March Against The Housing Bill

March against the Housing Bill

Saturday 30^th January

Imperial War Museum 12pm

Kennington Road/Lambeth Road

March to Cameron’s publicly funded home in

Downing Street for 2pm

 

The Housing Bill marks the end of social housing:

The end of secure lifetime tenancies. Council tenancies will be for 2 to 5 years with no right to pass it on to your children.

Landlords will have access to tenant’s personal income information and if households start to earn over £40,000 (a couple on the living wage) they will be hit with a PAY-TO-STAY TAX for the difference between their social rent and the market rent – in Waterloo that would be an average of £26,000.

Local authorities will be forced to sell ‘high value’ properties whenever they come vacant – what flat in London is not high value? Housing association tenants will get the right to buy, so reducing stock further.

Private renters and travellers will have reduced housing rights.

Developers will have to build ‘starter homes’ for sale instead of ‘affordable’ homes for rent. Starter homes will be worth up to £450,000 and sold at a 20% discount – but only to people with enough money to get that kind of a mortgage!

 

Join the march, lobby your MP, spread the word and kill this bill.

More info on housingactivists.co.uk or radicalhousingnetwork.org.

Contact info@architectsforsocialhousing.co.uk or 07834 828 292 to help.

 

Called by Lambeth Housing Activists, Architects for Social Housing & Streets Kitchen (Look for us all on Facebook)

https://www.facebook.com/events/817880454987012/

Pants On Fire Award – TMO Chair Fay Edwards

Residents of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea who have the misfortune to live under the tyranny of the TMO will not be pleased to hear that Fay Edwards, widely seen as the latest totally ineffectual Chair of the TMO Board, has been awarded the British Empire Medal as part of the Queen’s New Years Honours List:

http://www.getwestlondon.co.uk/news/west-london-news/new-year-honours-bem-kensington-10668467

Victims of the TMO know that this organisation is nothing less than a mini mafia that bullies and intimidates residents with impunity. It is totally dysfunctional at all levels and it beggars belief that the chairperson of the board of such an abusive failing organisation should receive any sort of honour at all. Even the dogs in the street know that what is needed to put the TMO right is an independent investigation of their failure to deliver basic services to tenants and leaseholders, and we believe that their puppet stooges should not be rewarded with royal gongs or any other honours.

Fay Edwards has stated to the Press that she isn’t sure what she has done to earn the British Empire Medal, and admitted that she doesn’t believe she deserves it (although she says ‘people’ keep telling her that she does). It is worth noting that she sat on the panel that was responsible for awarding the Grenfell Tower Improvement works contract to Rydons Ltd, and expressed ‘delight’ at that decision. We think it doubtful that a single resident of Grenfell Tower would share her ‘delight’, or would think Ms Edwards worthy of royal recogntion and reward for that disastrous bit of decision making. She was also instrumental in the creation of KCTMO Repairs Direct, which sought to improve repairs delivery by creating an in-house repairs company, effectively a subsidiary of the TMO itself. By all accounts that was another  disastrous decision. It seems to us that Ms Edwards may be as clueless as the common perception of her suggests, either that or as cynical as the TMO managers whose actions she, along with other board members, is supposed to scrutinise and oversee.

She was nominated for the new year honours list by none other than Roger Black, the Chief Executive of the TMO, whom the Board, under her stewardship, has a particular responsibility to scrutinise and oversee. One has to wonder, therefore, to what extent her ability to promote and facilitate that scrutiny, in a detached and independent manner, may have been compromised by Mr Black’s nomination of her for such a prestigious honour. One has to wonder also whether it was appropriate for Mr Black to have made the nomination in the first place, and whether it will now be possible for Ms Edwards to act in the best interests of RBKC residents, when her palm has been crossed with silver (in the form of this nomination) by the chief executive of the TMO, over whom she carries a particular duty of oversight and scrutiny.

The decision to grant such a prestiguous honour to the the chairperson of the TMO is presumably intended to signify royal recognition that it is an effective, efficient and well run organisation, and that these qualities are, at least in some part, due to the leadership of Ms Edwards. This is, of course, a convenient but nonetheless total fiction. Residents know that the TMO Board has been weak and ineffectual for many years, much to the detriment of the quality of life of TMO tenants and leaseholders. The Grenfell Action Group shares this latter view and believes that the award of a British Empire Medal to Ms Edwards is evidence of an unhealthy and complicit relationship between the TMO Board and the Executive. Throw in the considerable influence of a meddling and immoral Council and the result is a recipe for complete carnage and a depressing future for social housing in this most Rotten Borough.

The Grenfell Action Group recently called for a full independent investigation of the TMO. We are now wondering what the chances are that Ms Edwards will support this call and respond positively. When and if the the investigation we have called for is ever ordered we are confident that our dim view of the TMO as a negligent and incompetent body will be vindicated. We will then expect Ms Edwards to return her Empire Medal and apologise to residents for the pivotal role she has played in delivering unmitigated misery to so many RBKC residents on a daily basis over the last several years.

In the meantime we have decided to bestow one of our own ‘Pants on Fire’ Awards on Ms Edwards to add to her British Empire Medal. We make these awards occasionally to public servants whom we consider to be guilty of disingenuous or duplicitous conduct in office. We suggest that she share the award with Mr Black, her colleagues on the TMO board, and the entire TMO management team.

Rachmanism Alive And Well In RBKC

Over the past month the excellent Hornet’s Nest blog has gone out of its way to draw attention to the shocking treatment of a respected community elder in the south of the Rotten Borough at the hands of spiv property developers who appear to be working hand in hand with the RBKC Planning Dept.

We encourage our readers to follow the links below to learn how a vulnerable ninety year old resident has been bullied, mistreated and faces losing his home of over forty years, just so that a few vultures can make more filthy money.

http://fromthehornetsnest.blogspot.co.uk/2016/01/angelo-de-simonewho-are-you-and-what-is.html

http://fromthehornetsnest.blogspot.co.uk/2015/12/ninety-year-old-retired-war-veteran-in.html

http://fromthehornetsnest.blogspot.co.uk/2015/12/aldo-angelo-and-lucrehow-many-millions.html

http://fromthehornetsnest.blogspot.co.uk/2015/12/aldoangelo-mr-machiavelli-and-british.html

http://fromthehornetsnest.blogspot.co.uk/2015/12/the-dame-has-been-given-some.html

http://fromthehornetsnest.blogspot.co.uk/2015/12/luca-pepere-tangled-ownership.html

http://fromthehornetsnest.blogspot.co.uk/2015/12/its-all-about-italians-and-filthy.html

In the opinion of Grenfell Action Group members the treatment of Jim Vickers looks like a prime example of amoral property developers having the RBKC Planning Dept eating out of their grubby hands. On the above evidence, one would not be at all surprised to find that cosy relationships and the improper influence of spiv speculators on RBKC Planning Officers, possibly involving the greasing of palms, is more important than the well being of the Borough’s most vulnerable residents. Rachmanism, it seems, is alive and well in RBKC and those involved don’t appear to care who they hurt.

While The Hornet’ Nest continues to fight for Jim Vickers and highlight the role of the RBKC Planning Dept in this sorry saga please support this important campaign by leaving your thoughts on the comments page of the Hornet’s Nest blog.

Those sufficiently moved by Mr Vickers plight might also consider lobbying our local MP on his behalf. We believe Lady Borwick is already aware of this distressing case but we think that the greater the clamour for her direct intervention the more likely it is that she might feel compelled to act.

We in the The Grenfell Action Group believe that “sunlight is the best disinfectant” and we are confident that the Hornet’s Nest investigation into the case of Jim Vickers will expose those who may have acted illegally within the RBKC Planning Dept. We hope that any Council Officers who may have worked against the interests of a respected community elder will be held to account and we believe that if the long arm of the Met. Police were extended into the the inner sanctum of the Hornton St Planning Dept it might just uncover a few collars worthy of being felt.

TMO INVESTIGATION – BORWICK STEPS IN

Grenfell Tower residents had little to smile about when disgruntled leaseholders and tenants met with our local MP, Victoria Borwick, along with Peter Maddison and Sacha Jevans from the TMO, in the Community Rooms at Lancaster West Estate on the morning of 14th December.

Residents listened with a sense of anger and incredulity as Peter Maddison, the man they believe is responsible for bringing so much misery and torment to the inhabitants of Grenfell Tower, refused to take responsibility for the past failings and current lamentable state of the Improvement works and contemptuously dismissed the legitimate concerns of those present.

It seems like very few of the complaints raised by residents to Mr Maddison at previous meetings will be investigated and no-one should be under any illusions about the prospects of Rydon ever returning to move already installed HIU from hallways to kitchen.

To add insult to injury, neither Maddison nor Jevans were able to provide a cogent answer as to why over 60% of residents have responded to a recent survey stating that they felt “harassed and lied to” by the TMO during the Grenfell Tower Improvement Works.

As the meeting progressed, and the answers supplied by the TMO began to fall apart, it became clear to all present (including Lady Borwick) that our landlord has failed spectacularly to satisfactorily oversee the Grenfell Tower Improvement works.

Residents used this opportunity to seek the support of Lady Borwick to call for an independent Investigation of the TMO and requested that this be conducted by an organisation or individual who has no links with RBKC or the TMO. While this matter and the topic of how any such investigation might be funded was being discussed, Peter Maddison sat ashen faced at the prospect of having the ill-treatment of Grenfell Tower residents exposed to a wider audience.

We believe that Lady Borwick left the meeting in no doubt that a great injustice and trauma has been inflicted on this community as a result of the appalling management of the Improvement Works and we must now trust that she will keep her word by supporting residents in their call for an independent investigation into Mr Maddison, Claire Williams and others at the TMO.

Bearing in mind that Grenfell Tower is only the first of a number of tower blocks in North Kensington facing refurbishment it would be wise of RBKC to support Lady Borwick and local residents in their call for an independent investigation. There is much to learn from this sordid affair. The Council should have no reason to oppose such an inquiry and Grenfell Tower residents have much to gain and everything to lose if this call for an independent investigation of the TMO is not forthcoming!

RBKC LABOUR AND THE ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM

We recently posted a blog calling for a thorough new and independent investigation of the KCTMO. In that blog we recalled a major investigation of the TMO commissioned by the Council in 2009 and conducted by Maria Memoli of Local Governance Ltd. The report issued by Memoli was highly critical of the TMO and recommended sweeping changes at all levels of the organisation. In our blog we also referenced a more recent survey conducted in 2015 by ‘West London Citizens’ which revealed continuing and widespread dissatisfaction with the TMO, despite the supposed post-Memoli reforms. That report was delivered, during an exclusive meeting at the new Kensington Aldridge Academy, to the Leader of the Council, Nick Paget-Brown, his deputy and Cabinet Member for Housing, Property and Regeneration, Rock Feilding-Mellen and the Chief Executive of the TMO, Robert Black.

https://grenfellactiongroup.wordpress.com/2015/11/08/grenfell-action-group-demands-new-kctmo-investigation/

In order to maximise the impact of our blog we contacted the editors of the Hornet’s Nest blog with whom we have previously collaborated. They immediately supported our call and posted a link to our blog on the Hornet. To our great surprise the post on the Hornet’s Nest soon attracted a large number of comments, more than 180 in fact, the vast majority of which echoed our concerns, condemned the TMO as a dysfunctional, negligent and incompetent rabble, and clearly indicated that deep dissatisfaction with the TMO is not confined to North Kensington, but is widespread throughout the borough.

http://fromthehornetsnest.blogspot.co.uk/2015/11/grenfell-action-group-calls-for.html

One would think that the evidence we had marshalled against the TMO would be sufficient to rattle a few cages at both the TMO and at the Town Hall in Hornton Street, but despite copying the links to all RBKC councillors, and several senior TMO officers, all we got back was a cursory and noncommital response from a couple of Labour councillors. We then wrote to Cllr Blakeman of the Labour Group suggesting that, under the circumstances, it was incumbent on the Labour opposition to raise this issue with the Council and at least try to create some kind of stir. To our horror she responded:

“The Labour Group would need strong evidence to request a further investigation of the TMO, particularly given the stream of favourable monitoring reports that have gone to the Council on the TMO’s performance since Memoli (see latest attached). I am afraid largely anecdotal dissatisfaction on the Hornet would not be sufficient evidence.”

We were appalled by this dismissive response, not least because it misrepresented and minimised what we believe Cllr Blakeman and her colleagues already know to be widespread and deep dissatisfaction and distrust of the TMO among their constituents. It is noteworthy that Cllr Blakeman sits on both the TMO Board and on the RBKC Scrutiny Committee, but she is also a ward councillor of long standing who does a lot of casework on behalf of many of the poorest and most disadvantaged residents of North Kensington, many of whom are TMO tenants, and we are quite sure that both she, and her labour colleagues, know full well, if only as a result of this casework, the unpallatable truth about the culture of negligence, incompetence and abuse that is rampant among TMO officers at all levels of the organisation

Cllr Blakeman provided a copy of the most recent ‘Performance Report’ from the TMO to the RBKC Housing and Property Scrutiny Committee which claims a repairs satisfaction rate of 97%. It also claims a similar level of ‘post inspections’. The report doesn’t explain where these figures came from, but it does reveal that the last survey testing resident satisfaction with the TMO was two years ago and yielded, according to the TMO, a figure of less than 80%. Quite apart from the fact that their own figures are mutually contradictory we would have great difficulty accepting either the bona fides or the accuracy of any of these TMO self generated figures, and we would be very surprised if more than a very few TMO residents woud find them remotely credible either.

In any case the figures are directly challenged, and not just ‘anecdotally’ on the Hornet’s Nest, as Blakeman claims, but by the recent ‘West London Citizens’ survey, which found dissatisfaction with the TMO to be in the region of 70%.

These figures, if taken seriously, which we believe they should be, would directly contradict the figures concocted in the TMO Performance Reports, and although we are no fans of ‘West London Citizens’, we would be inclined to give greater creedence to their recent findings than to any statistics concocted by the the TMO for the benefit of a Council Scrutiny Committee.

Although we were horrified by Cllr Blakeman’s response she has at least made the position of the RBKC Labour Group clear and we now know that we can expect no help from them in calling for the urgently needed investigation of the TMO which was the subject of our original blog. There is no denying the excellent casework that Blakeman and (some of) her colleagues do on behalf of individual constituents, but we have learned from long experience that, on the macro level, the RBKC Labour Group is notable for its political duplicity, and they sometimes choose to run with the hare, but are also known to hunt with the tory hounds.

Ultimately one has to wonder why the Labour opposition would fear to challenge the utterly discredited and despised TMO. Even the dogs in the street know that the TMO is rotten to the core.

URGENT SILCHESTER PETITION

The residents of Silchester Estate, whose homes and community are under threat due to the imminent so-called ‘regeneration’ of their estate have posted the following urgent appeal for help. They launched a petition a little while ago which has already attracted more than 3000 signatures. However due to exigent circumstances they have now updated the petition and are urgently seeking more support and more signatures from any RBKC residents who care about their plight:

7 Dec 2015 — On Friday 27th November Kensington & Chelsea sent out a notification to the tenants of Silchester Estate informing them that architects had been employed and a resident consultation was to take place on Monday 30th November, thereby giving us one day’s notice! 37 tenants turned up for the consultation!

Under pressure from the tenants, that were able to attend, Ruth Angel from RBK&C agreed that they did not provide adequate notice to the tenants and would hold another consultation in January! There have been some very worrying developments in the proposal to demolish Silchester Estate so I would ask all the supporters for another big push on this petition. Please could I kindly ask that you share this petition on your FB or twitter feeds and email friends and family for support?

https://www.change.org/p/kensignton-and-chelsea-council-stop-demolishing-our-homes-and-forcing-us-out/u/14501606?tk=o0JeujIKBkwiOksybYc-ph2UEt60c1XTztesaTWIZcc&utm_source=petition_update&utm_medium=email