Knowsley Housing Trust
has continued to ignore disgraceful conditions as reported by Kirkby Times
in our series of articles, reports, witness accounts, photography and video.
John Mc Hale did acknowledge months ago that the 'situation was being reviewed',
but communication with tenants has become a Wall of Silence and the Trust seems
content to let a bad situation become much worse by simply doing nothing. The so
called 'reviewing the situation' which Mc Hale speaks of, is little more than a
few words exchanged in secret between the select few. New Labours shake up of local
authorities has led to a situation of democracy in reverse, where the most important
decisions affecting the local community are made by an elite few, not the community.
What a Waste!
Knowsley Council were always sending out letters, wasting thousands per year,
maybe per month. Now Knowsley Housing Trust have also taken up this wasteful habit.
Below is the latest communication by the Housing Trust, sent First class. Whilst
it may seem petty highlighting this letter, it is an example of resources being wasted
by lack of imagination. The Council could easily have put posters up in Towerhill and
maybe informed the local media, papers and radio that the New Office is opening.
Sent out first class, are the Housing Trust having a laugh here or what?
Knowsley Council crackdown on Benefit Fraud?
Knowsley Council did use the local media, the Liverpool Echo, to inform us that they
are to have a crackdown on benefit fraud. Funnily enough, Kirkby Times has mentioned
Fraud due to an incident were someone was actually
wrongly accused of Housing/benefit Fraud.
Knowsley Council couldn't even apologise when they knew they'd made a mistake.
Thats because the average beaurocratic idiot never believes they are wrong.
We have also highlighted the fact the Housing Trust is charging tenants for 'service
charges'. Whilst the Government encourage these 'crackdowns' on the Working Class, it
seems that many Councils themselves should be investigated for fraud. Charging people
rent to stay in flats which are slums is a disgrace. Knowsley Council are however
quite happy to receive benefits from the Government for these slums.
The Real Criminals and Cheats
Earlier this year in March, Alan Hughes, a Doncaster property developer, was sentenced to
five years for earning £2.25 million by bribing two influential councilors to support a
large housing development. Peter Birks former chairman of the council's planning committee
was jailed for four years. He had received a £160,000 farmhouse for pushing through the
application. Gordon Armitage, Hughes' financial adviser was jailed for twelve months for
aiding and abetting corruption. Ray Stockhill, a former deputy council leader and mayor
was given a two year suspended sentence for receiving payments of more than £30,000 from
Hughes. The scandal triggered tougher Labour procedures for selecting local councilors.
Labour made much of the Tories corruption but nowadays it is certain that Labour have as
much enthusiasm for large amounts of ill gotten cash as the Tories ever done. Given
the amount of corruption which is now surfacing in the UK, Kirkby Times wonders whether
Labours enthusiasm for investigating itself, both on a local and National level, is
being hindered by the inevitable damage any thorough investigations would surely bring.
All over the Country, Councils like Doncaster have been tainted by allegations and
rumours and now actual proof that corruption at a Local level exists. Kirkby has had no opposition for
decades. If we did have opposition, then there are many land deals which would never have made it
past the first stage.
Grass thy Neighbour?
Knowsley Councils hotline is another attempt to turn the community into a bunch of spies,
snooping on our neighbours and claiming rewards for each poor sod that is nicked for benefit
fraud. They want to encourage us to destroy our own community by attacking the working Class
culture of solidarity which for decades has seen Kirkby as a community being opposed to the
Government. Below is an exchange in the House of Parliament. Remember that Maria Eagle recently
defended Working Class people who won't shop benefit cheats. She backtracked of course
under pressure from Conservative and New Labour politicians who are robbing the Country
blind.
Q1. [16260] Mr. Beggs: What additional action will be taken by Her Majesty's Government
to reduce social security and housing benefit fraud.
The Prime Minister (Mr. Tony Blair): We are committed to taking tough
action on social security and housing benefit fraud. We are endeavoring to
make the social security system more secure, to modernise it and, of course,
to punish those who abuse it.
Mr. Beggs: I thank the Prime Minister for that reply. Will he join me in
congratulating
those vigilant officials?
Real Cheats are at Top of Society
Most people will see the 'vigilant officials' spying
on the community to be targetting the poor whilst the
Politicians like Blair and his wife and people in his circles make dodgy deals
worth hundreds of thousands. Blairs wife recently saved more money on a
property deal than any benefit cheat could hope to make in 10 years of
fleecing the dole. Many people commiting benefit fraud do so, not out of
greed, but as a matter of simple survival. New Labour, and Knowsley
Council want us to do as they say but not as they do. If anyone's robbing
the Country blind, rest assured it is not DSS cheats, they don't even
come close to getting 1% of the money which is taken by massive fraud
commited by powerfull people with connections. The Government won't
set up a hotline for that. They want a war on the poor and Kirkby
Times is alerting the community as to the need to stand up to the
attacks on our community. The real benefit cheats are those at the
top of the society. They are bleeding the Country of Billions of
pounds.
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