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| AN UMBRELLA GROUP |
A READER WRITES ABOUT COMBINING TO CAMPAIGN.....
Dear Dame
I was interested in your 'afterthought' in a recent blog.
In the Royal Borough we have a number of powerful resident associations.
They have a keen, well informed and dedicated membership ready to fight on behalf of the residents they represent.
Thinking of some of those RA's certain names come to mind....
Michael Bach, Caryl Harris, Amanda Frame, Richard Grantley, The Thompsons, Terence Bendixon, Anthony Walker....
I could go on, but, for the sake of brevity leave you with just those few.
But there are many more talented and capable members of other associations.
Three concerns dominate the lives of residents:
* PLANNING
* BASEMENTS
* POTENTIAL PROPERTY TAX
So why don't the Borough's Resident and Tenant Associations form an umbrella group able to orchestrate our concerns, with a powerful and coherent voice, to the Council and Central Government?
It need not over formalised or over- structured: merely a loose association with common campaigning objectives.
Maybe some of your more creative readers could think of an acronym based name....
Kind regards
A Long time resident
Fascinating idea! It would put an end to the Council dividing and ruling associations.
ReplyDeleteThey could be a very powerful single voice issues related grouping
How about OKCRA Organisation of Kensington and Chelsea Resident Associations?
ReplyDeleteRESIDENTS FIRST
DeleteCaryl Harris has balls. This kind of thing needs someone with balls. They need to kick Cllr Paget-Brown into action as a spokesman and champion to influence opinion outside of K&C. Unfortunately, Paget-Brown is probably not up for it. Cllr Moylan would be a different story
ReplyDeleteThe last thing this needs is a Councillor leading it. The Councillors are more often than not part of the problem!
DeleteCouncillor Moylan has so many financial interests in property that he would be the most unsuitable person to champion this campaign. If Councillor Paget-Brown had some balls, he would be fine. But so far, he hasn't demonstrated balls. It's a great idea - but if this campaign is to involve tenants' associations it would need to take a position on the forthcoming gentrification of our Council and social housing estates as well (e.g. Sutton Estate at Cale Street, Treverton and Balfour Burleigh in W10, the Pembroke estate in W8 - the battle for Wornington Green has already been lost.
ReplyDeleteWho then? Campaigning needs a terrier. Cllr Mills has balls but she has been put back in her box and the lid closed and screwed down. Is there a champion in Westminster Council?
DeleteNasties get results
DeleteRichard (Lord) Grantley has never been known to take a stand on anything. Ms Harris is a "goer" but she also likes to be wined and dined by the Leadership after which she goes soft. Michael Bach and Anthony Walker are back room boys - they will never get the crowds behind the barricades. Amanda Frame tries hard but what difference has the Kensington Society made? The Thomsons pick their fights and saw off Moylan and Slaone Square so there is a track record there. But their "softly, softly" approach to basements may turn out to be a miscalculation.
ReplyDeleteBut keep looking, Dame. You are on the right track.
A very fair comment re the Catholic trained Lord Grantley. It will take the second coming to stir him to action
Delete09:45
DeleteThe Dame just has to take issue with you on the question of Grantley.
Some months back a Canadian cable billionaire by the name of Graham attempted to dig out a 10,000 sq.ft basement under his property, the Old Court House in Walton St.
It was Richard Grantley, on his own, who halted the plan.
He is very easy to underestimate.
And the Dame can't see what his Catholicism has to do with it....
10.52 did not know this. Clearly Grantley is a Force To Be Reckoned With. Is he concerned about basements and house prices in K&C?
DeleteResidents will live to regret the day that Cllr Moylan was pushed aside in favour of the lowest common denominator
ReplyDeleteIn all that he has done Cllr Moylan has been a failure. He couldn't even get to become leader of a small local authority. Why? Because he lacks leadership qualities. Leadership qualities don't mean you go around throwing your weight about(even though he has taken steps in the weight area). Leadership means making people want to follow your through quiet persuasion and example.
DeleteMoylan is intelligent and one has to pose the question why has he not succeeded in becoming, de minimus, an MP. He was unsuccessful in lobbying for the crackpot airport and kicked off the Olympic leadership committee.
His only interest seems to be pissing everybody off and garnering as much in allowances as possible. A danger to residents, who he considers an irritant.
'Supporter of Moylan' ...it's clear you have an unhealthy crush on Moylan...but don't allow your preferences to cloud reality.
The real problem is that borough's residents associations and various societies are all far too parochial. If it isn't happening on their doorstep they simply don't care. Some even go as far as clearly demarcating their territory and show no interest in anything beyond their borders. Those that do show any interest beyond their borders often demonstrate a complete lack of empathy with other residents, particularly those not of the same social set. The Council doesn't have to orchestrate a campaign of divide and conquer; the associations do it all by themselves!
ReplyDeleteOf course Resident Associations are parochial. And rightly so. But they can and should band together, as the Dame suggests, when there are issues of common concern. Like basements, planning and property tax
Deletemeet in RBKC public forum on Facebook - created ages ago, nobody on it
ReplyDeleteThere is no RBKC public forum on Facebook MJ, and anyway if it was set up by RBKC it would rather defeat the purpose, wouldn't it?
DeleteMediaCons is very good at turning tigers into pussy-cats; they have numerous methods, such as setting up time-consuming steering groups, and the Gold Awards.
Everything must go' in K&C/Farewell to Chelsea?
ReplyDeletehttp://emmadentcoad.blogspot.co.uk/2014/10/everything-must-go-in-k-to-chelsea.html