AYLESBURY ESTATE VERSUS POLICE STATE

http://rabble.org.uk/aylesbury-estate-12-storey-building-occupied-after-yesterdays-demo/

THE MYTH OF AFFORDABLE HOUSING

The picture illustrating today’s blog is one of those slick artist’s impressions we are all so familiar with, purporting to show how idyllic the regenerated Heygate Estate in Southwark might look and feel when it is finished. The reality will of course be a nastier and far more mercenary reality that prefigures a stark future for social housing in the U.K.

What was it George Orwell said in his classic novel ‘Animal Farm’ – “All animals are equal… but some are more equal than others”?

Orwell, of course, also suggested a far more sinister vision of the future in his nightmarish other classic ‘1984’ which might well be more appropriate to current circumstances. In his other classic Orwell offered a vision of the future with the words “…a boot stamping on a human face… forever”.

Anyway, the point of this somewhat melodramatic intro is simply to draw our readers attention to an excellent exposé published by the ’35percent Campaign’ which does some very interesting number crunching and presents the unvarnished truth about what is really happening to social housing, and the lies and deceit routinely used by landlords, social and otherwise, to hide the truth from us:

http://35percent.org/blog/2015/03/10/affordable-rent-is-not-social/

TMO AND THE SMELL OF BOOTLEATHER

 

The abuse of the Grenfell Tower community by our landlord the TMO and Rydon’s, the contractor for the Grenfell Tower Improvement Works, continues unabated.

We believe that local residents are being treated like dirt by the TMO who have prevented tenants, leaseholders and renters from forming a focused Resident Group to help us through these major works on our homes.

This denial of collective representation is a direct result of the TMO’s policy of ‘divide and rule’ and their unwillingness to treat us like proper human beings.

Those responsible for formulating this policy of exclusion should hang their heads in deep shame and Ms Williams and the TMO need to examine the legitimacy of  their current behaviour.

However, residents are fighting back and have organised as below:

Don’t forget:

ALL TENANTS, LEASEHOLDERS AND RENTERS IN GRENFELL TOWER ARE INVITED TO ATTEND AN EMERGENCY RESIDENTS MEETING IN THE COMMUNITY ROOM AT THE BASE OF GRENFELL TOWER ON;

TUESDAY 17^TH MARCH AT 6.45PM

WE ARE MEETING TO DISCUSS THE LACK OF CONSULTATION FROM THE TMO/RYDON’S REGARDING THE GRENFELL TOWER IMPROVEMENT WORKS AND TO DECIDE HOW WE CAN UNITE AS A COMMUNITY TO ENSURE THAT WE ARE TREATED WITH RESPECT AND THAT THE TMO/RYDON’S CARRY OUT THE INTERNAL WORKS TO OUR HOMES IN A PROFESSIONAL MANNER AND TO A HIGH STANDARD.

WE HAVE INVITED A COMMUNITY ORGANISER CALLED PILGRIM TUCKER TO COME AND HELP FACILITATE TUESDAY’S MEETING AND WE HOPE THAT SHE WILL BE ABLE TO HELP US GAIN A VOICE AS A COMMUNITY AND DECIDE HOW WE WISH TO DEAL WITH THE THREAT FROM TMO/RYDON’S AND WHETHER WE WANT TO FORM A RESIDENTS ASSOCIATION FOR GRENFELL TOWER TO ENSURE THAT RESIDENTS VIEWS ARE NOT MARGINALISED IN THE FUTURE.

BE THERE – IF YOU CAN AND IF YOU CARE!

RESISTANCE GROWS TO TMO/RYDON “BRUTALISM”!

It is an age old expression that once the toothpaste is out of the tube it is not so easy to put it back. We believe that the appalling treatment of the Grenfell Tower community by our landlord the TMO and their building contractor, Rydon will come back to haunt those who decided to treat residents and our views with utter contempt. We suspect that by the time the TMO/Rydon have restored the faith of tenants and leaseholders that they might just have been better off treating us like proper human beings in the first place and saving everyone a lot of aggravation and heartache.

Last week, during a door knocking session, over 45 residencies responded and indicated robust support for collective action. Since then, Grenfell Tower has been abuzz with talk about Tuesday’s Emergency Meeting and there is a growing confidence among residents that things may possibly be about to change for the better.  However, even if we can’t change things for the better, then we will at least let Claire Williams and the TMO know that we are not prepared to simply sit back and accept to remain powerless.

It would come as no surprise to residents if the newly provided Community Rooms in the caretakers old office space (swapped without consultation for our previous and more spacious EMB Community Rooms) are not large enough to accommodate the many number of tenants and leaseholders who will be wanting to make their views known. This time, through sheer weight of numbers, the TMO/Rydon will have no choice but to hear our voice.

ANYWAY, IT IS TIME THE TMO’S VICIOUS AND IMMORAL POLICY OF “DIVIDE AND RULE” IS FINALLY BROKEN AND THAT RESIDENTS RIGHT TO “COMMUNE” AND TO BE ABLE TO SPEAK WITH A COLLECTIVE VOICE ARE RESPECTED.

MARCH TO SAVE AYLESBURY ESTATE

GRENFELL RESIDENTS RESIST TMO INTRANSIGENCE

GRENFELL TOWER EMERGENCY RESIDENTS MEETING

On Sunday 8th March the Grenfell Action Group conducted a door knocking exercise in Grenfell Tower to gather support for an emergency residents meeting. We received an overwhelmingly positive response.

Grenfell residents are completely fed up with the TMO/Rydon’s policy of ‘divide and rule’ of the Grenfell Tower community and we are determined to unite as a group to exercise our collective power.

We are appallled at the cheap and badly designed boxing-in in the communal hallway that has already deprived residents of so much precious floor space and could have been better designed by a two year old child. We are seeking assurances from the TMO and Rydon’s that they will not be committing similar acts of vandalism within our own properties.

We are not satisfied with the TMO/Rydon’s intention of giving residents no choice over where the new boilers will be positioned inside their properties and favouring the cheapest and most unsightly option.

Consequently we wrote to Claire Williams, Project Manager at the TMO, on 10th March. We reproduce her wholly inadequate and unhelpful response below:

“The TMO has consulted residents on the heating proposal, in group sessions and also individually. Rydon are discussing the heating layout with each household as works progress, as there are some options for pipework layouts where furniture or practicality demands.

There is a misunderstanding on the HIU location – the proposed position was not determined by cost. The location is determined by technical regulations (it needs to be close to a drainage point); and now we have accessed more homes it is clear that the existing pipework ducts behind the bathroom and wc are not easily accessible. So this is the best technical solution for plumbers working in occupied properties– ie cause less disruption to the building fabric, which will also mean we will not need to be in homes for longer than necessary. It has been noted in every newsletter since October 2014 that works would be undertaken within the flats in the new year, so this should not be a surprise.

I note that working in residents’ homes when they are fully occupied and furnished is not simple. This is why we looked to a contractor with this type of experience with Resident Liaison Officers to work with residents. The existing layout of Grenfell meant that the solution was never going to be easy – but the TMO could not afford to wait for the heating system to fail before it undertook works. Please ask any residents with queries to either talk to Rydon’s RLOs or they can contact me direct.

We will be carrying on with our works programme.”

WE CONSIDER MS WILLIAM’S RESPONSE TO BE EXACTLY THE KIND OF BLAND AND PREDICTABLE ‘PR’ WHITEWASH WITH WHICH WE ARE ALL SO FAMILIAR, AND WE FIND IT COMPLETELY LACKING IN ANY ATTEMPT TO FIND A COMPROMISE SOLUTION THAT MIGHT EMPOWER RESIDENTS IN ANY MEANINGFUL WAY.

WE WILL THEREFORE BE HOLDING AN EMERGENCY MEETING FOR GRENFELL TOWER RESIDENTS ON TUESDAY 17TH MARCH AT 6.45PM IN THE COMMUNITY ROOM AT THE FOOT OF GRENFELL TOWER (IE THE COMMUNITY ROOM IN THE CARETAKERS OFFICE).

WE STRONGLY URGE RESIDENTS OF GRENFELL TOWER TO SUPPORT THIS EFFORT TO DEMAND AND USE THE COLLECTIVE VOICE THAT WE HAVE BEEN DENIED FOR FAR TOO LONG.

MEETING 17TH MARCH AT 6.45PM