Monday 12 October 2015

Gravy Train derailed? New Charter announce 150 redundancies. Will only workers go or will directors join them?

Local employer and major Social Landlord " New Charter" have announced 150 redundancies in their staff. They hope to achieve this number by voluntary redundancies but have not ruled out compulsory redundancies.

The redundancy issue could be very interesting. The figure of 150 has been given, The reason for the redundancies has been given as a cost cutting exercise to deal with the governments plans to force Social Landlords to reduce their rents by 1%

But according to documents lodged at Companies House New Charter Homes employed an Average of 50 persons in "Housing Management" in 2014, the last year for which figures are available.

Another New Charter company, Gedling faces redundancies. It's workforce is reported as being 63 full time and 30 part time staff.

Overall The whole New Charter Group has 1000 staff..

So we have a dichotomy, They evidently intend to rid themselves of staff who are employed by a company or companies who do NOT provide social housing. So how can they be affected by a 1% reduction in rent?

And while on the subject of redundancies will any of those Labour councillors who are New Charter directors give up their directors pay or positions to secure the jobs of those for whom New Charter provide their livelihood rather than pin-money?

24 comments:

Alf Garnett said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Anonymous said...

I think you should ask a VERY important question of New Charter Housing.
Why did they spend such considerable time and effort trying to evict Roy West's vulnerable partner, only to give her a transfer in the end? It's plainly obvious to most of us that they were not evicted.

LezB said...

As a conservative voting tenant director of NewCharter, I shall do everything I can to preserve jobs and I know that goes for our Chief Exec too!

New Charter not only provides social housing but provides valuable support to the community and of course maintains housng stock to an incredibly high standard. As for returning stock to the council, does anyone really remember the state of Tameside's council houses prior to 2000? Alf Garnett was famous for one thing- a lot of hot air!

Alf Garnett said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Anonymous said...

LezB are you familiar with New Charter's attempt to evict a vulnerable woman and throw her on to the streets? New Charter's shame that's why they wanted a news blackouto the story.

Alf Garnett said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
LezB said...

Jeremy Corbyn is under fire for describing Osama Bin Laden’s death as a “tragedy” but what did the Labour leader really say?
In remarks made to the state-backed Iranian broadcaster, Corbyn said:
“The World Trade Centre was a tragedy, the attack on Afghanistan was a tragedy, the war in Iraq was a tragedy. Tens of thousands of people have died.”
He also added that it was his preference that Osama Bin Laden be put on trial, a view shared by, among other people, Barack Obama and Boris Johnson included.
He has also been quoted talking about his “friends, the Palestinians” and how he would not press “the nuclear button”. Noble sentiments indeed but apparently, conservatives are the leading party responsible for starting wars!

If you want a more balanced view, just take a look at the labour government in the 1940s. They did not start the Korean war but willingly supplied leading Rolls Royce jet technology to the Soviet Union in 1948, so leading to the deaths of hundreds of Allied pilots over North Korea facing Soviet Mig 15 jets.
What about the covert supply of SAS troops to Vietnam by the Wilson government during the 1960s and last but not least what about Tony Blair’s pathetic accusations against Iraq of WOMD which could have been used against Britain?
As for the miners, who in their right mind would want to send men underground to work in a hazardous environment with the questionable result of increasing carbon emissions?
I for one have offered my support to Ashton’s first female MP in 180 years Angela Rayner. I wonder if our mate Alf has done the same?
I say good luck to her! With misogynists like our Alf around, (please pardon my French) “she’ll bloody well need it”.

LezB said...

I can't wait to hear of an Illuninati conspiracy! Please count me out of this ridiculous exchange!

Alf Garnett said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Tameside Citizen said...

Some good points there LezB. Your reminder about the supply of Jet Engines to the Soviets is well appreciated.

Anonymous said...

Will chief executive Ian Munroe relinquish some of his over £200,000 pay package to help the company finances,or will New Charter stop supporting 3 Tameside schools. New Charter could also stop employing staff to act as "knocker upppers" for the area's school children to enable them to go to school on time.
New Charter have wasted money on lost deposits for presentations etc, but of more importance is the redundancies are due at the end of November, but the 1% reduction in rents is due to start in Mar 2016 - 4 months later!

Anonymous said...

The gender of an MP is totally irrelevant. The calibre and ability of an MP in terms of honesty, hard work and representing their constituents interests is what matters.
Recent governments' (Blair/Brown's in particular) appointing of people to positions of high responsibility based on gender quotas has resulted in the manifest and chronic over promotion of incompetents.
Positive discrimination is a contradiction in terms. Equality of opportunity is correct, rigging the system to give one gender/race etc an unfair advantage is dangerous, institutionalised bigotry.

LezB said...

And I would agree. However, as the electorate of Ashton has consistently voted Labour since 1935, I tend to think that if candidates were restricted to cute chimps, the outcome would remain the same. I do not wish to tell anyone how to vote. Just to vote by exercising a little intelligence and not restricting their choice to the age, race, gender or party of the candidate.

Anonymous said...

The reason why New Charter Housing are evil is a simple thing to understand.
New Charter knew that they were going to give Roy West and his vulnerable partner a tranfer, they waited and put them through stress and worry right to the last minute to agree to a transfer. That's how evil they are. Now you tellme different.

Anonymous said...


New Charter is evil, not the workers doing the repairs etc but the men at the top like (Name redacted) and co.

Alf Garnett said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Anonymous said...

Race is a factor in elections.
96% of US blacks voted Obama last time. Only 41% of whites voted Romney. 67% of white women voted Obama.

Anonymous said...

Too many irons in the fire, get back to housing sell the newspaper & radio. I don't know why New Charter are up in arms about reduced rents which are helping the working class,

Anonymous said...

Cologne mayoral candidate Henriette Reker, seen as pro migrant, stabbed by German outraged at the immigration tsunami engulfing his country.
Expect many more such that incidents in the future as indigenous Europeans' anger grows.

SerpentSlayer said...

"Reker" fitting name

Steve STARLORD said...

Lez Bartow said:
"I do not wish to tell anyone how to vote. Just to vote by exercising a little intelligence and not restricting their choice to the age, race, gender or party of the candidate."

That's not how New Charter run the Tenant Director elections, or rather perhaps I ought to say 'used to', for they no longer allow any tenants, not just unrepentant or recalcitrant tenants like me, to stand in the Tenant Director elections. They simply decided to abolish the whole process instead!

This was one of the foundation stones used to justify the Large Scale Voluntary Transfer of all remaining council housing to New Charter Housing Trust Limited back in 1999. They were also unpaid back then but within a few short years they usurped this and Board Directors can now obtain 'nice little earners' of up to around 20 grand a year. To be fair Tenant Directors are paid considerably less!

By the way they are definitely not a charitable trust though they like people to think otherwise.

New Charter have never understood or liked democracy and now they've done away with it entirely. Tenants no longer have the right to vote to select their own Tenant Director to represent their interests on the Boards, though to be honest I do wonder what they ever actually did for tenants.

In the beginning things were a little different but the whole idea of Tenant Directors acting on behalf of their tenants was soon distorted, corrupted, eliminated. I always saw them as analogous to Councillors acting for a whole ward. In the case of Tenant Directors they acted to represent only the tenants within Tameside as a whole, which back then was around 18,000 properties/households. This has since been considerably reduced due to the Right To Buy.

Many times I put my name forward to stand as a Tenant Director but everytime I was blocked by New Charter. My name never appeared on the ballot paper. I always made it abundantly clear that my loyalties were with the tenants and not with the company and this terrified New Charter!

I've attended several New Charter kangaroo courts over the years and was judged by both New Charter and the Baords to have breached their code of conduct even though not a Tenant Director! I am not subject to their rules when a mere tenant. They did not like my blog one bit and it alongside my emails were cited as why I could never be allowed onto the Boards.

To this very day I am permanently banned (as of 2007) from entering any New Charter buildings or speaking with any of their officers. I have this in writing from their Legal Department. I nevertheless, as a tenant, still have the right to contact them over repairs and maintenance issues in the usual manner. Otherwise all my communications with the Company have to go through my New Charter watch-dog censor, guardian of the gateways, John Ardern.

Love, Light & Laughter
Starlord

Steve Starlord said...

Lez Barstow said:
"I do not wish to tell anyone how to vote. Just to vote by exercising a little intelligence and not restricting their choice to the age, race, gender or party of the candidate."

That's not how New Charter run the Tenant Director elections, or rather perhaps I ought to say 'used to', for they no longer allow any tenants, not just unrepentant or recalcitrant tenants like me, to stand in the Tenant Director elections. They simply decided to abolish the whole process instead!

This was one of the foundation stones used to justify the Large Scale Voluntary Transfer of all remaining council housing to New Charter Housing Trust Limited back in 1999. They were also unpaid back then but within a few short years they usurped this and Board Directors can now obtain 'nice little earners' of up to around 20 grand a year. To be fair Tenant Directors are paid considerably less!

By the way they are definitely not a charitable trust though they like people to think otherwise.

New Charter have never understood or liked democracy and now they've done away with it entirely. Tenants no longer have the right to vote to select their own Tenant Director to represent their interests on the Boards, though to be honest I do wonder what they ever actually did for tenants. In the beginning things were a little different but the whole idea of Tenant Directors acting on behalf of their tenants was soon distorted, corrupted, eliminated. I always saw them as analogous to Councillors acting for a whole ward. In the case of Tenant Directors they acted to represent only the tenants within Tameside as a whole, which back then was around 18,000 households which has since been considerably reduced due to the Right To Buy.

Many times I put my name forward to stand as a Tenant Director but everytime I was blocked by New Charter. My name never appeared on the ballot paper. I always made it abundantly clear that my loyalties were with the tenants and not with the company and this terrified New Charter!

I've attended several New Charter kangaroo courts over the years and was judged by both New Charter and the Board to have breached their code of conduct even though not a Tenant Director! I am not subject to their rules when a mere tenant. They did not like my blog one bit and it alongside my emails were cited as why I could never be allowed onto the Boards.

To this very day I am permanently banned (as of 2007) from entering any New Charter buildings or speaking with any of their officers. I have this in writing from their Legal Department. I nevertheless, as a tenant, still have the right to contact them over repairs and maintenance issues in the usual manner. Otherwise all my communications with the Company have to go through my New Charter watch-dog censor, guardian of the gateways, John Ardern.

Love, Light & Laughter
Starlord

Steve Starlord said...

Lez Barstow said:
"I do not wish to tell anyone how to vote. Just to vote by exercising a little intelligence and not restricting their choice to the age, race, gender or party of the candidate."

That's not how New Charter run the Tenant Director elections, or rather perhaps I ought to say 'used to', for they no longer allow any tenants, not just unrepentant or recalcitrant tenants like me, to stand in the Tenant Director elections. They simply decided to abolish the whole process instead!

This was one of the foundation stones used to justify the Large Scale Voluntary Transfer of all remaining council housing to New Charter Housing Trust Limited back in 1999. They were also unpaid back then but within a few short years they usurped this and Board Directors can now obtain 'nice little earners' of up to around 20 grand a year. To be fair Tenant Directors are paid considerably less!

By the way they are definitely not a charitable trust though they like people to think otherwise.

New Charter have never understood or liked democracy and now they've done away with it entirely. Tenants no longer have the right to vote to select their own Tenant Director to represent their interests on the Boards, though to be honest I do wonder what they ever actually did for tenants. In the beginning things were a little different but the whole idea of Tenant Directors acting on behalf of their tenants was soon distorted, corrupted, eliminated. I always saw them as analogous to Councillors acting for a whole ward. In the case of Tenant Directors they acted to represent only the tenants within Tameside as a whole, which back then was around 18,000 households which has since been considerably reduced due to the Right To Buy.

Many times I put my name forward to stand as a Tenant Director but everytime I was blocked by New Charter. My name never appeared on the ballot paper. I always made it abundantly clear that my loyalties were with the tenants and not with the company and this terrified New Charter!

I've attended several New Charter kangaroo courts over the years and was judged by both New Charter and the Board to have breached their code of conduct even though not a Tenant Director! I am not subject to their rules when a mere tenant. They did not like my blog one bit and it alongside my emails were cited as why I could never be allowed onto the Boards.

To this very day I am permanently banned (as of 2007) from entering any New Charter buildings or speaking with any of their officers. I have this in writing from their Legal Department. I nevertheless, as a tenant, still have the right to contact them over repairs and maintenance issues in the usual manner. Otherwise all my communications with the Company have to go through my New Charter watch-dog censor, guardian of the gateways, John Ardern.

Love, Light & Laughter
Starlord

Steve Starlord said...

Lez Barstow said:
"I do not wish to tell anyone how to vote. Just to vote by exercising a little intelligence and not restricting their choice to the age, race, gender or party of the candidate."

That's not how New Charter run the Tenant Director elections, or rather perhaps I ought to say 'used to', for they no longer allow any tenants, not just unrepentant or recalcitrant tenants like me, to stand in the Tenant Director elections. They simply decided to abolish the whole process instead!

This was one of the foundation stones used to justify the Large Scale Voluntary Transfer of all remaining council housing to New Charter Housing Trust Limited back in 1999. They were also unpaid back then but within a few short years they usurped this and Board Directors can now obtain 'nice little earners' of up to around 20 grand a year. To be fair Tenant Directors are paid considerably less!

By the way they are definitely not a charitable trust though they like people to think otherwise.

New Charter have never understood or liked democracy and now they've done away with it entirely. Tenants no longer have the right to vote to select their own Tenant Director to represent their interests on the Boards, though to be honest I do wonder what they ever actually did for tenants. In the beginning things were a little different but the whole idea of Tenant Directors acting on behalf of their tenants was soon distorted, corrupted, eliminated. I always saw them as analogous to Councillors acting for a whole ward. In the case of Tenant Directors they acted to represent only the tenants within Tameside as a whole, which back then was around 18,000 households which has since been considerably reduced due to the Right To Buy.

Many times I put my name forward to stand as a Tenant Director but everytime I was blocked by New Charter. My name never appeared on the ballot paper. I always made it abundantly clear that my loyalties were with the tenants and not with the company and this terrified New Charter!

I've attended several New Charter kangaroo courts over the years and was judged by both New Charter and the Board to have breached their code of conduct even though not a Tenant Director! I am not subject to their rules when a mere tenant. They did not like my blog one bit and it alongside my emails were cited as why I could never be allowed onto the Boards.

To this very day I am permanently banned (as of 2007) from entering any New Charter buildings or speaking with any of their officers. I have this in writing from their Legal Department. I nevertheless, as a tenant, still have the right to contact them over repairs and maintenance issues in the usual manner. Otherwise all my communications with the Company have to go through my New Charter watch-dog censor, guardian of the gateways, John Ardern.

Love, Light & Laughter
Starlord