Letters

Dear Editor,

How much of their tenants' rent money should a social landlord be allowed to spend on insuring against the possibility that a turkey roasting in an oven will not come back to life?

Nick Billingham (Best Practice article, Property People, issue 351) received via his barrister a severe rapping from the judge at the Central London County Court yesterday, September 10th, for running up a bill of £3,700 for work which was thought to be largely unnecessary. The judge used his authority to reassess the costs at £1,700.

Paddington Churches housing association (PCHA) had no prospect of losing this case; they had succeeded in getting the defendant debarred from defending himself.

From a pool of just 300 flats, there are 30 disrepair cases going through. One example shows PCHA standing to risk £50,000 in legal costs (for both parties) to save essential repair works estimated by them at £4,000.

PCHA/Genesis took over control of West Hampstead h.a. a year and a half ago at the behest of the Housing Corporation's troubleshooter, Greg Lomax. Rather than drop to £100,000 as expected, PCHA have seen the debt rise to £8m as of February. It must still be rising. The interest charges are somewhere between £1,000 and £2,000 per day. I can only presume that PCHA's crass and absurd management of Mr. Billingham's court case is mirrored all over the company, and this explains PCHA's failure to get to grips with WHHA's problems.

PCHA tried to get clawback clauses revoked ahead of a sale of previously municipally owned houses. Last month's humiliating rejection by the London borough of Camden is a sign that enough is enough. Flogging the family silver to pay for a continuing programme of allegedly incompetent management is a policy which will run out eventually.

This crisis must represent a turning point for the Housing Corporation. If they lack the authority and/or the influence get a result, then the government is at fault, and must act. If they have the tools but are not using them, then they are ridiculous. Tenants cannot be expected to sit back and wait for some sort of melt down. The corporation's troubleshooter has failed to set up a system to deliver in a reasonable time and, as a matter of emergency, must return, possibly on a part time basis, and, with all interested parties, see the matter through to completion.

Yours sincerely,

Peter Rutherford.

Chair, WHHA Tenants Association (in exile).