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David Eyre
Broadcast Journalist, Politics Show Scotland
The 'great Glasgow housing transfer', in March
2003, was the biggest shake up in Scottish housing for years.
Glasgow City Council signed over 80,000 homes to the
new Glasgow Housing Association (GHA).
Fans of the scheme point out that it is due to inject
£4bn of investment into the city's rundown housing stock.
Opponents claimed it was not democratic to take an
important social asset out of the hands of elected councillors.
In January 2004 the GHA's chief executive Bob Allan
stepped down after being off work with illness for six months.
New chief executive Michael Lennon took over.
This month he had to respond to leaks in the press
stating that the amount of rent arrears in the city had reached £9.56m.
In response the GHA says it will take an aggressive
approach to tenants who run up debts.
The association says it will help those who cannot
pay, but take strong action against those who will not.
Has the GHA gone too far?
So far the association has evicted 91 people,
following through on eviction proceedings started by the city council
when it was landlord.
Many other tenants are going through the process but
have not yet reached the final eviction stage.
Lawyer Mike Dailly of the Govan Law Centre in Glasgow
has been acting for one woman threatened with eviction by the GHA.
He says the association acted illegally because at the
time it took action against the tenant, they had not been given the
legal right to chase up arrears owed to the city council.
The GHA says it got that right - enshrined in a
document called a 'Minute of Assignation' - in December.
But the document makes it clear that although the
association can sue for cash owed to the council, they cannot use it
as a basis for eviction.
Wrongful eviction
The Govan Law Centre says it believes dozens of
tenants may have been wrongfully evicted and is urging them to come
forward to take legal advice.
It says they may be due compensation of up to
£25,000 for being illegally evicted.
The GHA maintains that it has a duty to chase up bad
debts so it can provide the services it wants.
And it points out that it has employed benefits
advisers to help tenants who get into financial trouble.
Reporter Amber Henshaw has been to Glasgow to talk to
the people involved.
Politics Show
Let us know what you think.
That is the Politics
Show on, Sunday, 07 March at Midday.
The Politics Show
- looking at the issues which have hit the headlines.
Tune into Politics Show Scotland,
on BBC One on Sundays at Noon, with reporter Amber
Henshaw and presenter Glenn
Campbell.
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