Major Works Actual Bills:
In early October, many leaseholders received major works actual bills with their service charge actuals for the period April 2019 to end March 2020.

For some, these bills came in much higher than was estimated by Tower Hamlets Homes (THH) with residents expected to pay thousands of pounds in extra costs. The bills came with no itemisation nor explanation for these cost increases. Leaseholders were not pre-warned by THH to expect increased bills despite THH knowing, in some cases, a year before that costs had spiralled.

On hearing reports of this from residents, the CTRA sought an explanation for the bad handling and lack of open accounting and clear communication with leaseholders.  

In a telephone conversation with the Head of Leaseholder Services, the CTRA was promised an official written response to our concerns by the end of October 2020. Despite chasing, at the time of writing, this response has not yet been received.

Following our call for more clarity, we understand that some but not all leaseholders have been written to with a breakdown of their major works. However, the itemisations we have been shown have been very unclear with difficult to understand descriptions. It does not provide a comparison of actuals to the estimates like service charge actual bills do. Nor was the itemisation accompanied by an explanation as to how and why costs increased to so high.

Admin Charges:
It is our understanding that some leaseholders who had been issued an estimate major works bill in a previous year where works were then postponed have been charged an ‘admin fee’ against that estimate of up to 10% of the total (Note: this may be described as a ‘Better Neighbourhoods’ charge on bills).

Following CTRA’s enquires about this, Tower Hamlets Homes has admitted that, in some cases, this was a mistake. We also believe this could have happened in previous financial years. The CTRA requested, in a meeting with senior management, that an investigation take place to understand who might have been affected by this over the last three years so that refunds could be issued. At the time of writing, we have not heard if this investigation has been initiated or not.   

Major Works Estimates:
It has also come to the attention of the CTRA that many leaseholders across the Borough have been charged on estimates for major works that have then been postponed. It was the policy of THH to charge in advance of works until recently and, our investigations have uncovered around 50 blocks where this has happened in the last three years with the sum total of billings reaching over £4 million.

We are told that THH changed this policy at the beginning of 2020, but we have not seen evidence of THH actively seeking to refund residents for any money paid against estimate bills before October of this year.

During our conversation with the Head of Leaseholder Services, the CTRA secured the agreement of THH that interest would be paid on any money paid against estimates for major works that have then been postponed. Furthermore, that where residents have incurred additional costs in relation to raising monies to pay the estimate these will be reimbursed by THH if evidence is presented.

The CTRA has confirmation of these undertakings in writing from the Head of Leaseholder Services. Though a month on we are yet to see guidance on how interest will be calculated or how refunds and reimbursements will be made nor how they will be communicated by Leaseholder Services to those affected.

Summary:
We were promised an official response to these issues by THH. To confirm, we would still like to see that response. We strongly believe that it in THH’s interest to work closely with us and other TRAs to resolve this kind of resident issue.

We have in the past on more than one occasion offered to work with THH to improve their communications with residents. We also repeat that offer here.  

It is well documented that the CTRA is far from impressed with the way THH has handled major works projects in our area. This issue is just one in a long line we have seen relating to major works projects.

In Summer 2020 we wrote the Mayor John Biggs to bring to his attention the serious failings we have seen and to request a full public inquiry into THH’s managing of major works across the Borough in order that lessons can be learned and the outcome of projects improved. As yet we have had no confirmation such an inquiry will take place.

We will continue to monitor major works projects across the Columbia Estates and hold THH to a higher standard than we have seen of late. We urge all residents to do the same.

Advice for Leaseholders:

• If you have received a major works bill:  
  • Contact leaseholder services to request a breakdown of costs
  • Compare bills with other leaseholders in your block
  • Ask for further explanations where you need them
  • Contact the CTRA if you think items of your bill are incorrect or need further clarification from THH
• If you have paid on an estimate for major works that has not yet gone ahead:
  • You can request a refund
  • You can request interest be paid on any money THH billed you in a previous financial year for works that have not started
  • You can request payment for any costs you have incurred in order to pay your estimated major works bill where works have not started e.g. interest paid on any loan or mortgage agreement you had to take out in order to pay the bill
  • Check bills for an ‘admin charge’ against your major works bill in last three years. Seek a refund from Leaseholder Services  

CTRA will be holding a residents virtual meeting to discuss major works bills and answer any questions you have. Email info@columbiatra.org.uk if you would like to join that meeting.

CTRA members spent Sunday morning buying herb and edible flowers from Columbia Road and planting out the new community herb gardens on the Dorset Estate.

The planters were a donation by Bouygues, the contractor building the new block – Orwell House on the old Baroness Road car park. Bouygues kindly donated the materials and built the accessible raised beds last week.

The idea, conceived and driven through by CTRA treasurer Ed Furey with support of the Committee, was to create a space for residents to share herbs for cooking but also to brighten up the space in front of the DCA. On seeing them Ed commented, “I am thrilled with what a beautiful job Bouygues made of building the beds, a lot of thought went into it”.

Once the plants are a little more established residents will be able to help themselves to a sprig or two to add to their food.

The beds will be maintained by the CTRA Community Gardening Group with plants provided by the CTRA and other donations. Anyone wishing to join the gardening group is welcome to. Just email gardening@columbiatra.org.uk or speak to a member of the Committee.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank Bouygues for their kind donation.

Sivill House has been Grade II listed today following an application by residents wanting to ensure the building’s original design is preserved. The block, on Columbia Road, was designed by leading modernist architects Douglas Bailey, Francis Skinner and Berthold Lubetkin and completed in 1966. Currently undergoing a major works programme, residents have had to fight against Tower Hamlets Homes plans to replace the windows with a new designs that would “destroy the integrity of the composition” of the building as well as other unsympathetic design plans put forward by the management organisation.

The listing application was supported by John Allan (Lubetkin biographer) and the Twentieth Century Society who cited Lubetkin’s “reputation and legacy as one of Britain’s most prominent architects of the C20”, the building’s material palette, its form and plan that “enables light to reach all flats” and its central spiral staircase. They also paid tribute to the success of Sivill House as “gauged by how current residents have sought listing for the block, as well as their ongoing efforts to retain original design features in the face of proposed alterations.”

In their Advice Report, Historic England noted that “As the social housing programme of the post-war years recedes further into the past, the scale and ambition of what was achieved appears increasingly remarkable. Clearly not all of what was built served its cause well, so it is important that those that best did, and which have survived high rates of attrition, are recognised as exemplars in what has proved to be an exceptional period in the history of public housing.”

Kevin McKenna, a Sivill House Resident and Chair of the Columbia Tenants and Residents Association, said, “The listing of Sivill House will protect a building that is incredibly important to all its residents and which is of undoubted architectural merit. Sivill House anchors Lubetkin’s Dorset Estate to Columbia Road and has an important place in the long history of the fight to provide decent homes for ordinary Londoners.”

Mark Sullivan, who made the application on behalf of the Sivill House residents group, said “I have been staggered at the support that this application has generated. Sivill House is clearly valued as much by the general public as it is by those who live in it. I hope that the listing of Sivill House will remind the council that, going forward, it should involve residents in the decisions that it makes, rather than forcing through unnecessary, costly and divisive changes regardless.”

In summarising their decision Historic England went on to say “We have carefully considered the architectural and historic interest of Sivill House, and conclude that the overall composition of this important post-war public building type, its meticulous planning and detailing, and its importance as a late work by Lubetkin, confers special architectural and historic interest.” The full Historic England listing report can be read here.

Press enquiries to vicechair@columbiatra.org.uk

Columbia Road Flower Market sits at the centre of our community. It is a colourful, vibrant London market and we are lucky to have it on our doorstep. The fact that the Covid-19 lockdown, quite rightly, closed the market for so long jeopardising the livelihoods of the traders, some of whom have owned pitches for generations, has been a great cause for concern locally.

The Government’s announcement on Sunday 25 May 2020 that outdoor markets can start to re-open from 1 June 2020 means that Columbia Road Flower Market may re-open from Sunday 7 June 2020. Given how busy and tightly packed the market can be on a usual Sunday, we urge the Council and traders to work together to find a safe solution that allows and enforces social distancing to safeguard local residents, visitors and traders alike. If no safe solution can be found then, sadly, we would prefer to see the market stay closed for now.

We await to hear plans for this reopening from representatives of London Borough of Tower Hamlets.

With the announcement that, in light of Covid-19, planning decision meetings will move online a group of interested stakeholder organisations, namely Just Space, CPRE London, Friends of the Earth and London Forum of Amenity and Civic Societies have made a joint statement to highlight the potential risks virtual meetings and closed committees could have on the community’s role in the planning process.

Their review found that Councils are interpreting the new rules in very different ways and that while some are moving their meetings online others are making major planning decisions behind closed doors. They have gone on to call on the Secretary of State and Local Planning Authorities to safeguard the role of local communities in the planning process by asking them to respect six key principles. You can read their entire statement and these six key principals here.

Following this statement and given that we have some important decisions coming up locally, the hotel on Hackney Road for example, Columbia TRA has put it’s name to an email sent by local representative of the Just Space network Lucy Rogers to the Tower Hamlets Planning Committee asking that they respect nine key principles for virtual committees. The full email can be found below. We await a response to this email.

Virtual planning meetings for Tower Hamlets will start on 21 May 2020. Columbia TRA urges residents to attend these virtual meetings from the comfort of their own homes to strengthen local democracy in local planning issues.

Details of this first meeting can be found here the meeting can be accessed here.

You may have noticed that some lovely new notice boards have appeared on our estates. They have been installed at our request and, while we are in lock down and not posting information on meetings, we want to use them to brighten up our estates and thank our key workers. So, and for the time being, we would like to fill the notice boards with rainbows and messages of support.

All kids (under 16s) living on our estates are welcome to enter. All they must do is draw, colour, stick, craft a poster (no bigger than A3) that includes a rainbow and a message to residents and/or key workers. Parents/guardians can then take a photo of the poster and email it to vicechair@columbiatra.org.uk by no later than Sunday 3 May 2020 – ***DEADLINE EXTENDED UNTIL THURSDAY 7 MAY 2020*** . The email should include the artist’s name and age and an address of where the poster could be collected from.

The best posters will be collected and placed in our notice boards and the best three, as judged by the CTRA Committee will receive a small crafty prize.