Posted by: Closed Circuit
23/08/2011One housing association boss found himself scratching his head as he surveyed the damage caused by rioters in east London.
On a walkabout round scorched and smashed Hackney, he spotted ‘F*** Cameroon’ scrawled on a wall.
‘I don’t know if they were in need of English lessons or annoyed at the team’s performance at the last World Cup,’ the bemused chief executive said.
It’s hardly news the Daily Express is regularly accused of running offensive or misleading content.
Now one council tenant is so incensed by a recent headline - ‘Sick benefits: 75 per cent are faking’ - in the ‘mid-market’ tabloid that he has reported the matter to police.
Or at least tried to. Crawley Council tenant Michael Barratt, whose daughter receives incapacity benefit, claims the headline ‘contravened the Public Order Act 1986’ by likely prompting ‘harassment, alarm or distress’. Backed by a slew of statistics which suggest the Express headline was plain wrong, Mr Barratt approached London’s Metropolitan Police to report it as a crime.
He says the Met reckoned there was ‘merit in investigating’ his complaint and advised him to approach his home force. Sussex Police duly obliged and invited him to the station to make a statement - only to then cancel the appointment and refer him back to the Met. Various fob-offs later, Mr Barratt has written to the chief of Sussex police for answers. Closed Circuit wishes him all the best.
What’s good enough for Cheryl Cole is, apparently, good enough for Matthew Walker.
In October, the chief executive of Leeds Federated Housing Association will be making like the pop princess and climbing Mount Kilimanjaro to raise money for Mercy Ministries UK, which houses vulnerable young women in West Yorkshire. In return for this epic commitment, he’d like you to sponsor him. Easy peasey - just visit www.justgiving.com/matthewwalker climb4mercy to make your pledge.
And finally… Tweet of the week goes to comedian Jack Dee, who asks, ‘How do you get rioters to stay in if you evict them?’
Send your juicy housing gossip to closedcircuit@insidehousing.co.uk
Have your say
You must sign in to make a comment
Readers' comments (3)
Chris | 23/08/2011 11:00 am
Is there any comment on the Cex of Pickle's local constituency Council being paid more than the Prime Minister, whilst slashing jobs and services
or
any comment on Camerons lamented media guru being paid more than the Prime Minister by Rupert Murdoch, whilst allegedly working for the PM!
Where is the outraged Pickles on either of these trough grovellers?
Unsuitable or offensive? Report this comment
tenantplus | 23/08/2011 1:04 pm
The police are quick to jail for 4 years people on facebook inciting attacks on the police but when the incitement is against someone else, like council tenants all the police can do is fob you off
Unsuitable or offensive? Report this comment
Chrissie Cobbon | 24/08/2011 6:33 pm
I'm always why people choose to climb Kilimanjaro for charity . Return trip to Tanzania - £900. Permit cost to enter area £500 . Plus another £300 insurance and thats even before you've set foot on the foot camp. Don't they have mountains in West Yorkshire?
Unsuitable or offensive? Report this comment