:00:35. > :00:39.This evening, we are live in County 1 In Your Corner, we bring a fresh
:00:39. > :00:44.perspective to the issues that matter. It is the last programme of
:00:44. > :00:52.the series, up but we are live from the Tollymore National Outdoor
:00:52. > :00:59.Centre. It is a great location. This could be the most spectacular
:00:59. > :01:04.setting yet. The centre is the base for all sorts of outdoor activity.
:01:04. > :01:10.Today, it plays host to the In Your Corner cameras as the team has
:01:10. > :01:15.transformed it into at TV studio. We have travelled right across
:01:15. > :01:20.Northern Ireland helping to resolve issues you care about. We have
:01:20. > :01:24.tackled computer scams, derelict houses, diabetes care. It is the
:01:24. > :01:31.last programme, but we still want to hear the story In Your Corner.
:01:31. > :01:39.You can get in touch by e-mail. Follow us on Facebook or one
:01:39. > :01:45.Twitter. Please keep your contacts coming. Coming up, the demand for
:01:45. > :01:54.social housing is a constant problem. Can unsold problems -- and
:01:54. > :02:00.unsold houses be the answer? A new laws and County Down could force
:02:00. > :02:07.dog owners to keep their pets on a lead. We have spoken to the faults
:02:08. > :02:11.of Newcastle. Remember, we are live, so keep e-mails coming in. I am
:02:11. > :02:17.joined by Chris Moore for the top story. We're always looking for
:02:17. > :02:21.people to get in touch. They looked at computer scans the earlier and
:02:21. > :02:28.are still receiving e-mails. You are talking about at the Prince
:02:28. > :02:33.Gamp. Each of us received e-mails about this. It is about Payment
:02:33. > :02:37.Protection Insurance. Banks sold some people Payment Protection
:02:38. > :02:42.Insurance. And it would cover repayments if you are strapped for
:02:42. > :02:47.cash. The financial regulator has looked at how those were sold and
:02:47. > :02:53.deemed many were not sold correctly. Abbott is a problem or banks,
:02:53. > :02:58.having to pay out. That has created a whole new industry for
:02:58. > :03:02.opportunistic businesses and criminal gangs. Legitimate
:03:02. > :03:06.businesses might chase after compensation, but will charge you
:03:07. > :03:11.33% in commission, better than not getting anything, which could
:03:11. > :03:17.happen if you get contacts from an unscrupulous company or gang. You
:03:17. > :03:20.have to pay several hundred pounds upfront. Victims then find out that,
:03:20. > :03:30.once they have your money, they are no longer interested in chasing
:03:30. > :03:34.
:03:34. > :03:41.Banks that nestled Payment Protection Insurance have been
:03:41. > :03:45.ordered by the regulatory body to send out 12 million letters in
:03:45. > :03:50.search of victims of banking excesses. This is an attempt to
:03:50. > :03:58.stop customers being ripped off a second time by claims management
:03:58. > :04:03.companies or, even worse, criminal gangs posing as those companies.
:04:03. > :04:07.is a constant battle. The scam has a role was ahead of regulators.
:04:08. > :04:16.They are difficult to catch. These cameras are making millions of
:04:16. > :04:22.pounds. -- these people. The latest Gammans and Payment Protection
:04:22. > :04:27.Insurance. I am on my way to meet a woman who believes she has been
:04:27. > :04:31.defrauded out of several hundred pounds. Last April, she received a
:04:31. > :04:37.cold call from a claims management company. The company wanted to help
:04:37. > :04:43.her with a PPI claim and what was called irresponsible lending by her
:04:43. > :04:46.credit card company made increased her credit limit unsolicited. What
:04:46. > :04:53.was the offer from this company? This was the result of a telephone
:04:53. > :05:03.call? Yes. It was a cold call, sparking an interest. I thought I
:05:03. > :05:04.
:05:04. > :05:10.could claim it back. It would be �495. And it could wipe out the
:05:10. > :05:16.balance of the credit card. Sold the company wanted �495 from you to
:05:16. > :05:21.proceed with acclaim? Yes, encouraging me to play if what --
:05:21. > :05:31.encouraging me to pay it on my credit card. But that was near its
:05:31. > :05:32.
:05:32. > :05:37.limit, so I used my debit card. she paid �700 up front. I am about
:05:37. > :05:45.to meet a pensioner who, at the same time last year, was also asked
:05:45. > :05:55.to pay up front by a telephone, promising at PPI refund in return.
:05:55. > :05:57.
:05:57. > :06:05.I was told, if I paid �99, I would get the money plus the �99 back.
:06:05. > :06:15.This never came. You got no money? No. And I did not get my �99 back.
:06:15. > :06:17.
:06:17. > :06:23.When I was called by then, -- buy them, I took down the details of
:06:23. > :06:30.what was needed, including account number. I was sent a letter by
:06:30. > :06:37.registered post by a them. I had to send it back. Anyway, I had not
:06:37. > :06:40.heard from them for about one week. Maybe two weeks. I went into the
:06:41. > :06:50.bank in the high street and spoke to do it girl at customer services.
:06:51. > :06:55.
:06:55. > :06:58.Basically, she said, it sounds like a scam. We have seen hundreds of
:06:59. > :07:02.people complaining over the number of years from companies they had
:07:02. > :07:07.said they will claim back protection insurance. Unfortunately,
:07:07. > :07:14.a lot of these people are based abroad. People do not realise, when
:07:14. > :07:22.you pay money over the telephone, you have lost that money. What has
:07:22. > :07:28.happened since paying that funny? Nothing. I have just been around
:07:28. > :07:34.every corner. I keep contacting them, calls and never returned.
:07:34. > :07:38.a Kohl has been catalogued. She held on for over one hour and only
:07:38. > :07:45.gave up because her arm and you went numb. There is a serious issue
:07:45. > :07:52.to consider. Are you in any way be able to check with your credit card
:07:52. > :07:58.company if a claim was made? Maybe a claim was made? That is the task
:07:58. > :08:06.come Monday, I have not done it. was confirmed the claims management
:08:06. > :08:09.company was in touch. She was told they did not understand what she
:08:09. > :08:15.was saying about irresponsible lending to stop we spoke to the
:08:15. > :08:21.company she was using, hanging up on four occasions on us. We spoke
:08:21. > :08:25.to a manager twice. He claimed the woman was not paying for Payment
:08:25. > :08:31.Protection Insurance. We actually have the forms sent to hire or
:08:31. > :08:36.signature. We asked whether she would get a refund for her �700. He
:08:36. > :08:46.did not answer. She was promised a telephone call. We have to see what
:08:46. > :08:56.
:08:56. > :09:02.will happen. �99 is �99. It is a lot of money to me. I was angry. No
:09:02. > :09:08.two ways about it. Ever since, anybody who sense the letters were
:09:08. > :09:15.sent they are text, I just ignore it. Have you had a cold call
:09:15. > :09:19.yourself? I have had many, some to my own office. One eye and so
:09:19. > :09:24.trading standards, we have had people saying they are ringing from
:09:24. > :09:29.the Office of Fair Trading. I have had telephone calls telling me that
:09:29. > :09:33.I have recently been in an accident and am entitled to payment.
:09:33. > :09:38.Sometimes, I play along to establish how these people work and
:09:38. > :09:43.get more information. So when we try to make consumers aware of the
:09:43. > :09:52.types of scams out there, we have first-hand experience.
:09:52. > :09:58.David is from the Financial Options and office. You deal with hundreds,
:09:58. > :10:04.thousands of these cases. How do we know if we have been less cold --
:10:04. > :10:09.if we have been this old PPI? are the people to get in touch if
:10:09. > :10:14.you have a complaint. The first thing is trying to establish a
:10:14. > :10:19.problem. Think if you have taken out a loan or credit card within
:10:19. > :10:24.the last few years. If you have, were you told you needed to do
:10:24. > :10:28.something to cover you, to give you protection if you were made
:10:28. > :10:34.redundant or fell ill. You would probably have him protection
:10:34. > :10:40.insurance, or PPI. And it is not just a payment, it adds money on to
:10:40. > :10:47.the amount you have borrowed. does, in most instances, the money
:10:47. > :10:51.for the insurance was a second loan. So it is added up, so the average
:10:51. > :10:58.compensation can be about �3,000. The biggest we have seen was almost
:10:59. > :11:04.80,000. Kevin, an opportunity for people who are scanning. You have
:11:04. > :11:08.dealt with hundreds of cases. have dealt with hundreds. The
:11:08. > :11:16.companies have realised there is money set aside by banks to pay for
:11:16. > :11:21.this. These people call people in the or chance they can get some
:11:21. > :11:26.money from people. What do you do if you think you have been a victim
:11:26. > :11:33.of some of these people? If you have used your credit card or debit
:11:33. > :11:37.card to pay, Jimmy get some money back. -- you may get some money
:11:37. > :11:42.back under the credit consumer or act. Contact your company and ask
:11:42. > :11:48.for a refund. It is worth contacting your car company with a
:11:48. > :11:51.debit that. People should not be put off trying to claim back money
:11:51. > :11:56.if they think they have been sold at PPI because there are people
:11:56. > :12:02.trying to make money out of them? They are much more straight forward
:12:02. > :12:08.ways of going about it, aren't there? We uphold many complaints
:12:08. > :12:13.about PPI. Many in the consumer's favour. People in Northern Ireland
:12:13. > :12:16.and not complaining as much as the rest of the company. The answer is
:12:17. > :12:22.to check bank statements, check whether you took out a loan and
:12:22. > :12:26.were sold anything as insurance to go with it, complain to the person
:12:26. > :12:32.who sold you the insurance in the first instance. If you are not
:12:32. > :12:37.happy, come to the Ombudsman. We are free, set up by the Government,
:12:37. > :12:41.so we are independent. We are less likely to complain, particularly
:12:41. > :12:48.when there is a chance of an outcome. This should encourage
:12:48. > :12:55.people to contact the Ombudsman. Maybe we're just too good mannered.
:12:55. > :12:58.What about prosecutions? Have you successfully prosecuted people?
:12:58. > :13:04.in Northern Ireland. We believe there have been some across the
:13:04. > :13:08.water. Just be sceptical if you get telephone calls out of the blue
:13:08. > :13:14.telling you these people can get your money back from PPI and ask
:13:15. > :13:19.for money upfront. Thank you both very much for making that clear.
:13:19. > :13:24.Over the past six weeks, you have got in touch commenting on stories
:13:24. > :13:34.we have covered, contacting us that about last week's stories. We had
:13:34. > :13:39.an e-mail about frakking. That man says that will have many
:13:39. > :13:44.problematic consequences. Another e-mail made reference about
:13:44. > :13:48.derelict housing last week. It said, I have let the side two empty
:13:48. > :13:53.properties for over 20 years and the council does nothing. Please
:13:53. > :14:01.keep your e-mails coming or join the discussion online. Thank you
:14:01. > :14:04.for all your comments. Aislinn Hagan Has been very welcome.
:14:04. > :14:09.She has been out and about hearing from people right across Northern
:14:09. > :14:19.Ireland. She spent the day on the prom here in Newcastle finding out
:14:19. > :14:26.
:14:26. > :14:31.what is the top of the town. -- Dog owners across Northern Ireland
:14:31. > :14:36.could be in for a rough time as local a authorities gain new powers
:14:36. > :14:43.to ensure that animals are kept on a lead in public places. Here in
:14:43. > :14:45.Newcastle dog fouling has been a problem for the council. So, we are
:14:45. > :14:55.here to ask locals if they think the new legislation will make dog-
:14:55. > :15:10.
:15:10. > :15:19.owners think twice before letting If you were fined if your dog was
:15:19. > :15:28.off the lead? It should be on the lead. Dogs should have their own
:15:28. > :15:37.freedom, too? Do-nothing - the dogs need to get off their lead? They do,
:15:37. > :15:42.but on the field, not where such people have to walk. I would be a
:15:42. > :15:45.bit annoyed about it. She is not doing any harm. If it was on a main
:15:45. > :15:54.street and she was running around while, I could understand it.
:15:54. > :15:58.dog should be kept on their lead? I'd do. Because of a bike six Kade,
:15:58. > :16:05.the dog would be picked down and a kid could be injured. What is the
:16:05. > :16:11.dog like when it gets out on the beach? Not very controllable.
:16:11. > :16:15.Hello! We are asking people about dogs on their leads. I could see
:16:15. > :16:21.why it could come in handy. It is legislation by people who don't
:16:21. > :16:30.like dogs. I don't like dogs. I just don't like them. If they can
:16:30. > :16:33.control the animal, that is fine, but can they? It is up to the owner.
:16:33. > :16:39.Each person should take responsibility for what ever they
:16:39. > :16:46.have, a wild animal or a wild kid or what ever? How you got a dog?
:16:46. > :16:56.can't stand dogs! I had a terrible experience when I was young. I have
:16:56. > :17:00.
:17:00. > :17:03.been frightened of them ever since. If you bought a new house at a
:17:03. > :17:08.private development only to find out later that summer that
:17:08. > :17:11.development would be sold off for social housing, how would you feel?
:17:11. > :17:15.Due to the collapse in property prices and the need for more social
:17:15. > :17:19.housing it is happening more and more. I had been to meet residents
:17:19. > :17:27.in a private estate on the outskirts of Belfast who are
:17:27. > :17:31.alarmed at that very prospect. I am here in the redwoods development in
:17:31. > :17:38.Dunmurry. When these homes were built it was described as a private,
:17:38. > :17:43.luxury development. The residents claim that the tranquillity that
:17:43. > :17:46.originally attracted them to the area is now under threat as the
:17:46. > :17:56.developers are planning to sell off two empty apartment buildings for
:17:56. > :18:02.
:18:02. > :18:05.Peter Dawson lives in one of the houses and is head of the
:18:05. > :18:10.management committee which looks after the concerns of residents who
:18:10. > :18:19.are alarmed by the proposals. People don't want social housing
:18:19. > :18:23.here because they bought this as a private residential area. Some
:18:23. > :18:30.residents received a letter from the organisation which wants to buy
:18:30. > :18:38.them. Others claimed they were never even informed. How do you
:18:38. > :18:41.feel you have been treated? Very bad. This is a professional
:18:41. > :18:48.organisation, and I'm very disappointed in the way they have
:18:48. > :18:54.approached the people in the estate. They refused to answer questions.
:18:54. > :18:56.Their lack of knowledge. management committee had met at the
:18:56. > :19:00.developers and the housing association. Tonight they have
:19:01. > :19:07.called a meeting to update worried homeowners and to make plans to put
:19:07. > :19:16.a stop to the sale. The residents held their meeting in the marketing
:19:16. > :19:21.suite, we were not allowed to film. How do you feel at this stage with
:19:21. > :19:26.what has gone on, how positive do you feel? I still feel really
:19:26. > :19:32.distressed about it. I am more distressed because of the lack of
:19:32. > :19:35.consultation from the Housing Trust. They did bring us a letter at the
:19:35. > :19:40.last minute to say that they were going to buy the other apartments,
:19:40. > :19:44.but even now they are not forthcoming on any information.
:19:44. > :19:48.if you're going to have social housing in a private residential
:19:48. > :19:52.area it has to be stipulated from the outset so you are giving the
:19:52. > :19:58.people the choice if they want to buy into an area. The fact that
:19:58. > :20:04.most people paid a big premium under now then forced what this
:20:04. > :20:08.negative equity situation, which will be further compounded with the
:20:08. > :20:13.social housing moving into the area. I feel a bit betrayed by their
:20:13. > :20:18.developers. This has been going on since of temper apparently and they
:20:18. > :20:24.have just left us behind. Everyone has bought - who has bought and
:20:24. > :20:29.there has shown them support. It is a good community spirit in there.
:20:29. > :20:33.The Housing Trust, they only gave us a week up consultancy period and
:20:33. > :20:39.it was only after the meeting last Wednesday night that they extended
:20:39. > :20:46.it until the end of April when they saw the opposition they had. You're
:20:46. > :20:50.obviously not happy about the way they have handled that? Not at all.
:20:50. > :20:54.So clearly the residents are angry and erect a loss to understand why
:20:54. > :20:58.what they thought was to be a private development may now include
:20:58. > :21:07.social housing. I am off to meet the housing association who want to
:21:07. > :21:13.purchase the apartments. We totally underestimated the strength of
:21:13. > :21:18.feeling that was obvious when you went to consultation. We have now
:21:18. > :21:22.extended to the end of April to make sure that we to have
:21:22. > :21:27.meaningful consultation period. residents have alleged that during
:21:27. > :21:32.a meeting at them you responded to some of their concerns by saying
:21:32. > :21:36.you are in negative equity anyway. How do you respond? When they were
:21:36. > :21:43.saying that they felt that bringing social housing tenants to redwoods
:21:43. > :21:47.were defects... would take them into negative equity, and made the
:21:47. > :21:55.comment, inadvertently perhaps, was that some of them had already been
:21:55. > :21:59.telling me that that was the case. It is one of the largest hosts -
:22:00. > :22:04.largest housing associations here. They first became aware of the
:22:04. > :22:08.properties in Redwood last summer and receive support from the
:22:08. > :22:11.Housing Executive to pursue the purchase in November. The first
:22:11. > :22:16.sight as it was in January and there are still negotiating with
:22:16. > :22:23.the developers. Can you appreciate the concerns of the residents?
:22:23. > :22:28.understand the concerns and I would love the opportunity to reassure
:22:28. > :22:32.the residents that social housing can be a big positive thought stock
:22:32. > :22:39.they have two blocks of empty apartments which had been empty for
:22:40. > :22:46.several years. Hard job is to bring empty units back into use and to
:22:46. > :22:54.provide homes for people who need them. To try and avoid the
:22:54. > :22:58.stereotyping also a social housing tenants, that is not fair. We also
:22:58. > :23:02.wanted to talk to the developers who sold a house is to the
:23:02. > :23:06.residents and want to sell the apartments to the housing trust.
:23:06. > :23:11.They declined a request a provided us with the statement. They said
:23:11. > :23:14.that negotiations were progressing with the housing association to a
:23:14. > :23:21.quiet the departments - the apartments, and they have already
:23:21. > :23:26.met with representatives of the residence to see if they can pursue
:23:26. > :23:33.the issues raised. What d'you want? We would like the housing trust to
:23:33. > :23:38.pack up their bags and move on. The people unanimously stated that the
:23:38. > :23:44.don't want social - don't want social housing here.
:23:44. > :23:49.Cameron Watt represents the Federation of Housing Associations.
:23:49. > :23:53.Paddy Gray is an expert on housing. Cameron, everyone agrees there is a
:23:53. > :23:57.need for social housing, but these residents and feel that this is the
:23:57. > :24:02.appropriate way to go about it. There doesn't seem to have been
:24:02. > :24:08.well handled. We have got an acute need for social housing in Northern
:24:08. > :24:14.Ireland. 21,000 people need social housing. It has been very difficult
:24:14. > :24:19.for her housing associations to get land at the bottom of the market.
:24:19. > :24:24.Housing association to having to explore all options to get people
:24:24. > :24:28.heist. It is not easy, but I think these private developments, they
:24:28. > :24:32.can work with an element of social housing. I don't think it is true
:24:32. > :24:40.that social housing will depress the value of these properties. What
:24:40. > :24:44.will do that is if they are left empty, decaying, becoming decrepit.
:24:44. > :24:50.Although the residents to say that the properties are not been decayed,
:24:50. > :24:52.but being well looked after. Paddy, this will only work if there was
:24:52. > :24:59.proper consultation and at this moment the residents don't feel
:24:59. > :25:02.that has been the case. I agree. The consultation is very much a
:25:02. > :25:07.part of this and suspicions arise when people don't know what is
:25:07. > :25:15.going on. The fact that the housing association has extended the
:25:15. > :25:19.consultation period will help the residents express their concerns.
:25:19. > :25:25.We have had letters from residents saying that this is inappropriate,
:25:25. > :25:29.immoral, unjust. They are saying that while they are being assured
:25:29. > :25:34.that social housing Texan - Tennents ought not to be
:25:34. > :25:41.stereotyped, they are talking about CCTV cameras and security. That is
:25:41. > :25:47.not very reassuring. It is unjust that we have 21,000 people in
:25:47. > :25:52.severe housing needs. The current situation is not tenable. This
:25:52. > :25:56.Housing Trust is recognised as a very good housing association. They
:25:56. > :26:00.have good satisfaction levels. If the communities that they are
:26:00. > :26:05.managing are not well run, their satisfaction levels that they get
:26:05. > :26:09.would not be possible. This is an exemplary association. In the
:26:09. > :26:19.unlikely event that problems are identified, they will be quickly
:26:19. > :26:29.tackled. The status quo is not an option. Paddy, integration, Candace
:26:29. > :26:30.
:26:31. > :26:38.property - can this properly work? There are concerns in the Northern
:26:38. > :26:41.Ireland dimension. The first point to make about mixed developments is
:26:41. > :26:46.that so many housing associations across the UK have been working
:26:46. > :26:51.with developers to bring these two sides together and it is working
:26:51. > :26:57.well. In Northern Ireland, we do have a problem but over 90 % of our
:26:57. > :27:02.public sector housing stock is segregated. In the last couple of
:27:02. > :27:08.years many people have made great inroads. This Housing Trust we're
:27:08. > :27:13.talking about won an award last year for an integrated development
:27:13. > :27:18.that they have in Lisburn. Thank you both very much indeed. You have
:27:18. > :27:24.been contacting us about tonight stories. We have had any meal in
:27:24. > :27:32.about the derelict housing. I have been living beside five properties
:27:32. > :27:42.like this. Our main concern is the house fires, people breaking in and
:27:42. > :27:43.
:27:43. > :27:46.people even selling drugs in these empty properties. That is it from
:27:46. > :27:52.Tollymore for this week and for this series. Thanks so much for
:27:52. > :27:56.getting in touch. We're glad to have got you some answers in return.