CBWRA made a unilateral decision to close the CBW app a few weeks ago, supposedly because it was ‘unsustainable’ at a cost of £5k per annum (which is roughly what they have left… Continue reading
Sadly it seems that the CBWRA committee are continuing with the process of arbitrary closure of CBW app accounts of anyone who dares to question the wisdom of the committee. A resident has informed me that earlier today (29.11.23) they posted a link to my blog regarding electricity prices at CBW and inviting residents join me in calling for refunds from Rendall and Rittner. There was an almost immediate response from Louis-Sebastian Kendall’ (quasi-elected co-chair) stating that this blog was ‘misleading’ but when asked to specify what specifically was misleading he was unable to do so
The CBW app account of the person who posted this link from my blog today was closed without any information, explanation or procedure despite the SGM motion passed 10 weeks ago which says that CBW app accounts cannot be closed without the use of a written process which allows the person ”accused” to see the supposed evidence for account closure and respond to it. No such procedure has been produced and it is clear that the CBWRA committee continue to close the account of anyone who should dare to criticise them in any way or to reports anything that is critical of the committee in any way. I genuinely feel sorry for people who are so insecure and intellectually immature that they cannot cope with any scrutiny or criticism.
Those who were supposed to be ensuring a fair electoral process actively undermined it by initiating Garton-Jones’ biased email to 400 + leaseholders, while voting was live.
Many thanks to those who supported the motions I put forward for this meeting which focussed on freedom of speech on the CBW app, trying to ensure fair elections for the future and also trying to ensure that Right to Manage actually delivers increased power to residents not just to a handful of people on an unelected/unfairly elected committee. The meeting also included a vote on ‘ratification’ (i.e. not an election) of the committee and a new constitution. Two of the five motions I proposed were passed.
These motions (in plain language) were that:
That no residents CBW app account can be closed in an arbitrary manner without any due process (as was the case with the closure of my account in May 2022). The closure or threat of closure of CBW app accounts has carted a ‘chilling effect’ on the CBW app which means that residents are afraid to say what they think or to be critical of the CBWRA committee in any way.
That there will be quarterly meetings with the new managing agent (Urang) assuming that RTM foes ahead and they are appointed – the meetings will e hybrid (face to face with the option to attend online) and ALL residents will be welcome not just leaseholders.
vote AGAINST ratification of committee (because they are not consulting residents, the consultations they do carry out are biased/ leading and the proposed quarterly ‘forums’ are too infrequent and exclude non-leaseholders. Also there is not freedom of speech on the app, and the CBWRA committee misinformed residents about RTM and have not explained or apologised for that). Also that there should be ELECTIONS not ‘ratification’
· VOTE AGAINST the ratification of the constitution because we are only being given 10 days to see it before the meeting (it will only come around on 30 AUG)
· VOTE AGAINST CBWRA fees rise CBWRA have never given any meaningful justification for the 140% increase in fees which they carried out in Feb this year. They claimed it was partly for legal fees to do with RTM but they have also said Urang (the proposed new managing agent) are covering all fees or will recover them through the service charge.
I also encourage residents to consider withholding all payment to CBWRA until they adopt normal standards of governance in respect of fair elections, free speech and resident consultation. #NOSAYNOPAY
CBWRA announced today that they are ‘recommending” Urang as the managing agent to handle the Right to Manage application for Chelsea Bridge Wharf. Except that it is not really recommending – the decision has been made. Residents are offered the opportunity to meet with Urang online on 30th May – but none of the other companies have been invited! Residents have been provided with some incredibly weak and superficial ‘analysis’ document, supposedly the basis on which Urang are recommended but detailed examination is only provided for Urang and not the other bidders. So this is not a consultation, it is in true CBWRA style, a decision made without resident consultation and then they insult our intelligence by asking for feedback after the decision. If such a consultation were carried out in any private or public organization it would be dismissed as heavily biased, or in plain language, a token consultation on a done deal. This is pretty pathetic given that millions of pounds of service charge are involved here (I believe Rendall and Rittners’ overall revenue, i.e. the total service charge collected, is in the region of £3 million a year at Chelsea Bridge Wharf) and that 2.5 years have been wasted by CBWRA telling us that Right to manage is not possible. So this is the biggest decision that a residents’ association can make and rather than doing it in an open and inclusive way, the decision has pretty much made already by a small cabal of mostly unelected people. ‘Consultation’ is happening AFTER their decision has been made.
*CBWRA plans to spend huge sums on new fountains *no meaningful response on massive service charge increases * CCTV installed in block foyers with no consultation *no action on management audit
In summary, dear CBWRA, thank you for the work that (some) of the committee are doing, but could I respectfully suggest that you please stop trying to blow smoke up the residents’ rear ends and start behaving like a normal democratic residents’ association, then we might actually get somewhere as a community of engaged residents. Even the CBWRA home page is not being straight with us – ‘a board of elected residents’?. No one on the committee is elected apart from the co-Chairs and there are many aspects of that which are questionable to say the least.
Grossly unfair elections – again! The 2023 CBWRA Chair elections were unfair for a number of reasons Two candidates stood jointly, thus pooling their votes, in a massive and clear violation of the… Continue reading
If you have not done so yet, please vote in the CBWRA Chair elections. I have made Right to Manage and reform of the residents’ association my top manifesto priorities. You need only… Continue reading
An estate agent distributing Chair election voting links? While voting is live? And openly supporting one candidate? Yep, perfectly normal… nothing to see here… CBWRA requested Garton-Jones Estate Agents to ‘intervene’ in Chair… Continue reading
