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A RETURN TO THE GOOD OLD DAYS?

Despite this story being a little gloomy there is hope. One if the most effective and efficient councillors is Sof McVeigh. Those who have had dealings with her applaud her commitment and hard work in trying to bring about change in the way the Council manages housing. She is a force of nature and if anyone can bring about change it will be Sof….let’s hope one day she leads our council.

RBKC’s 2023 action plan may say that their residents want them to be ‘the best council we can’ but it seems there has been a return to the good old days of council engagement on Lancaster West.

At Thursday’s Residents Association meeting with the government and council the council deployed bouncers on the door with a list of approved residents who could come in. The security even tried to physically drag one unfortunate resident and RA member away whilst the chair shouted ‘Get out! Get out! You’re not residents!’. This was all in front of horrified residents and civil servants.

Fortunately, all the banned non-resident residents were able to get into the meeting and ask questions. Maybe less so for the neighbourhood director whose proud boast that one block had been completely fitted with a new door entry system was somewhat let down when it seems he didn’t know how many doors the block actually had. A resident had to point out that they hadn’t bothered to fit the system on the back door to one section which was still wide open.

8 responses to “A RETURN TO THE GOOD OLD DAYS?”

  1. Curiosity West Avatar
    Curiosity West

    It’s all getting rather whiffy again up in the North of the borough, and the poor folk on Lancaster West always seem to be getting the smelliest end of the stick poked at them
    Will anyone take a dig into the £100,000 budget shortfall for the refurbishment that’s been dragging on interminably since the fire I wonder? They say its not only locks on doors that are missing, but whole roofs!

    But even with RBKC’s care for our most vulnerable being of such renown around the world, I am still almost shocked that our council and their obedient minions are having to resort to employing heavies on the door to keep complaining residents at bay

  2.  Avatar
    Anonymous

    Nothing changes! Fancy trying to brag about a new door entry system where the back door had not ben configured to compliment the new door entry system at the main entrance to the building. The purpose of door entry systems is to keep the entire building safe and secure.

    The burglars and druggies would just love a back door that was left wide open for nefarious activities.

    If this is the best that the Council can be, I don’t think much of it.

  3. Miss Shafton Avatar
    Miss Shafton

    This sounds like the maintenance fiasco at the former TMO – defective workmanship with no feel for the blocks of flats in the Council’s management.

    Lancaster West has had enough of RBK&C’s window dressing: telling the world how wonderful things are when the reality is very different – slipshod and slapdash workmanship the very stuff of the former TMO management which resulted in a catastrophic fire at Grenfell.

    The Neighbourhood Director who did not know how many doors a block of flats actually had should resign or be sacked by the Council.

    Just where does the Council find these completely useless people to take on well paid employment and to do it so badly?

  4.  Avatar
    Anonymous

    Banning residents and gaslighting those who are awkward and more clever than the officials being paid upwards of £40K is the stock-in-trade of the Council. Solicitors’ letters were sent to Grenfell activists to silence them and look what happened there.

  5. Shocking and scandalous Avatar
    Shocking and scandalous

    Heavies on the door? Shocking and scandalous!

    2,000 Council tenants revolted at a meeting at Kensington Town Hall in 2008 – yes at that bastion of Conservative virtue.

    The Council has still not learned to manage conflict and find a way of working with people including difficult residents.

    Bringing in the heavies shows that the Dirty Tricks’ Department with its bully boy officials is alive and well at the Town Hall.

  6. What is Joe Powell MP and Ben Colemen MP doing about this K&C disaster? Avatar
    What is Joe Powell MP and Ben Colemen MP doing about this K&C disaster?

    Other councils manage their housing without tenants being up in arms or rebelling against the Housing Department.

    Are the council tenants in Kensington and Chelsea any different those in the other 163 unitary authorities in England? Of course not. The problem is the Council, not the tenants.

  7. Calling Mackover and Henderson Avatar
    Calling Mackover and Henderson

    I would not expect much from any of K&C’s councillors. They have failed to achieve anything for the tenants of Lancaster West.

    Is Sam Mackover on the Council again? He would certainly sort it out for tenants. He takes no nonsense from housing officials and tells them straight. He does not suffer fools gladly which is exactly what is needed.

    Alternatively, Ian Henderson is an outstanding community activist. He saved the Sutton estate in Chelsea from the wrecking ball and, greedy developers. Ian should be able to get through to the numbskulls in the housing department and help those on Lancastser West achieve the standard of housing that they have every right to expect MINUS the “heavies” from profiteering security companies.

  8.  Avatar
    Anonymous

    Will Colman and Powell succeed in changing things in the Housing Service where

    Felicity Buchan and,

    Emma Dent Coad

    FAILED SO DISMALLY?

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