Category Archive: Roger Southam

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The CBWRA Annual General Meeting April 2023.

*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.

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Leasehold/Commonhold reforms unlikely to happen before next general election – LKP exclusive interview with former leasehold and building safety minister Stephen Greenhalgh

The reforms which CBWRA maintained for 2 years were just around the corner are unlikely to materialise Throughout 2021 while on the CBWRA committee, attempts to discuss Right to Manage in committee meetings… Continue reading →

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Warwick Building Service Charges increase by 40% (yes, fourty)! CBWRA announces no action to be taken on audit or in challenging electricity costs

The latest service charge demands from Rendall and Rittner show that service charges will increase by 40% for the year commencing 1 April 2023. My service charge has increased from £ 247.71 to £347.05… Continue reading →

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2023 CBWRA Chair elections – democracy dying in darkness?

I have nominated myself for Chair of CBWRA in the 2023 elections because I wanted to improve the governance of the CBWRA and to ensure that all that was possible was being done to achieve Right to Manage, following what have been (in my view) two wasted years as far as RTM goes

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Notes from the Right to Manage meetings at CBW (30 Nov and 1 Dec)

Thanks to all who attended these meetings and to Canonbury Estate Management for providing expert advice. The standout points are

i) The advice given by Stephen Thompson/Roger Southam/Charlie Garton-Jones/CBWRA that Right to Manage for the whole development is not possible because of the supreme court judgement of First Port v Settlers Court is categorically WRONG. David Breare of Canonbury added that in his view, any competent advisor/consultant would come to the same conclusion (i.e. it’s not a grey area),

This confirms Canonbury’s written advice of June 2022 https://chelseabridgewharf.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/canonbury-summary-advice-1.6.22-correspondence-1522672.pdf

Residents should recall that this judgement of First Port v Settler’s Court was (according to Mr Thompson) the reasons why Right to Manage was not pursued at the start of 2022 and why the management contract retendering was chosen (this failed in Sep. 2022, in my view wasting up to £15,000 of residents’ money).

ii) The current position of CBWRA (after 2 years of saying that Right to Manage is not possible) is that they will investigate RTM on a block by block basis. Canonbury were equally clear that this will not work because all blocks are linked by an underground car park, and therefore cannot be considered as separate for the purposes of RTM (they are not vertically separated).

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Please join online meetings on how to get Right to Manage at Chelsea Bridge Wharf – November 30th 7-8pm and December 1st 1-2pm

Dear CBW residents
Are you tired of paying huge service charge increases?
Do you want a better level of estate upkeep and service?

Please join one of our online meetings — find out how we can get Right to Manage, choose our own managing agent and take back control of our development. The meetings feature a short presentation by Canonbury Estate Management
followed by a Question and Answer session

All residents welcome! Contact residents@chelseabridgewharf.org.uk if any questions

November 30th 7-8pm
Zoom link https://qrco.de/bdWj64
You should not need a passcode but if asked please enter TrK6yG

December 1st 1-2pm
Zoom link https://qrco.de/bdWjbi

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Chelsea Bridge Wharf Residents’ Association – nothing to show for £15,000 of residents’ money – no apologies, no resignations

Retendering the management contract: How it started – and how it’s going. Failure of retendering the management contractYou may be aware that in January of this year the Chelsea Bridge Wharf Residents’ Association… Continue reading →

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Retendering the management contract – How it started – and how it’s going (spoiler alert – it has, predictably, failed)

I thought I would give an update regarding the retendering of the management contract and related issues as no clear information has been provided by CBWRA and apparently no scrutiny discussion or criticism… Continue reading →

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Chelsea Bridge Wharf Residents’ Newsletter – Summer 2022

The Chelsea Bridge Wharf Residents’ Association (CBWRA) have claimed RTM is not achievable at CBW – experts say otherwise! Independent expert advice obtained by residents in June 2022 shows that CBW can achieve Right to Manage (https://tinyurl.com/28dht6ya) and therefore it appears CBWRA has misinformed residents in stating that Right to Manage is not possible at CBW.