Haggerston, Kingsland and Whitmore Tenants and Residents Association Committee Meeting Minutes of 2nd October 2000

Present: Ms Nadine Karakus, Ms Yildez Tepe, Ms Monique Carter, Mr Tom Seabury, Ms Sheila Seabury, Ms Lorna Meade, Ms Pat Phillips, Mr Alastair Hardie, Ms Ivy Matkin, Ms Gillian Excell, Mr Edward Lahai.

In attendance: Mr Nusret Sen (Tenant Support Worker), Mr Simon Lukes (Minute Taker), Mr Mike Casajuana (Haggerston Area Trust and resident observer).

Meeting started at 19-45 hrs. Meeting was quorate with 13 members in attendance.

1. Apologies:

Brian Kennedy, George Birch, Sue Goldman.

2. Minutes of 4/9/2000 - Accuracy:

L Meade was the only person present who had attended the previous meeting and she stated that as far as she could remember the minutes were accurate.

Agreed to accept the minutes as a true record.

3. Matters Arising from 4/9/2000
1. Item 5.i. Report back from Haggerston West

PP asked why there was going to be a ballot. L M explained that the package of proposals to improve the estate had not been finalised and needed to be put down "in black and white" so that residents could decide whether they wanted to go ahead. The ballot will put pressure on LBH to focus on what they are offering to residents.

2. Item 7.ii. TRA Budget and Service Level Agreement with Haggerston Area Trust

M Casajuana stated that the SLA was not a binding agreement and had been set up to allow the Trust, which was a Charity, to fund the Tenant Support Worker’s post. The Tenant Support Worker would not confirm this. No meeting had been held in November but the Trust paid 6 months SLA up to 31.3.2000 and "gave verbal notice" to the TRA that the SLA would be terminated. The "feeling of the board" had been of this opinion for "several previous meetings". T Seabury asked why there was so much "detail and dispute", both in the previous TRA Committee minutes and at the AGM, between the TRA and the Trust. M Casajuana made several comments about past events and about the running of the TRA and its relationship with the Trust.

3. Item 7.i. TRA Budget, Letter from Trust

M Casajuana stated that the letter had been a draft circulated to Trust Board members and had not been agreed by the Board.

4. Item 7.iii. TRA Budget, Action by Treasurer

M Casajuana stated that the Trust has paid all the TRA invoices that he has received, he agreed that the Trust had done a lot of photocopying recently and had asked to be invoiced for this by the TRA.

5. Item 7.iv. TRA Budget, Cut to Tenant Support Worker hours

Tenant Support Worker suggested formation of sub-committee of the MC consisting of the 3 Trust board nominees and 2 other TRA MC members to sort out TRA/Trust issues.

I Matkin and J Reid each made statements to the effect that they were members of both the TRA Committee and the Trust Board and did not like the ongoing dispute which was taking place or the bad feeling which it created.

4. Minutes of AGM

The Tenant Support Worker explained that the minutes had to be agreed so they could be sent to LBH as part of the annual registration process. A discussion took place about whether it was constitutional for the AGM to have asked the Management Committee to select the Chair and Vice Chair. T Seabury suggested that the MC elect a Chair and Vice Chair and call an EGM only if challenged. Further discussion followed with other proposals.

Proposed by T Seabury to choose a rotating Chair from the committee, seconded by G Excell. Proposal Agreed.

Some additions and amendments were discussed regarding the AGM minutes. The minute-taker to amend the minutes and give a copy to Nusret for sending on to LBH so that the TA can be registered.

Nadine Karakus and Yildez Tepe left the meeting.

5. Matters Delegated to the MC by the AGM
1. Election of Chair and Vice Chair

Sue Goldman had stated to the Tenant Support Worker that she would be willing to act as TRA Chair until January. Agreed that the Secretary should Chair the MC meetings, or in their absence, the Treasurer, or in their absence, a Chair will be elected from among the committee.

2. Comments on the Trust, the TRA MC and the AGM

M Casajuana had made several more comments and criticisms during the meeting since item 3. T Seabury asked that no further comments about these items were made for the rest of the meeting.

3. Election to Kingsland Community Regeneration Forum

M Casajuana outlind the role of the Forum: It was to replace various committees that had dealt with different grants in the Single Regeneration Budget ("SRB") area. The Forum would have direct input into the SRB steering group by electing 2 members to the group. The meetings would be about once every 3 months, the next meeting will be on 11/10 from 11-00 to 2-00pm. Residents felt that the meeting time was not very inclusive for them. I Matkin stated that she was already on the SRB Steering Group and agreed to report back to the MC. It was suggested that the MC defer choosing nominees until members had got to find out more about the MC and its functions.

4. Cheque Signatories

Agreed to the following people as signatories: Bryan Kennedy (Treasurer), George Birch (Secretary), Monique Carter, Edward Lahai.

6. Report Back
1. Canalside Community Board and the Canalside Estate Development and Management Committee

S Seabury stated that she was on the Board and could report back but had not had any notice to do so at this meeting and did not have any report ready.

I Matkin said that she could report back for the EDMC in the future.

Agreed that S Seabury report back to the next meeting and that meanwhile the minutes of the last Canalside EDMC are circulated to the MC.

2. Haggerston West and Kingsland Estate Development and Management Committee - L Meade

The last "Have your Say " day had been held in September. They had the best turnout ever. The draft proposals on re-development have been given out to Haggerston West EDMC members and will be discussed at the meeting next Tuesday. They had agreed to postpone a public meeting with MP’s for now as they have been told that the letter from LBH undertaking to give a ballot is "in process". They have to select an RSL to take over the estate, the present RSL’s bidding are: Ujima/Presentation, Circle 33, Newlon, and Canalside.

3. Canalside Community Board - Report by S Seabury

S Seabury remembered one item that could be brought up at this meeting:

The programme (for Haggerston East, Whitmore and Bryant Court) is badly behind, including Orme House. Canalside have not told residents what is going on, some are wondering why they have not been decanted. Canalside promised at the last Board meeting 3 weeks ago to inform people but have still not done so. There are no proposed dates for the revised programme.

S Seabury stated that tenant members of the Board have let Canalside know how disappointed they are. G Excell stated that her parents had been moved into a new development at Garden Place and had been given many letters about the move with different moving dates. The stress of the constantly changing dates had contributed to her parents’ illness. T Seabury stated that he had attended 2 Board meetings and let them know his displeasure at the delays and lack of information.

Agreed that G Excell and T Seabury to draft a letter to Canalside board, copy to Canalside EDMC - letter to be signed by a number of TRA Committee members.

7. Projects
1. IT Project - Report by Tenant Support Worker

Apologies from Ose Akpom, IT manager. The WEB designer and sessional worker have been selected and are due to start on Ose’s return from holiday in about 3 weeks. The finance worker interviews are taking place this Thursday.

2. Food Co-op - Report by M Carter

The Box Scheme has now started. Residents can get delivery of fresh fruit and vagatables to their front door. Members were asked to let everyone know.

8. AOB
1. Palladin Bins on Haggerston West (M Casajuana)

2 bins were broken and had not been replaced by LBH, bin collections were not always taking place, cockroaches were infesting at least one block. A discussion followed in which the following points were made:

The estate manager was not taking any action despite being telephoned. Users of the hall in the Community Centre were dumping rubbish next to the estate paladin bins. Maggots had bred in some of the rubbish and were entering resident’s homes. The council no longer hold monthly meetings on site with residents to deal with problems. The Haggerston West Estate Committee should take up the case. The same issues have come up for many years. Ward councillors should be attending the Estate Committee meetings but they don’t. A councillor should be at the Community Centre holding a surgery next Thursday. Canalside could write to the council saying that the bad upkeep of Haggerston West was affecting their re-development of the area.

Agreed to write a letter to LBH and ask the Estate Committee to put the item on the agenda of their next meeting. G Excell to write the letter on behalf of the TRA, the letter to focus on the specific issues of replacing broken bins, getting regular rubbish collections and cleaning up the mess.

2. Proposed "Hoppa" bus service (T Seabury)

Service being proposed by Shoreditch New Deal to have bus running from Broadway market to Hoxton and on to the Angel. T Seabury said it had been hard to get information on the service. T Seabury asked that residents read the newsletter (from New Deal?) and to make their comments on the proposed service known.

3. Outstanding Items (Tenant Support Worker)

Post Received by the TRA and Motions which were deferred from the AGM to be discussed by the MC.

Agreed to circulate the incoming post listing and the 2 motions to members and put as an agenda item for the next meeting.

Meeting finished at 21-20 hrs.

Minutes taken by Simon Lukes