying a representative would be calling around in a couple of weeks. That was on April the First, it's now May the first . No-ones called 4 weeks later.

704 Flats gone in Kirkby in recent times.

In the past few years we have seen 4 tower blocks demolished (Mercer Heights) and now another 4 as Oak, Cedar, Larch and maple are all now to be demolished. This is a total of 704 flats for rent that have been taken out of the local housing stock. In the case of Mercer Heights, it has been reported to Kirkby times that the firm demolishing the flats was sold the lucrative land which the flats sat on. Someone bought the land, and a small group of Councillors got to oversee this matter. Private houses were built on the Mercer Heights land. All of this leaves Kirkby with a certain future shortage of suitable rentable accommodation. Even with less people living here, it is pretty difficult to point to vacant Housing Trust properties in areas which are decent. Will the 704 Flats be replaced by KHT?

Local rented accommodation to be almost wiped out.

Maggie Thatcher first bought in the right to buy from Councils, and it only needs a quick fiddle about on a calculator to see that buying your own property works out cheaper than renting in the long run. This will lead to massive percentage of Knowsley Housing Trust Stock passing into private ownership over the years, and realistically, in ten years, this may see up to 90% of the existing stock being bought by people as the right to buy still exists. Even elderly folk without family who are still renting may well become involved in letting a friend or neighbour purchase the house. The property is then left in the will. Anyone living in Housing Trust Accommodation in Kirkby which is worth buying, will likely buy it, or have someone buy it. This is already happening on a massive scale and it seems that the Housing Trust will continue to bury its head in the sand regarding the role it has in the future. Given they have not released any figures for replacing rented accommodation, it seems that they, and other people involved in the wholesale sell off of the stock, have simply made it more unlikely that there will be enough rented properties built here. In turn this means less money coming in and begs the question what happens to monies received on housing stock sold. It's amazing how Kirkby's Left wingers simply sat back and let this happen. Expect job losses in a few years. KHT will be losing a LOT of work on the strength of 4 blocks of flats being demolished, the other 8 Blocks left will eventually come down, but will KHT be building anything to replace them?

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