Annual General Meeting Minutes

​11 July 2019, 7 – 8.30pm

​Attendees:

Deloraine House: Gillian, (Secretary TRA, Block Rep), Katherine, Robert, Ian, Matthew, Rachel, Beverley – leaseholders

Heston House: Barry, Bernadette, tenant (Chair TRA, block rep), Nuala, Laura, Lola, Olla – leaseholders

Florence Terrace: Colin, tenant (TRA Treasurer, block Rep), Vickie, Brandon – leaseholders

Omega St: Ted, tenant (block Rep)

Tanners Hill: Naomi (TRA vice Chair, Resident Engagement Panel Rep), Shannon (Block Rep), David Briggs – leaseholders

Pitman House: Eyerusalme

Councillors: Cllr Jimi Adefirenye, Cllr Paul Bell, Cllr Sophie McGeevor

Lewisham Homes: James Shaw (Dir Property Services), Elaine Wright, Danielle Nkuimka (Housing Officers)

Lewisham Tenants Fund (LTF): Joy Burnett, Gloris Biggs

Apologies: Lucy (Heston House), Rosie, Fred (Florence Terrace)

​Introduction:

Welcome

Agree minutes AGM 10 July 2018 – minutes agreed

Matters arising, no corrections

​Officers Reports:

Chair:

This year had a difficult start, with the recurring problems of securing venues for our General Meetings on suitable dates, and having no base for the committee to work from. Also there have been a lot of changes in personnel at Lewisham Homes, making it difficult to have any consistency in following up problems on the Estate.

However, we produced a new Newsletter providing useful local info and updates which we distributed in the Autumn, and which can be used as a template for future newsletters. We have also secured visitors parking permits for residents who use estate parking. Also, since Keith joined Mohamed as a permanent caretaker the caretaking has improved since last year, so some positive progress has been encouraging.

It has been two years since we changed from having six meetings and AGM to four meetings and AGM, and the committee and block reps have done our best to monitor and point out ongoing issues with Estate Inspections, such as Caretaking, Repairs and Green Services, and we have continued to meet new LH personnel to establish a positive working relationship.

This has given us more meeting time to focus on more positive projects, like the plans and survey for our Outdoor Estate Improvements project, which is progressing well. We have also requested the use of a disused drying room in Deloraine House from Lewisham Homes as a space for the committee to manage the admin, with computer and printers, and storage for folders etc. Also it would give us a safe postal address, all of which would make the little time that TRA members have to donate much more productive.

I would like to thank all the block reps and committee members for their time and contribution this year, which for me has been the most positive year that I have experienced since being involved in the TRA (since 2011 I think), and should we be re-elected, I would be happy to work with the same team to continue the projects we have started.

Special thanks goes to Gillian, who, as the Secretary has arguably the hardest job of all, having to do the minutes, and much of the correspondence, and never an easy post to fill.

Also to the Treasurer, Colin, for taking on the responsibility of the post, and the contribution of his long experience on the TRA, and his knowledge of Deptford and the workings of local services.

Also major thanks to the Vice Chair, Naomi, for her major contribution to the Newsletter, and for taking on the research and producing the survey for the Outdoor Estate Improvements project. Her ICT skills have been invaluable to the committee, and she has donated her living room for several of our committee meetings.

Treasurer:

Year ending March 2018, TRA received Admin Grant £745.20 (down from £900 the previous year. There are 80 leaseholder flats but only 1 leaseholder donation (£6.76) for that year

As at March 2018: Community Fund £ 6041.00

Unrestricted £339.00 TRA funds £1,325.74

Bal at 7/18 AGM Community Fund £ 6,041.00

£ 345.76

TRA Funding £ 1,175.74

Total £ 7,562.50

Expenses to come – PL Insurance

Leaseholders need to be encouraged to help fund TRA. Tenants have a 13p levy on their weekly rent – it’s not a free service! As always, thank you to Lewisham Tenants Fund for their Support and funding. ACTION BS to inform attendees at future meetings of leaseholder contributions – now £7.00 per annum

Secretary:

Meetings: 4 General Meetings scheduled (25/9/18, 27/11/18, 12/3/19 21/5/19)

5 committee meetings (23/7/18, 21/11/18, 28/2/19, 8/5/19, 26/6/19), AGM 11/7/19

However the first meeting 25/9 had to be cancelled as Addey and Stanhope School refused to honour the existing arrangement of providing a space, agreed when the Tanners Hill Estate meeting room (Pensioners Forum) and land were handed to the school in 2011. Instead the school asked for a fee of £190 per hour. Cllr Jimi Adefirenye and Vicky Foxcroft MP both made representations to the school on our behalf, these fell on deaf ears.

We looked at local venues, but all were too expensive. Meetings have since been hosted by The Baptist Church (Zion Chapel) and we would like to thank Mandy and Max who have provided a friendly space and generous hospitality for a very reasonable hire. Attendance has gone down since the meetings are not on the estate.

Joint Inspections: Committee members attended 5: 10/18 with Martin Ryan, 15/5/19 with Luke Shacklock Green Services Supervisor, 20/5/19 with Matt Gill of Repairs and Grace Reid Caretaking Supervisor, 11/6/19 with Alys Exley-Smith re Community Drying Room and 12/6/19 with Caretaking and Repairs.

Barry: Intro to AGM guidelines and roles and responsibilities of Officers

​Election of Officers:

Chair – Barry Still (Tenant Heston House)

Vice Chair – Naomi Groves (Leaseholder, Tanners Hill)

Treasurer – Colin Connell (Tenant, Florence Terrace)

Secretary – Gillian Lewis (Leaseholder, Deloraine House)

Block Reps – Heston House: Barry Still, Laura, Nuala

Deloraine House: Gillian lewis

Florence Terrace: Vicky Yeardley, Colin Connell

Tanners Hill: Shannon Clark

Omega St: Ted Trott

Heald St: Colin Connell

REP Colin Connell (Tenant) and Ola (Leaseholder) Pitman House – no Rep

​Decent Homes Update:

James Shaw, Lewisham Homes Director of Property Services:

I have been at Lewisham Homes for 1 year and carried out a major restructure of all Teams, forming a new Property Services covering: Stock investment and Asset management. (Development is a separate Directorate), a Compliance Dept dealing with safety, Property analytics – there are 2 analysts with admin support, they are ‘busy bodies’ who report interesting facts (to improve service) and the 4^th leg is the Repairs Service, shifted to Property Services.

Most services are now in-house. Decent Homes “not what I would deliver” it’s part of the reason why we restructured. The old model was a Property Development team relying on Consultant Bailey Garner, we’ve cut out BG.

I know you’ve suffered, I can’t change the past. We’ve had discussions with previous contractor Mitie, and others, (ongoing). Estimates were vague, creating uncertainty “I wouldn’t do that”.

Nuala: was L Homes operating on instructions from Bailey Garner?

JS: Yes. In future, Estimates will be simple, informing people and providing photos. Leaseholder Bills are due by end July, minus widopan. Undertakings will be applied eg promise of Tribunal. If there is evidence of poor work we won’t push it, then recast Bills. Bills are being put together by BG and internally by L Homes – you may not agree, so please do that.

If work didn’t need to be done. It can be discussed after the Bills have been received.

Barry: TRA followed the project on everyone’s behalf

Robert: quality of work was a disaster in most instances

JS: it needs to be contested

Ola: is project signed off?

JS: Yes, but certain items are not eg Widopan

Ola: list of snagging?

JS: it can be revisited

Ola: I became a Leaseholder after the work was ‘completed’, our Front Door was not replaced. Our door was given to Neighbour at 79, will I be charged?

JS: I won’t be able to capture everything

Barry: following a meeting between TRA committee members and L Homes Managers at the Town Hall (2015), an offer was made by L Homes to hold a meeting but this got changed to L Homes door knocking residents and inviting individuals to meet staff (with Cllr Alicia Kennedy) at no82 (now MP’s office), this needs not to be repeated.

JS: work in whatever way you want, it’s better if you work as a group and collate issues block by block

Cllr Jimi: Communication needs to be improved

JS: we need to do better for leaseholders, we’re working with the Leaseholder Alliance. But also tenants.

Robert: Leaseholder’s case is the tenants case

Vicky: Good that you’re committed to doing better but you’re the 3^rd leader saying the same thing

Cllr Bell: I remember BG looking up at the roof from the ground floor, ie making an assessment. Also jetwashing flooded peoples homes

Nuala: I don’t want an apology, please prove you’re sorry by doing something to put it right

Cllr Bell: words are one thing, we are now in control, from where we were last time. There is a legal requirement to charge Leaseholders. Ola’s door may be on Bill, if it is you say NO!

Shannon: I was told by Ian Phillips (Project Mgr for early part of Works), that work had to be done due to lack of maintenance, I said preventative maintenance would be better.

Cllr Bell: There was a failure to invest and repair over the years, it’s not how we do it now, we have a Business Plan

JS: we are 20percent into a full stock condition survey. FFT are company inspecting stock (70-80pc plus common areas) at the end of the complete stock condition programme (Yrs 1,2,3, 4)

Robert: Can we have an interest free loan over X years?

Katherine: I don’t agree it’s a legal requirement to charge leaseholders, it depends on the work

Cllr Bell: if you successfully challenge, you don’t pay

Resident: Has MITIE been paid?

JS: I can’t enlarge on discussions with MITIE, the Bills are just about work done satisfactorily, discussions with MITIE are nothing to do with it

Cllr Bell: non disclosure – in order to settle we can’t speak about it

Naomi: as a TRA can we form a group legal response?

​AOB:

Cllr Penfold: Brockley Local Assemblies fund – the successor to the Section 106 – has to be spent to help ameliorate the effect of a development

Also there’s a Survey on LBLewisham website regarding private landlords ie should they be licensed?

Cllr Jimi: it makes the old section 16 Borough wide

Ola: new developments but no new infrastructure – St Stephen’s now has 2 classes per year

GPs in crisis, no appointments

VY: agreed re NHS – there’s a much higher density of population using the same services

Meeting closed 8.30pm