Worry over raw deal for tenants

Your Derwent & Solway's parent company, Your Housing Group, is undergoing a restructure.

Several people have already been made redundant in the area.

The group has blamed the Government's decision to force social landlords to drop their rents, which it says will mean an expected £65 million drop in national income.

While Your Housing says the relocation of jobs from Stoneleigh in Workington to Warrington and Preston will not affect its service, tenants are concerned.

An employee, who wanted to remain anonymous, said: "There are serious concerns that it will mean people who need to call for emergency repairs will need to wait for someone to come up from Warrington as there will be no local workforce left."

Their fears have prompted Workington MP Sue Hayman to write to Kathy Cowell, chairman of Your Housing.

Mrs Hayman has questioned the amount of consultation Your Housing Group undertook before implementing the changes.

People are concerned that the change will mean no local knowledge and relationships built up over several years will be lost.

It is understood that 10 people, with 100 years worth of experience between them, in the West Cumbrian call centre have already been made redundant.

Mrs Hayman said: "I am particularly concerned to hear that Your Housing Group is relocating West Cumbrian jobs to Warrington and Preston, including the community support team, removing local jobs and making local people redundant.

"This will inevitably have an impact on the ability of the organisation to provide services and support to residents, and is to the detriment of the local economy."

Your Derwent & Solway manages more than 2,000 properties in Workington, Maryport, Cockermouth and Keswick.

Meanwhile, Your Derwent & Solway's board, which is a subsidary of Your Housing Group, is currently looking to become independent from the parent group and form an allegience with other housing associations in the county.

Rob Rimmer, Your Derwent & Solway chairman, said: "We are a separate legal entity with its own governance and we are currently pursuing ithe ambition to break with Your Housing Group.

"The Government’s recent money-saving decisions will still apply and cause pressure to the organisation but the Derwent & Solway board believe we will better be able to maintain the services that our staff are proud to deliver to our residents in West Cumbria, if we are able to control and deliver them from our Cumbrian base."

Mrs Hayman added: "Your Derwent and Solway is a respected housing association in West Cumbria, and I am concerned that this will be put at risk if changes that are not to the benefit of local residents are pushed through.

"I intend to support the proposal for the board to break away from Your Housing Group. I have written to Mrs Cowell to ask for confirmation that they will allow the local board to do this."

It is understood Your Housing Group has ended Your Derwent & Solway's Routes to Work scheme, to help youngsters with transport to find jobs, its community gardens projects in Workington and has made two community support workers redundant.

A spokesman for Your Housing Group said: "The national housing crisis has placed the sector under increasing pressure.

"If we don’t change our business and become more efficient, we won’t be able to continue to improve services for residents, and build more homes.

"So, we have started a significant programme of change and are looking at every part of our business to see where we can make improvements and savings, but we would stress that services to residents will not suffer as a result.

"Our consultations with staff started in May and will run for the next 18 months with different teams being reviewed at different stages.

"This is a very difficult time for our staff but it is a process we need to go through and we are committed to doing it as sensitively as possible.

"With that in mind, we will not be commenting on details of consultations which are currently under way."