Brockley Leaseholders Association AGM

Steven writes:

The Brockley Leaseholders Association was set up a few years ago after Lewisham Council signed a PFI contract with a consortium Regenter B3 in 2007 to look after its properties in Brockley. We're holding our AGM tomorrow (1 December) at 19.30 at the St Andrews Centre (bottom of Wickham Road).

We have had a very busy year this year, a group of us taking forward action at a Leasehold Tribunal which ruled very much in our favour that the major works carried out in 2007-08 were unnecessary, poor and costly. The Tribunal also agreed with us that the 38.6% management fees the PFI slaps on to all work was excessive - but unfortunately Lewisham is appealing against the latter as it is bound by the PFI contract to protect the consortium's profits.

Lewisham has failed to rectify the poor quality works even given the Tribunal's decisions and does not want to engage with us and says repeatedly that it is the PFI consortium's problem: we disagree as Lewisham is our freeholder (and landlord for the tenants) and is ultimately responsible for making sure its contractors deliver work to spec. Unfortunately Lewisham signed everything off without surveys and did not even turn up to the five day Tribunal hearing earlier this year!

At the AGM we'll be holding the usual committee elections and we are open to new members who are concerned about what might happen over the coming years. We'll also be discussing annual service charges which seem to vary in scope from year to year too!