“Ethical” landlords doorstepped by community union
Connolly & Callaghan paid a visit by ACORN as Council look into issue.
The Cable recently reported that that Connolly & Callaghan (C&C) evicted settled tenants from Carpenters Place in Knowle West in order to convert their homes into high-rent emergency accommodation and profit as a result. It is understood that at least one of the evicted tenants is homeless as as a result, with others in a vulnerable situation.
In response to these revelations, members of Acorn community union doorstepped C&C’s head office at Hamilton House, Stokes Croft, issuing a set of demands. C&C management were nowhere to be seen, and when called by an employee declined to meet the protestors.
Building on a recent petition, Acorn demanded that C&C stop evicting tenants, halt rent increases, and improve conditions in their housing stock. Commenting on yesterday’s action, Ann Cullum, spokesperson for Acorn said:
We were hoping to gain a firm commitment from them that actions will be taken promptly and that their unethical practices will stop. We felt that it was important to confront the directors face to face to show that the community will hold these individuals to account and that they cannot hide in board rooms or behind their company bureaucracy.
It was disappointing that the directors were unwilling to speak to us and left a junior member of staff to speak with us on their behalf. This attitude sends a clear message to us about the direction and forms that our fight against their practices will need to take going forward.
Take a look at a video here:
In a sign that Bristol City Council are taking interest in the matter, Paul Smith, the new cabinet member for homes and communities, tweeted:
@TheBristolCable@MarvinJRees thanks yes have read your report and am looking into this
— Paul Smith Bristol (@bristolpaul) 31 May 2016
In the meantime, the Cable will continue to investigate so keep your eyes out!
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Pure greed. Profit at any cost.
The worst part is that the company pretends to be some sort of charity helping the needy when in fact it is a lucrative business funding a millionaire’s lifestyle at the expense of the council’s inability to effectively manage its resources.
What you are seeing here is the effect of privatised housing services at their worst. C&C creaming off millions at the expense of the tax payer and the homeless.
Putting the C&C claim to be charity saviours to one side for a moment, if the council permits this type of provider to take millions of tax payer’s money then the council should also be to blame. Have C&C become too big to fail? Knowing in 2014 that mismanagement was rife of Bristol Housing Foundation, the council still permits the company to make millions in profit from council funds. If you were wondering where your tax money goes… then look no further.
Bristol has its fair share of crooked nurse and medical staff agencies ripping off the NHS. They have been sinking the NHS for almost decades now while the private owners buy bigger and bigger yachts. Will Marvin Rees let the same happen with homelessness funds or is it privatisation at any cost? Profit and greed rules the day.
You couldn’t make this up if you tried.