1,887 DAYS – 5 YEARS + 2 MONTHS + 1 DAY
since Thistle’s mismanaged Major Works Programme started on 7th January 2016
With Thistle’s takeover by Sanctuary on 1st March 2021, now their responsibility
1,559 DAYS – 51 MONTHS + 8 DAYS
since 30th November 2016 when “all of the works to all of the houses in Toryglen will be complete“. Today, 8th March 2021, still incomplete, work proven to be shoddy and more importantly, dangerous and now possibly hazardous to life and limb
This was the arrogance, corruption and gross mismanagement that eventually killed Thistle
This morning, Monday 8th March 2021, just before 8.00am, a Toryglen street was met with Police Scotland’s finest.
Why, at that time? Surely there was a major crime in progress? Was there a crowd of people out breaking COVID regulations? No!
Sanctuary Call Out the Cops
Sanctuary Housing had sent the police out, on the false pretext of a threat situation, to an address in Toryglen as the resident who had been spun a pack of lies by the corrupt Thistle Housing regarding the existence of asbestos in attics as well as being told that the attic water tank wasn’t contaminated. The resident informed the new Sanctuary masters of Toryglen by way of Tony O’Neill, Director – Asset Management, that as he owns part of the attic (an opinion previously agreed by Thistle) and that he would expect the courtesy of being informed and permission sought, in writing, of any action by Sanctuary which may involve his home. In the case of owners, there can be insurance implications when workers not employed by them are undertaking non standard duties.
Of course, the corrupt Thistle Housing (now no longer operating) tried the same trick of getting the polis oot when residents argued the toss, as they had strangled themselves with so many lies that they had nowhere to turn and at the same time, never, ever discussing anything with residents whether they be tenants or owners.
The reason for all of this was that the resident did not want his family to use suspected contaminated water from the tank particularly when it was going to be churned up, despite Thistle’s claims that the attic tanks had been tested and were clean but would never provide testing certificates. Yet another of the multitude of lies from Thistle. Nor did he want the close to be strewn with any form of asbestos contamination, which to be frank, had been greatly abused during the Major Works Fiasco and indeed frequently since then. Given the lies uttered by Thistle and the falsehoods from Sanctuary, as can be seen in a blog post of 19th February 2021, it can be appreciated that the resident was wary of Sanctuary’s intentions and any possible effects on his family and neighbours on the basis that Thistle (THA) had lied constantly and deliberately about asbestos as can be seen by the clips of a secret Thistle internal email dated 29 November 2019, below.
This blogsite has the email, amounting to several pages, in its entirety.
Notice that there’s not a single mention of the “gas fires” which Thistle claimed was
the source of asbestos contamination.
Click to enlarge
To continue – Police officers barged into the close, hammered on the resident’s door and demanded to know where “the husband” was. The resident’s wife was, as can be understood, shocked at this approach with the pre school granddaughter terrified at the sight of so many police officers at that time of the morning. It can only be wondered on what grounds were they there and what Sanctuary Housing had actually told them. Surely it wasn’t Sanctuary’s ridiculous “threat’ scenario.
Click to enlarge
As it was, the resident was at work having left his home well prior to 8.00am and knew nothing about any action by Sanctuary Housing or the police. In anyone’s language, that is bullying and intimidation.
The resident has since decided to attend Aikenhead Road police station to request who sent the officers out to be told that Sanctuary considered that there would be a threat situation. The resident further pointed out to the police in the station that any entrance into the attic, without residents’ knowledge and permission, would be a situation of breaking and entering. More so as Sanctuary’s contractors (not all of whom were wearing masks and thus not adhering to COVID regulations) did not have a key to the attic padlock and had attempted to break it off.
Click to enlarge
The officers in the station acknowledged the resident’s opinions, especially when he made them aware of the four and a half years of hell residents have been forced to endure as a result of Thistle Housing’s constant lies and coverups. The police (at 1010am) are to send out more officers to investigate the alleged ‘breaking and entering’ without permission especially as the attic padlock has been vandalised. The police reattended the scene and left at 1210pm.
Kerrycroy Street and certainly not in protective
and sealed red bags as was claimed by Sanctuary
Click to enlarge
Sanctuary’s Bullying Attitude
It would have been thought that as Sanctuary Housing took over the management of the Toryglen estate only one week ago on 1st March 2021, that they would have gone out of their way to project a caring attitude given that Toryglen residents have been bullied, ignored and sidelined by the previous Thistle Housing management for many years.
But no.
Rather than developing an amicable relationship with residents, Sanctuary’s method now seems to be ‘do as you’re told’ and little to no discussion, much the same as that adopted by the corrupt Thistle whilst at the same time this morning, Sanctuary representatives were lolling about in the same close with no masks and not adhering to COVID regulations, as mentioned above.
Where is the asbestos certification?
Sanctuary Housing have been asked by residents to produce evidence of their asbestos company’s required certification as it was plain to see that over the past weeks, they certainly had not been following required procedures such as leaving mounds of contaminated materials in standard disposal bags in closes and dragging asbestos panels up streets without any form of required protection.
(A list of the questions regarding asbestos removal put to Sanctuary more than three weeks ago remain unanswered. See at the end of this blog entry).
dumped against a residents’ fence
Click to enlarge
So, residents, there you have it. Bullying. Plain and simple. It certainly does not bode well for Toryglen if this is the style of management adopted by Sanctuary Housing. Some tenants have already experienced the service offered by Sanctuary whereby they have had to hold on to a call to be answered in excess of two hours by their Worcester based call centre who eventually fobbed them off. Think this will ever get any better? Why should it as tenants, in particular, are now at the mercy of Sanctuary.
You might like to peruse the FaceBook page of the Sanctuary Housing Independent Complaints Group by clicking here or the Sanctuary Housing Tenants group by clicking here. They are a bit of an eye opener. Quite scary, in fact.
Tony O’Neill and Pat Cahill of Sanctuary are not answering telephone calls. Wonder why? There is no point in even trying Sanctuary’s English based call centre as that would require hours waiting for a response and what would happen after that? CLICK?
Inappropriate Water Tank Testing and Charges
Do You Have a Claim for Refund?
Other than the fact that attic tanks are polluted and require to be cleaned, Thistle Housing has, for years, been charging owners for the maintenance and testing of these tanks. In fact, the tanks had not been tested every six months as required by law and certainly had never been cleaned out thus, if attic tank water is being used by residents, the risk of legionella is increased.
The rub is, however, that it is doubtful if residents actually use water from these tanks as their potable water supply is from the rising mains. Certainly many do not.
Thistle Housing were asked a few weeks ago to produce the water testing certificates via a Freedom of Information request. They refused no doubt as there was no legal testing and no certificates exist. They were also asked for sight of the mythical but legally required Asbestos Register. Thistle was previously sanctioned by the HSE for not complying with that law. That request was also refused. These request were an attempt by residents to determine which flats, if any, used the tanked supply to their bathrooms. Some flats have recently been checked by a master plumber and every one was found to have no connection to the tanked supply which, if unused, has been lying festering in the darkness of attics for years.
In addition, when the tanks were being cleaned and the supply shut off, water was still flowing in the bathrooms of flats proving, again, that they did not use this supply. Just as well!
As a consequence, whilst these untested and fetid tanks have been illegally left unmonitored and uncertified by what was Thistle Housing, residents who have been levied charges for the testing (or not) of a water supply to which they have neither a connection nor do they use, must now demand a refund of these charges from Sanctuary who have taken over the corrupt Thistle Housing. In some cases, this will run into hundreds of pounds. Note that some residents have already had these inappropriate charges refunded by Thistle Housing.
Let’s see how all of this works out. This blog will be amended, as required.
QUESTIONS PUT TO SANCTUARY TWO WEEKS BEFORE THE TAKEOVER
(Remain unanswered)
- Why was the asbestos removal work commenced when it is not, as per COVID regulations, legally termed as “essential” given that, as claimed by Thistle Housing, the asbestos was sealed?
- Why was there no supervision of this asbestos removal work by Thistle Housing? If there was, when and by whom?
- Who retained the unknown company in question?
- What is the name/designation of the unknown company?
- Why was there no identification on the vehicle concerned?
- Why was there no hazard information on the vehicle?
- Why were the common closes not “deep cleaned”?
- Why were the company workers not following legally required COVID regulations (and thus being an increased threat to residents many of whom are elderly)?
- Today, a resident at xxxxxx Street telephoned Thistle to report that the close was full of debris. Someone later, supposedly from the unknown company, merely brushed away some of the debris in a cloud of dust. The close remains full of this unknown debris. Why was this close not sealed and cleared?
- Has Thistle or yourself informed the required authorities (HSE) of the overt malpractice and consequent danger to residents? If you have not, why not? Otherwise residents will have no option but to report the incident possibly via the local MSP, Ms Nicola Sturgeon.
- Sight is requested of the required legal asbestos removal certification this unknown company holds.
- Sight is requested of the entries in Thistle Housing’s Asbestos Register detailing these incidents and the notes of those entering the hazard zones.
GrabTheThistle: The Toryglen Residents' Blog 