No answers from CBWRA at ‘Leaseholder Forum’ of 6th November 2024 -

 

Nov 7, 2024

The CBWRA ‘co chairs’ Larisa Villar Hauser and Louis Sebastian Kendall have refused to provide notes of previous leaseholder forum meetings and have not given any meaningful reason for that. I believe the reason is so that there is no record of the key issues that residents are concerned about, and no record of criticism of the CBWRA committee and that therefore that they do not have to take any action. I and many other residents do not find this acceptable and hence we produce our own notes here.

At the last CBWRA AGM the ‘co chair’s spoke at length against a resident’s motion which simply called for notes to be taken at leaseholder forum meetings. Such was the desperation of the CBWRA committee to avoid notes being produced from leaseholder forum meetings that committee member Robert Spittle (unelected as are the rest of the committee) claimed absurdly that fewer people would attend leaseholder forum meetings if notes were produced! Louis Kendall said CBWRA hoped to avoid the work in taking notes but eventually said they did not not object if residents wanted to take notes of leaseholder forum meetings (very magnanimous).

So here are some highlights/ notes from the CBWRA  ‘leaseholder forum’ of 6th November 2024. Larisa Villar Hauser (LVH) and Louis Sebastian Kendall (LSK) and Jean Dornhofer were apparently the only CBWRA committee members attending. Around 30 people attended in total. Some key points: 

• There was no notes or actions from the previous meeting and no agenda (and no reference to one meeting which was due having been missed altogether)
• LSK and LVH refused to share the 2 year contract signed with Urang with leaseholders or to give any reason why it could not be shared. They could not explain why it had not been shared with the CBWRA committee either.

• LVH claimed that I (Mike O’Driscoll) was the only person who wanted to see the contract with Urang – this despite it being a matter of record that others have requested it from them months ago by email and had had no response, and numerous people requesting it in the meeting itself. 

• LVH and LSK did not give any meaningful explanation for the long delay in the RTM process (application submitted in April 2024)  and claimed that Urang had decided to have the hearing in Jan/Feb 2025. MOD questioned whether these delays were necessary and highlighted the lack of information to residents about progress on RTM. 

• MOD highlighted that he had been campaigning for RTM for 4 years while until the end of 2022 Larisa and Louis had been telling residents that RTM was not possible and had distributed a newsletter calling MOD a liar for saying that RTM was possible. 

• LVH and LSK failed to identify what the supposed ‘complex legal arguments’ are that warrant this delay in the RTM process

• LVH and LSK refused to hold an AGM of the Chelsea Bridge Wharf RTM company and said there was no reason to hold one,  despite many of those present demanding that such a meeting be held.

• MOD pointed out that an AGM should be held annually (clue in the name)  but Louis said this was not required. 

• LVH and LSK were unable to explain  why there were no elections for the Directors of the Chelsea bridge Wharf RTM company and were unable to explain what the process was for directors being appointed (it was  clear that there was none other than simple cronyism).

• One resident said that she recognised that she was in a minority but that she felt that she was represented by LVH and LSJK

• In response to a resident’s question, LVH and LSK were unable to explain why a committee member who has been the subject of 4 police complaints was still on the committee and claimed they were unaware of the previous complaints against this person (obviously and demonstrably untrue as I have personally sent them the crime reference numbers on more than one occasion). They claimed it was impossible for them to know what happened in the most recent incident involving this committee member  but residents pointed out that the police had decided to press charges of common assault against the committee member in relation to this incident (which suggest the police thought there was a good chance of a conviction).

MOD pointed out that this total lack of democracy and appalling governance in CBWRA means that even if RTM was achieved it is unlikely it would make  much difference as leaseholders would still be kept in the dark and have no say in important decisions and would not be able to elect or re-elect the current chairs/directors regardless of their performance or behaviour. 

The meeting was ended abruptly when residents pursued the matter of the committee member who had been the subject of 4 police complaints. 
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Do feel free to get in touch if any questions.

**All Chelsea Bridge Wharf residents are very welcome to join the Chelsea Bridge Wharf Community Facebook group. This is run independently of the CBWRA committee and is guaranteed free of bullying, gaslighting and other dysfunctional behaviours found on the CBW app. All views are welcome, including the CBWRA committee. We are intelligent adults capable of intelligent conversation and we have a right to express our views and communicate freely with each other – try it and see if you prefer it to the CBW app