Urang and the Chelsea Bridge Wharf RTM company make a mockery of leaseholder empowerment at the UK’s largest Right to Manage development

With just over 3 weeks to go till the supposed elections for RTM directors (on Sep 14th), Urang and CBW RTM directors still refuse to release details of election procedure – a fair election is now impossible.

When Urang took over at Chelsea Bridge Wharf in May 2025 I hoped that they would try to draw a line under the misgovernance, lack of accountability and games playing that has been the norm at Chelsea Bridge Wharf since CBWRA was reactivated in 2020. I specifically said to Urang that if they intended to behave in an honest transparent manner, accountable to all leaseholders, rather than just being the sockpuppet of 4 unelected directors that I would happily support them. I specifically asked them if they intended to engage in the same electoral manipulations that CBWRA have been playing for 4 years. Namely:

  • That leaseholders have to fight for an election to be called
  • Eventually and reluctantly an election date is agreed, usually many months past the agreed term
  • No process for elections is announced until a few weeks before the election to prevent any debate or campaigning and to minimise the chance of anyone coming forward to stand
  • That the CBW app account of at least one potential candidate has been closed, to silence them
  • There is no clarity in the voting process and no independent inspection of the results. Rukes are changed at the last minute without explanation.
  • At the last election for CBWRA chair (prior to RTM), 91% of leaseholders did not or could not vote.
  • Voting started before a debate between candidates was held and at that meeting CBWRA chairs tried to hide from a debate saying that candidates should be in separate rooms and talk separately to leaseholders. No notes of the meeting  were circulated my cbwra  A leaseholder who tried to circulate my notes of the event had their CBW app account closed without any process.

Those same people who ran the elections for CBWRA Chair and committee are now the (unelected) directors of the CBW Right to Manage Company. As recently as September 2024 these directors insisted that there would be NO ELECTIONS for directors of the CBW right to manage company which shows astonishing arrogance and entitlement.

After pressure from myself and others, these people (Louis Kendall, Larisa Villar Hauser – now resigned, Stephen Thompson, Tony Spoerer and Katherine Greenway) reluctantly agreed that there would be elections but refused to give a date. When Urang took over in May still no date was announced. Finally,  at the first residents’ meeting with Urang on June 9th they announced that there would be elections for directors on September 14th {awarding themselves another unelected period of 4 months) but absolutely no details were given of how the elections would be conducted. So here we are, 2 and a half months later, and just 3 weeks from the supposed date of the elections, with no consultation to leaseholders about how to stand for director posts, what the process will be, how votes will be counted and checked. There is no provision for any discussion or debate. There has been no consultation with leaseholders about their priorities and it seems that Urang and the CBW RTM company are proceeding with plans for major expenditure including (mysteriously) a site-wide replacement of the entryphone system which most people have no interest in since their entry phone is working fine. Such feeble consultation as has been carried out ( a very badly designed poll at the June 9th meeting) shows that by far the priority (for 74% of leaseholders) was controlling service charges but it is cleat that Urang and the RTM directors think that ‘upgrades’ are the priority. This is not based on any mandate or consultation.

I have repeatedly asked Urang (Tony Hymers and CEO Paul Cleaver) why no procedure for election of Directors has been published and they are unable to give any answer. Similarly they are unable to explain why leaseholders cannot see the contract with Urang and why no AGM of the Chelsea Bridge Wharf Right to Manage Company has been held or is planned.

Urang are ‘approved’ by the Leasehold Knowledge Partnership (a supposed champion of leaseholder rights) who made much of the achievement of RTM at Chelsea Bridge Wharf as some sort of great victory for leaseholders, not just at CBW but across the nation. As numerous people pointed out at the time (see the comments at the end of LKP’s blog piece), LKP’s version of events was seriously erroneous in several key respects, especially in omitting:

  • The fact that the current directors of CBW RTM denied for many years that RTM was possible and people who said it was (including myself) were targeted, bullied and censored. They only changed position after I obtained and published independent advice that RTM was possible.  My CBW App remains closed which in itself prevents fair elections.
  • The fact that one director has been the subject of several police complaints including an allegation of assault on a CBW leaseholder which resulted in the police approving charges of common assault be brought (this process was timed out due to police error).
  • The fact that a CBWRA committee member allegedly advocated acts of terrorism against the UK on her Twitter account
  • The fact that Urang were engaged at CBW without any meaningful leaseholder consultation and that even the CBWRA committee were not allowed to see the contract with Urang. To this day we still don’t know who has signed the contract or what it has committed us to.
  • The long history of electoral manipulation / unfair elections at CBW which I have documented extensively on my blog (which LKP admit they follow and so they were well aware of this) which continue to the current time.
  • The fact that CBWRA funds decreased from around £40,000 to almost nothing between 2021 and 2025 (when it was closed without consultation) due to a series of very poor decisions and declining interest from residents due to CBWRA’s behaviour

LKP’s blog piece also fails to mention a national campaign against Rendall and Rittner’s appalling performance by myself which resulted in a petition of over 6,000 signatures and their appearance before MPs in the house of commons and the establishment of a national network of leaseholders at Rendall and Rittner development has been created and we held an online conference for which 300 leaseholders registered, This also raised awareness about RTM at Chelsea Bridge Wharf and was  a major factor in 50% of leaseholders signing  up for RTM. If LKP really is a champion of leaseholder rights then they should be challenging Urang and the Chelsea Bridge Wharf Right to Manage company,  not defending their disgusting behaviour.

So, three months after Urang took over at CBW and after the start of Right to Manage, despite Urang’s claim of a new era of transparency and LKP’s claims of a great leap forward in leaseholder empowerment, leaseholders at CBW are in fact no better off in terms of having a say in how the development is run. They cannot fairly elect representatives, they are not consulted, there is no debate about different priorities or policies. Leaseholders are not able to see or get any account of the weekly meetings between the CBW RTM directors and Urang. As ever it is ‘jam tomorrow’ – we will consult you at some undefined time in the future (i.e., when we have already made all the important decisions).

Are you as a CBW leaseholder OK with this situation? If you are that’s fine – if you are not then I suggest to you that you need to say something, to do something to make your views clear because it is your service charge that they depend on.

Urang and the CBW RTM directors know many people are unhappy but their gamble is that people will be too scared or demotivated to make any meaningful protest. Are they right? If you want something better than this say so – on social media, on the CBW app, by emailing Urang (paul.cleaver@urang.co.uk or tony.hymers@urang.co.uk ), by emailing the CBW directors (chelseabridgewharfrtmco@gmail.com). Don’t let these entitled people rule over you as petty emperors  – we need elected representatives who understand that they will be held to account if they continue to treat leaseholders as children.

This is not just about what has happened in the past – the same people are still doing the same things and until that changes, Chelsea Bridge Wharf cannot move forward.

I also urge you to make your views about Urang (where good or bad) known via Trustpilot https://www.trustpilot.com/review/www.urang.co.uk and Google Reviews. Urang should understand that they cannot behave like this without it being know in the public domain. 

Join the Chelsea Bridge Wharf Community Facebook group = all views are welcome and it is guaranteed free from bullying or censorship.

Category : Uncategorized