RoFTRA activity suspended

All activities of the Rochdale Federation of Tenants and Residents' Associations (RoFTRA) have been suspended and the future of the organisation hangs in the balance following recent controversy.

The Council, Rochdale Boroughwide Housing (RBH) and RoFTRA recently held crisis talks after RoFTRA funding was suspended while a number of allegations were investigated.

Rochdale Online revealed exclusively last month that Steve Sharples, Chief Officer of RoFTRA, found himself ‘sacked’ by the RoFTRA Board following his sacking of former Chief Officer David Bartlett. 

RBH has announced that it will commission an independent study on how best to develop broad-based and inclusive collective tenant involvement.

A spokesperson said: "The aim is for council tenants to have a direct say in how housing landlord services are both developed and delivered. This study of different options will begin in late July and will be completed in September. It will involve tenants’ groups and individuals from across the four townships.

"RBH and Rochdale Borough Council have recently been working very closely with the Rochdale Federation of Tenants and Residents' Associations (RoFTRA) Board to consider how to ensure, from now on, that as many tenants as possible have an influence on the running of their homes and estates. As a result, the RoFTRA Board has agreed to put on hold all RoFTRA activity and to delegate its powers to a sub-committee involving RBH and Council officers. This committee will make sure that any legal duties and responsibilities are properly carried out.

"A decision on the future of RoFTRA will be taken immediately after the results of the study are known."

In a joint statement, the Leaders of the three political parties in the borough, Councillors Alan Taylor, Colin Lambert and Ashley Dearnley said: “We share a commitment to tenant involvement and value the contributions that Council tenants can make to policy and practice, both as customers and experts in their field.

"Rochdale borough has a proud tradition of working closely with members of the community and we intend to continue with that approach.

"It is, however, the involvement itself and the outcomes that flow from it that are important, not the continued existence of any particular organisation or way of working. It’s also important that tenants have an independent voice and confidence that their views are represented.”

The study will give everyone concerned with tenant involvement in the borough a chance to have an input, and if tenants want a new representative body to be set up, then the Council and RBH will pursue this.

Gareth Swarbrick, Chief Executive of RBH, said: “It is important that we listen to tenants, respond to their views and are accountable to them. This options study is the opportunity to decide how this can best be done in the borough.”