Croydon Drive Latest News

CDIRF are communicating with all Contractors who supply services or do work on the Croydon Drive Estate to find out the latest information for you.

Morgan Sindall and Switch 2 Energy (Your heating and hot water supply if you no longer have gas)..

Morgan Sindall (who manage the heating and hot water supply (where Switch 2 manage the billing)) have begun discussions rather late in the day, and, as the result of our contact with them, with Manchester City Council and Switch 2 Energy. If you have to self-isolate, the situation is slightly different, depending on if you have an old (G4) meter or if you have a newer smart meter (G5).

If you have an old G4 meter, you have a number of choices. You can look to ask your friends or family to top up for you, if this is not an option for you, you should contact Manchester City Council on 0161 234 5001 and ask to speak to Adult Social Services. Our position is that they are funded to work with vulnerable people and they should be rather than receiving government funding and then expecting charitable and grassroots projects to deliver instead for free.

On the 24 March 2020, Switch2 sent out an unhelpful Email that did not explain the situation with the old G4 meters. This appears to be because everybody else is on newer G5 meters, although this is just a theory. We have challenged Switch2 to Email out a correction as the advice in the Email contradicts the advice that we have received.

.

If they won't help you, we will step in. Please visit our Emergency Community Shopping Programme area (in the menu above or by swiping left to right on your mobile device or by clicking the square with three lines) to see this option) for further information. We are here to support you, don't be scared to contact us, either by filling in our contact form or by phoning us.

Currently, Switch 2 are proposing attending the properties of those that are self-isolating or who cannot otherwise top-up at Raja Brothers on Scotland Hall Road to make your meter always stay on, even if you have no credit, particularly since Raja Brothers may close at some point if the staff get infected with the Corona Virus.

They will recharge any usage back to you in the long run though off future topups. Always let them know that you are self-isolating when contacting them though.

If you have a newer smart meter, you can download the Switch2Energy App either from the Apple Store or Google Play to top up with a credit or debit card. If you do need any assistance with remotely topping up, you can call Switch2Energy for further information on 0333 321 2010 during the day, including if you struggle with downloading apps.


Citizens' Advice Bureau, Foodbanks and Manchester City Council..

As of 19 March 2020, All Citizen's Advice Bureau Workers across the country were sent home, including head office staff. Most calls are being picked up at home by volunteers but they apparently had an ongoing issue with their computers so their information was exceptionally limited and their advice line was impossible to get through to as they do not let you queue for an Advisor.

We are desperately trying to secure information on how Foodbank Referrals will work during the Corona-Virus Outbreak. We have contacted the Trussell Trust Head Office who were entirely unable to tell us which Foodbank assisted people on the Croydon Drive Estate, they suggested that it might be the Droylesden and District foodbank.

We contacted them too and they told us that they did not cover the Croydon Drive Estate and they were also unsure about how people could be referred to them anyway.

The next nearest seemed to be based at Manchester University on the Oxford Road. We sent them a text message and they have not replied. Over the weekend, we will file a formal complaint to the Trussel Trust in the hope that it moves us further forward on providing advice and, if necessary, act as a referral agency (giving out the vouchers ourselves) if they will let us.

The situation remains unclear with Manchester City Council but it is very possible that they may close the Town Hall and any other face-to-face offices. They may only take phone calls and Emails and they may close altogether if they are as lazy as they usually are.

If Manchester City Council stop providing all Council services altogether, we are suggesting that you consider withholding Council Tax from them for the period that they do not operate but this is not our responsibility and that decision is entirely up to you, as is the repercussions that you may choose to fight including through formal complaints and pursuing the matter with the Local Government Ombudsman if they don't waive it for that period.

All eviction cases are on hold for at least three months.


Bathroom and Kitchen "Upgrades" (Repairs) and Sprinkler Fitting by Jackson and Jackson..

Jackson and Jackson are, or were, finishing works that were started but they have cancelled all resident appointments where they have not started work on your new kitchen or bathroom order until further notice. When asked when they would start again, they had no idea.


As we have new information provided to us or we find anything out, we will update this area. If you know which Foodbank is supposed to serve the Croydon Drive Estate, please let us know by completing the Contact Form in the menu (above on a laptop or a PC or by swiping left to right or pressing the square with lines in it on a mobile device).

You can of course ask us any questions that we have not covered and we will update this section.


Avro Hollows' TMO

Avro Hollows' TMO have said, in a letter posted to residents on 24 March 2020, that they will continue to operate in the office with reduced staff. Updates will be available in tower block foyers.

We will communicate the contents to those on Audex Walk and Underhill Walk here. We would add that, if you find it more convenient to complete our online form to let Avro Hollows' TMO know that you are self-isolating (this means not going out at all on the limited basis that the government is current allowing us to) for seven days, in order to protect Contractors.

They are asking everybody (and not just those with symptoms) to avoid visiting their office at Lancaster Court and to telephone or Email them instead. We will be looking into attempting to get an 0808 number (free from mobiles and Landlines to transfer people across to save you money. We can't guarantee we will get anywhere though as we are asking for it to be gifted.

Please be aware, with the amount of information coming in, the menus will change a little in an attempt to make information easier to read for you. If we can do anything else at all to help, all as you have to do is let us know. Don't be afraid to question the government advice, but, we strongly encourage you to follow it. Instead debate it on the forum. Call us or complete a contact form if you have not received a membership letter.

Further Information..

The estate comprises of four tower blocks and two rows of houses split into two flats (there are no cows but most of these flats do smell of cheese due to the damp in them). Some of the flats across the estate contain 1 and, shockingly, 2 and 3 bedrooms.

Avro Hollows' Tenant Management Organisation purport to manage the estate on behalf of Manchester City Council, in association with Northwards housing (Northwards' Housing will, however, deny all knowledge of this). The estate is most definitely not run for the benefit of the local community with some residents describing the estate as an "open prison".

To find out more...please read our article "more about the estate" below.

Who We Are..

This website and its online community was set up by a resident on the Croydon Drive Estate who may or may not be closely related to C.G.B. Spender (the truth is not out there). It is entirely free to use and to become a member and it always will be. Personally identifiable information is not collected or stored protecting the anonymity of members. We only publish the tower block of the residents (so the person writing will be 1/72 or 71 people - dependent on the specific tower block).

It is not a breach of a resident's tenancy agreement to join Croydon Drive Independent Residents' Forum. The right to set up tenant groups is in fact specifically protected within resident's tenancy agreements.

The starting point for the forum was to create an online presence. The forum itself has the ability for members to send private messages (not read by the forum admin) and Members are encouraged to use their common sense in remaining anonymous and protecting themselves online. There is a reporting feature above all posts should anybody be concerned about the content - particularly where it is discriminatory or hateful - humour is of course allowed within reason.

Members are encouraged to have their say and provide feedback on the existing forum sections (including the popular "The Vent" and various general interests categories) and to request new ones. This also extends now to website content. We strongly urge residents to register using the unique registration code letters, most recently posted through doors in August 2019 by one of our kind elves.

The Croydon Drive Independent Residents' Forum is, unfortunately, not open to Contractors, Employees or Volunteers (including members) of Avro Hollows' Tenant Management Organisation, Northwards' Housing or Manchester City Council to protect the integrity of the forum and the anonymity of members and access is not permitted from locations run by them to protect the security of login details.

To ensure that our security policies are upheld vigorously for the benefit of members, we regularly lookup IP addresses that are logged when members log in. Our independence policy was ratified by members in 2018.

The Croydon Drive Independent Residents' Forum is set up by residents to further the interests of residents. It's that simple. A large part of that is to take the current Directorship (Avro Hollows' TMO) to task where they fail residents through causing as much embarrassment as possible.

If any residents struggle to register (you need to sign up using the register option), please do use the contact form link above (or the contact link on the forum itself).

If you are a resident who has not yet registered - what are you waiting for? A very warm welcome awaits!

About Our Estate..

The estate has security gates at every entrance where many tenants cannot get in and out of all of the gates without pressing the buzzer (although thieves can) and it has so many cameras that it puts Big Brother to shame. All tenants have their mugshots taken to aid with tracking them from the moment they leave their flat until they leave the estate (perhaps further?) and there is a 24 hour live feed available to lucky viewers on Channel Commsec.

Cameras are monitored by Commsec Security (when it suits them - incidents that tenants report are rarely ever captured) who, until at least very recently, controlled the access controls in Greater Manchester Police buildings - what do you know! Until recently, it was commonplace for gate intercom calls to go unanswered (including in 2020 to 7 fire engines attending a small kitchen fire in Lancaster Court), particularly in the winter, leaving tenants to get soaked. Commsec Security are, however, excellent at bellowing over the multiple speaker tannoy system from their offices about 1.5 miles away and regularly using foul language at the weekend when the Estate Manager isn't working..

There are entrance intercoms on each tower block. On two of them, tenants do not ever get to speak to their visitors as the dial pad has been removed and replaced with a camera, and, on the other two, Commsec Security like to randomly divert intercom calls to them when they get bored. On all four tower blocks, Commsec Security like to have a conversation with your guests instead, particularly when your food (and takeaway driver) is getting cold.

The MGMT..

We do have a highly motivated* Estate Manager (*highly motivated in going out of her way to cause trouble even though she has not been here very long) and, along with the Directors, the team ensure that the majority view of residents is never put forward and they won't think twice about harassing residents if they don't like you.

Employees are not disclosure and barring board checked and at least one has a serious criminal record, even though their employment at Avro Hollows' (which is paid for by Manchester City Council) could lead to them entering your home. "What happened to safeguarding" you might ask...

We take this moment to pay homage to the old Estate Manager who was a complete legend. More news on her leaving is due to hit you soon but it will make for very grim reading when we get her permission to publish it and we suspect the press will be very interested in Avro Hollows' TMO's behaviour too.

Our residents have had issue after issue with getting repairs carried out and with the way in which Manchester City Council and Northwards' Housing have managed new kitchen and bathroom provision on the estate. It is touch and go whether anybody answers the lift breakdown alarms and the quality of connection is so poor that they can't hear you when they do answer.

Contractors work without consulting residents and are as disruptive as possible. Complaints go nowhere when forwarded to Northwards' Housing. To this end, and more widely, Avro Hollows' TMO could not give a toss about what the resident majority want despite receiving around £250k a year of Manchester City Council funding. It's high time they went.

The Board..

The TMO board are extremely selective about who they invite to their meetings (you'd have more chance of being invited to bank with Coutts) and the majority of tenants do not get a look in or a say on anything at TMO board meetings where they are no longer announced for fear of tenants protesting.

Avro Hollows' TMO are certainly not there to make the experience of living on the Croydon Drive estate a "really happy one" unless you are one of a select few on the board with access to around £250k a year grant funding (from Manchester City Council).

Welcome to the Croydon Drive Independent Residents' Forum where we do things differently and respect each other.