ACTION

1.

Election of Chair

In the absence of officers it was agreed that Lorna Meade would chair the meeting (Bryan Kennedy arrived just after the meeting started).

2.

Apologies:

Sue Goldman, George Birch and Pam Davey.

3.

Minutes of 6/10/2000 - Accuracy:

Item 6.3 i) Kingsland Community Forum - Awarding of Grants - "Community Centre" should read "Community Centre Crèche".

Item 6.1 v) Report Back from Canalside - Soundproofing - Should have Sue Goldman in "Action" column.

Proposed by Brian Kennedy that minutes were a correct record with the above amendments. Seconded by Monique Carter, Agreed.

4.

Matters Arising:

Item 6.1 v) Report Back from Canalside - Soundproofing. Sue Goldman not present to give update on regulations regarding soundproofing of refurbished flats. Tenant Support Worker reported that there is to be a deputation to Canalside board on Thursday 11/1 regarding the standards of refurbishment.

Item 6.1 xi) Newsletter -

Members felt that there should be a Newsletter to all HAWK TRA properties and not one just about the reduction in standards of refurbishment to Canalside managed properties. Ivy Matkin stated there had been no further Design Meetings about the proposed works since before Christmas. Lorna Meade said she could do an article for Haggerston West but had limited time so it would not be lengthy.

Agreed that newsletter will be circulated to all HAWKTRA properties and that the Tenant Support Worker will seek articles from Nick Strauss and Sue Goldman and that Lorna Meade do an article for Haggerston West. Deadline for contributions to be 22nd January (fortnight from this meeting).

Tenant S’pt Worker, Lorna Meade

Distribution: Monique Carter to do Whitmore Estate, Tenant Support Worker to do Haggerston East, Bryan Kennedy to do Haggerston West. Discussion on whether to put in names and addresses of committee members. Agreed to put in names of residents elected to the Committee along with the block they live in.

Bryan Kennedy, Tenant S’pt Worker, Monique Carter

Item 6.2 iii) Haggerston West, Funding for Play Area - The Tenant Support Worker has talked to Mike Casajuana and has made other enquiries. Funding is very unlikely as the estate is due to be demolished. The last funding obtained was from 5 or 6 years ago and had been used for work to the Community Centre.

Item 6.2 iv) Letter to Haggerston West Estate Committee regarding drains and empty flats - Tenant Support Worker to do letter with Mike Casajuana (Chair of Estate Committee) to be handed in at the committee meeting this Wednesday 10th January.

Tenant Support Worker

Item 6.2 v) Haggerston West Estate Inspection - Tenant Support Worker will try and arrange a walk around with council officers. He has left plenty of messages in the past but with no response. Tenant Support Worker asked for resident who would attend - Pat Phillips volunteered.

Tenant Support Worker

Item 8.2 iv) Letter from Arthur Ringrose - Bryan Kennedy had made copies of the letter and given them out to the committee immediately after the meeting of 4th December.

Item 8.2 iii) Letter from Arthur Ringrose -

Arthur Ringrose had sent a further letter this time addressed to Bryan Kennedy which stated he had not received a reply to his previous letter and which again mentioned Ivy Matkin by name. The letter had been given in very recently due to the Christmas holidays and copies were circulated to the members who were present. Ivy Matkin stated she would leave the meeting for this item as she had been named in the letter, she asked for someone to call her back in when the item was finished.

Ivy Matkin left the meeting room.

Paul Sprenger felt that resident reps who were on the Canalside Community Board and HAWK TRA Committee should be bound to represent the views of the TRA as expressed at its AGM. Gillian Excell disagreed and felt that she and Ivy Matkin had been elected as individual resident and were on the Canalside Board to ensure that they took account of residents views.

Members felt that the subject had already been discussed at the last meeting. Agreed that Bryan Kennedy would respond to the letter and restate the view of the committee as recorded under item 8.2 iii) in the last minutes.

Bryan Kennedy

Paul Sprenger stated that he felt he could no longer stay at the meeting and he left the meeting. Ivy Matkin returned to the meeting room.

Ivy Matkin made a statement about her position on the issues debated including the development of the LEB Sub Station on Whitmore Estate. It was suggested that Paul Sprenger could join the Canalside Board as a resident representative.

5.

Incoming Post Received

5.1

The post list had been circulated with the agenda.

5.2

A letter was circulated from Nick Strauss resigning from the Haggerston Area Trust board and stating that Whitmore residents could be nominated by Haggerston Estate as their reps. Pat Phillips stated that she and Pam Davey were elected by Acton Estate TA even though they did not live there as the Chair of Acton TA could not find anyone else to do the job. Some members felt that Whitmore Estate residents could not be put forward as they did not live in the Haggerston Area. Ivy Matkin stated that there had been 3 nominees to the HAT board from HAWK TRA: herself, Nick Strauss and Joan Reid and there was a vacancy now that Nick had resigned.

5.3

Agreed to put an item in the Newsletter asking for someone to volunteer as HAWK TRA nominee to the HAT board.

Tenant S’pt Worker

6.

Report Back

6.1

The Tenant Support Worker had laid out copies of reports and minutes of various organisations for anyone who wanted to read them.

6.2

Tenant Support Worker reported that the Canalside Community Board minutes have now been received. There are no documents for Ascent 21, see item 6.5 ii.

6.3

Canalside - all committees

Minutes available. No items discussed. Newsletter and reduction in standards discussed under "Matters Arising" items 4.1 and 4.2.

6.4

Haggerston West

6.4 i

Estate Committee - Discussed under "Matters Arising" items 4.3, 4.4, 4.5.

6.4 ii

EDMC - Letter circulated from First Call (consultants working as "Tenants Friends" to Haggerston West) as part of incoming post. L Meade felt that the letter "said it all".

6.4 iii

Haggerston Area Trust - Letter from Nick Strauss discussed under "Incoming Post" Item 5.2. Service Level Agreement discussed under item 8

6.5

Other Organisations

6.5 i

Kingsland Community Forum - letter from Renaisi concerning dates of events circulated as part of Incoming Post.

6.5 ii

Ascent 21 - have not responded to the Tenant Support Worker’s letter asking for minutes of their Trustee Meetings, they are the only organisation which has not submitted minutes or other information and he wants to discuss this with Frances Hawkings the Ascent 21 director. Agreed that Bryan Kennedy would write to Frances Hawkings asking for reply to the Tenant Support Worker’s letter.

Bryan Kennedy

7

Projects

7.1

IT Project (Verbal report, Tenant Support Worker)

No minutes available from last meeting. The funding application to the lotteries has been submitted. The IT project is now fully staffed.

7.2

Food Co-op (verbal report, Monique Carter)

7.2 i

Cookery Course - There will be a 5 week cookery course for young mothers to learn how to use more fruit and vegetables. St Leonards Health Development team are now picking participants - presumably from the local area. Monique has been asked by Michelle to teach the course which will involve payment. The venue needs to be sorted out by Michelle. The food co-op offices had been broken into before Christmas and the computer stolen. The keys for 9 Horner House had also been taken and this had been broken into twice, the first time to steal white goods and computer and the second time to strip out the kitchen fittings. The food co-op is making a deal with Canalside about paying for some of the re-instatement of 9 Horner House but this may not be ready in time. It was noted that the Haggerston Community Centre kitchens may be a possibility.

7.2 ii

Line Manager - Michelle Asbury was resigning on 25th January but was still asking for a Line Manager. Monique had been interested in doing this job but had got the impression that Michelle only wanted to deal with her line manager during her working hours and not other evenings. Anyone interested would also preferably be able to attend the food co-op meetings which are now on the first Thursday of the month. It was noted that this item had not been carried through from the last committee meeting of the TRA and that no-one present at this TRA committee meeting wanted was volunteering to take on the role.

7.2 iii

Ivy Matkin felt that the food co-op had "lost momentum" and may fold unless there was an enthusiastic "strong armed" co-ordinator. Monique Carter felt that the project had become "the Haggerston stall, the box delivery scheme, and the Wenlock Barn stall".

7.2 iv

Shoreditch New Deal Trust - SNDT have put in a funding application for a van driver/ produce buyer and a "development worker part time" to run the stalls next financial year. There was some ambiguity over which stalls the SNDT funding would cover. SL thought the funding was for 2 stalls in SNDT area, while last meeting of food co-op were given the impression that the funding was for Haggerston and Wenlock Barn. Agreed that Monique Carter would ask for clarification.

Monique Carter

7.2 v

In the Pipeline - Sustain were co-ordinating the setting up of an "umbrella group" which would maintain the purchase and delivery of food to community stalls. Currently Tower Hamlets, Newham and Hackney were involved. The City and Hackney Health Authority Health Action Zone team have a kitty of money for food co-ops (for next year only). Someone can apply for this funding to do health promotion work.

7.2 vi

Monique Carter felt that there was "a pull away" from the community spirit and the side benefits of a food co-op will be lost. Local involvement develops local community, local community means neighbours looking out for each other e.g. neighbours helping elderly or sick, children being able to play safely outdoors. Perhaps if we had a better community spirit and more of a presence the two flats on Whitmore Estate may not have been burgled or at least not a second time! Ivy Matkin felt that local residents were "loosing grip" of the co-op.

7.2 vii

Monique Carter asked for TRA’s permission to take paid work from the food co-op as this would be a conflict of interest. There were no objections from the inquorate TRA members present. Agreed that Monique Carter should write to the TRA Secretary so that they could take officer action to approve.

Monique Carter

8.

Service Level Agreement (SLA) with Haggerston Area Trust (HAT)

8.1

Gillian Excell reported that she and Lorna Meade had met and gone through the agreement which had been very complicated. She was unsure about the position on insurance and had been told that HAWK TRA was now liable to pay their employers liability premium. Bryan Kennedy clarified that HAWK TRA used to get its contents and public liability insurance paid through the Tenants Levy fund. The council had restricted the fund allocation so that only one organisation (either HAWK TRA or HAT). HAT had applied last year effectively taking away HAWK TRA’s insurance grant and HAWK TRA was now having to pay contents and public liability as well as its employers liability.

8.2

Ivy Matkin stated that it was obvious that the SLA must be re-instated as the facilities are shared. Gillian Excell stated that she and Lorna Meade were going to contact other Tenants Organisations that used the Community Centre to see what use they made of it. Members present believed that the other TRA’s with representation on the HAT board were Stonebridge and Acton.

8.3

Ivy Matkin stated that the trust had agreed to bring all the facts and figures together for discussion of the SLA and these would be needed before the HAT AGM (which is due to be called) as she felt the AGM would need to sort out the SLA. Ivy Matkin stated that she would be on one side of the negotiations for the HAT while Gillian Excell would be representing HAWK TRA. The Tenant Support Worker emphasised that the HAT should simply be the TRA’s who had set it up in the first place, he did not see how the HAT could treat the TRA’s as it had been doing. Ivy Matkin stated that although she had been nominated to the HAT board as a TRA rep she had to abide by the HAT constitution and could represent the HAT in negotiations with the TRA.

8.4

Agreed that HAT and HAWKTRA should make joint application for insurance for the next financial year.

HAWK TRA Tenant Nominees

8.5

Gillian Excell and Lorna Meade to have another meeting to work on the SLA.

9.

Any other Business

None