15/02/01.
Letters to the Editor.
Dear Editor,
AT THIS MOMENT, senior executives of Paddington Churches
housing association (PCHA) and West Hampstead housing
association (WHHA) are settling terms to combine or co-exist
in some fashion whilst in open defiance of Housing
Corporation Performance Standards (Sections D8 in the Second
Edition), which states that h.a.s must consult with tenants
(and is spelt out at www.whhashortlife.co.uk). Nobody, in
particular the Federation and Corporation itself, is in the
least bit interested.
This is depressing since although there have been
important changes of personnel, nevertheless, the three
organisations who built the mess, the Corporation, who have
always had a board member in place, the board itself and the
directors are the only groups attempting to sort it out.
The tenants, who have been shouting warnings from the
roof tops for three years, are systematically excluded. But
why?
In a letter to me from the Chair of WHHA's board, Roger
Barcroft describes the legal position of an important sector
of the tenants as needing "a detailed examination of those
tenancies which might be affected ... taking several weeks".
In reality, all that is needed is a phone call to his
barrister, Mr. Terence Gallivan, who established their new
legal position whilst representing WHHA in WHHA v. Jensen
& Wilson on September 27th 2000 at the Central London
County Court.
Everything would start to make sense if the true position
of this significant block of people only becomes apparent to
PCHA after the merger is finalised.
Section D8 matters as much to PCHA as to the tenants.
Yours sincerely,
Peter Rutherford.
Chair, WHHA Tenants' Association (in exile).