- To Be or Not To Be (recognised), That is the
Question!
- (with apologies to the Bard)
- We reported in our June newsletter that we
have at last gained formal recognition with our landlord, this after
18 months of discussions and sometimes painful negotiations. Our
'Group has had to jump through hoops and over high hurdles to achieve
recognition satisfying an OBHA 'criteria' that no other resident's
association has had to comply with! A criteria we consider to be an
unequal treaty!
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- We have previously reported that Bexley
Councilor, John Waters has acted as mediator at meetings between our
'Group and OBHA and following an agreement between ourselves and OBHA
he verified and confirmed our membership list against OBHA's
'Leaseholders list, this was just one of the conditions insisted upon
by our landlord. Now it appears that OBHA have de-recognised our
'Group!
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- Recognition took effect on the 14th May,
from which we requested, in writing, a list of
all ‘Leaseholders under OBHA management in order that we may contact
them to appraise those non-members of our ‘Group and give them an
opportunity to join us as members, or not, if that is their wish.
Sadly, OBHA refuse to give this to us stating data protection as one
of their reasons, yet they once again demand that we give them a list
of our members ignoring reciprocal data protection issues we might
have.
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We have received a letter from OBHA leasehold project
strategy manager with all sorts of excuses why they cannot furnish us
with this list, his letter is quite explicit in its
intention and that is essentially to de-recognise our ‘Group as OBHA are
insisting that we once again have to prove our membership before 'we can
be recognised', this apparently follows receipt of legal advice
from their lawyers.
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We
have informed the OBHA leasehold project strategy manager that we have taken this matter under advisement
with the London Rent Assessment Panel (Leasehold Valuation Tribunal) who
confirm that we have equitable cause for an application to them in this
matter due to OBHA’s unreasonable behaviour and we are currently
progressing with this.
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The matter to which Mr Kent refers to as 'Data
Protection' is without merit as we understand a list of ‘Leaseholders
has in the past been given to ‘Chair’s’ of other residents’
associations, without question! It is worth mentioning here that one of
them is a tenant ‘Chair of their association, so what value OBHA’s
‘Data Protection’ argument?
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The
letter from OBHA leasehold project strategy manager
is without doubt yet another obstruction laid down by certain (senior)
OBHA staff who have proved to our ‘Group, once again, that they will use
any tactic or subterfuge to frustrate us in our legitimate interest of
forming a cohesive ‘Leaseholder 'Residents' Association.
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It is indeed sad that after so much work and belief
that things were at last changing for the better, OBHA find yet another
obstacle to place in the way of progress! We had hoped that we could
move forward without the petty attitudes continually displayed by senior
staff of Orbit Bexley Housing Association who seem to forget that they
are paid to serve their tenants and should not be embarking upon self serving
crusades of petty politics!
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We have written to all concerned parties to
apprise them of this 'new' situation and as mentioned above we are
pursuing this through a Leasehold Valuation Tribunal.
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This matter is far from over!
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