Friday, 3 October 2014

RESIDENT AND TENANT ASSOCIATIONS AND THEIR PARALLEL INTERESTS

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






19 comments:

  1. Anonymous3 October 2014 at 17:04

    Fascinating idea! It would put an end to the Council dividing and ruling associations.
    They could be a very powerful single voice issues related grouping

    ReplyDelete
  2. Anonymous3 October 2014 at 17:08

    How about OKCRA Organisation of Kensington and Chelsea Resident Associations?

    ReplyDelete
  3. Anonymous3 October 2014 at 19:54

    Caryl 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

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous4 October 2014 at 14:59

      The last thing this needs is a Councillor leading it. The Councillors are more often than not part of the problem!

      Delete
  4. Anonymous4 October 2014 at 08:53

    Councillor 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.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous4 October 2014 at 09:49

      Who 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?

      Delete
    2. Fly On The Wall4 October 2014 at 09:55

      Nasties get results

      Delete
  5. Observer4 October 2014 at 09:45

    Richard (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.

    But keep looking, Dame. You are on the right track.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous4 October 2014 at 10:52

      A very fair comment re the Catholic trained Lord Grantley. It will take the second coming to stir him to action

      Delete
    2. Anonymous4 October 2014 at 12:09

      09:45
      The 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....

      Delete
    3. Anonymous 10.524 October 2014 at 15:40

      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?

      Delete
  6. Supporter of Cllr Moylan4 October 2014 at 09:54

    Residents will live to regret the day that Cllr Moylan was pushed aside in favour of the lowest common denominator

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous4 October 2014 at 11:44

      In 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.
      Moylan 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.

      Delete
  7. Anonymous4 October 2014 at 15:04

    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!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Owl4 October 2014 at 15:42

      Of 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

      Delete
  8. Unknown5 October 2014 at 00:37

    meet in RBKC public forum on Facebook - created ages ago, nobody on it

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Cassandra6 October 2014 at 08:58

      There 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?

      MediaCons 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.

      Delete
  9. Anonymous6 October 2014 at 21:02

    Everything must go' in K&C/Farewell to Chelsea?

    http://emmadentcoad.blogspot.co.uk/2014/10/everything-must-go-in-k-to-chelsea.html

    ReplyDelete

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