THE two men who blew the whistle on a failing housing association have now been barred from ALL contact with the social landlord.

Thistle Housing Association is under the management of a boss appointment by the government watchdog after a raft of serious failings and financial mismanagement.

Residents Ian Paterson and David Crockwell have, over the past three years, repeatedly called Thistle out on a botched major works programme affecting more than 600 homes in Toryglen.

Relationships between residents and staff became so strained that the association phoned the police to Ian and David with accusations Ian was running a blog site exposing Thistle's failings and that David had vandalised his close.

With new management appointed by the Scottish Housing Regulator, owners and tenants had hoped the situation would improve.

But now both Ian and David have received letters signed by housing manager Daniella Sprott under the association's Unacceptable Actions Policy.

David said: "They're trying to keep everything under wraps so they've barred us again for asking too many questions under the unacceptable actions policy.

"They say we have brought Thistle into disrepute because of our complaints but I think Thistle has done a good enough job of bringing itself into disrepute.

"Out of the blue we were both sent letters saying we're barred. It's just getting really, really nasty."

A letter from Thistle HA to David reads: "The Association has considered your actions over the last few months.

"In particular the information you have posted on social media over an extended period, coupled with your persistent contact with the office via telephone, email and personal visits.

"The offensive and derogatory comments about the Association and its staff on your Facebook page is the type of behaviour that you persist in being part of, and is unacceptable."

The letter to Ian Paterson says the association knows he is the author of the Grab The Thistle blog site, a claim he denies.

His letter reads: "The blog is highly critical of the Association and its staff; a significant number of blog posts are defamatory and a considerable number comprised person abuse directed at certain staff members."

Ian said: "The situation they are in now is self-survival, that's why these letters are coming out now.

"Thistle is going to be taken over by another housing association and perhaps there will be redundancies.

"So they are now fighting for their own jobs. Their names are also tarnished by working for Thistle HA.

"They are scared now that Freedom of Information legislation applies to them that you can now ask questions and they have got to answer them."

This Christmas will mark the fourth that residents will have had to have dealt with an ongoing botched major works programme.

Thistle and the energy company E-on were given more than £6 million of Scottish Government and Glasgow City Council cash for a 14-week energy upgrade programme.

More than three years after the programme was due to have concluded, remedial works are still ongoing.

Asbestos was found in roof spaces and has not been properly dealt with.

Roofs that were replaced during the works programme need to be re-done again while, in the meantime, tiles are falling from roofs and endangering residents.

More than 100 doors have to be changed from PVC to doors that will be safe in event of a fire.

Some 70 to 80 closes have to be repainted because they were not finished properly and a number of doors were given an undercoat three years ago but never finished.

Balconies have to be repainted and mould growth on the balconies has to be dealt with, among other issues.

More than a year ago the Scottish Housing Regulator stepped in to parachute staff in to the association.

Last month it was revealed that the failing housing association will finally transfer its business and assets to another social landlord.

But Ian and David claim this is too little, too late and feel more should have been done to address Thistle's failings much sooner.

David said: "We've been fighting this since 2016 and it's got worse. Now we have big lumps of concrete falling from roofs.

"The last three winters have not been that bad but this year we're set for freezing weather and we're going to see contraction, expansion, contraction, on the roofs with water getting in, and there will be more damage.

"The regulator has never taken control of it. You're talking about £6.8m of work to be re-done from scratch. How long will it take?

"And when are they going to stop this merry-go-round?

"I can think of no other organisation where, with mismanagement like this, people would not be on gardening leave.

"Thistle has told us, they've told the media, they've told the First Minister of Scotland, they've told Susan Aitken the Leader of Glasgow City Council, that we are liars yet everything we've said has been proven correct."

Ian said: "Think of all that money and what it could have achieved if it had been invested properly in Toryglen.

"We have the two most powerful political women in Scotland as our MSP and councillor. It should never have got this far.

"And now we're needing millions of pounds to redo what should have been done before.

"Thistle Housing Association was our association, it belonged to the community.

"But it's poison now."

Susan Aitken, Leader of Glasgow City Council and local councillor for the community, said: “Since Toryglen became part of the Langside ward in 2017, the failures of Thistle Housing Association and the major works programme have dominated my surgery caseload like no other issue.

“Residents are right to be angry and to seek answers.

“The investigation and range of measures put in place by the Housing Regulator has been the correct process and has confirmed many of the concerns raised by residents, which had previously been denied by Thistle management.

“As a local member, I’ve been in very regular contact with the Regulator and will continue to be so.

“Many tenants are understandably anxious about the future and communication with the Toryglen community needs to be as open and transparent as possible at every step of the way.”

A spokesman for Thistle Housing Association said: “We have tried to maintain an open line of communication with Toryglen residents wherever possible and are happy to make arrangements to discuss any issues.

“Addressing all areas highlighted in the Scottish Housing Regulator’s report will take time, however work is ongoing and we aim to keep residents updated throughout the process.”

The Scottish Housing Regulator was contacted by the Glasgow Times by email and telephone but did not respond.