Chair’s New Year Message
Dear residents
Chair’s New Year Message
Happy New Year 2023.
We have all tried to curtail the deadly Coronavirus disease that swept us all by surprise causing serious devastation all over the world.
We now have the cost of living affecting us and especially the last months have been extremely difficult for all of us as well as across London.
Here on our estate, LEMB has been trying its best to assist the vulnerable residents especially through the Christmas and New year period to cushion the devastating impact of austerity and energy crisis affecting households' living standards due to squeezed economy. We have continued to support the elderly, vulnerable and other residents who need essential provisions.
While this is greatly challenging, we have noticed and witnessed the constant generosity of our residents during this challenging time beyond Christmas and into the New Year celebrations putting out some provisions and gifts anonymously for fellow interested residents for sustenance.
We have launched some new initiatives such as Warm Space in The Loughborough Centre, 105 Angel Road, London SW9 7PD and in conjunction with the Senior Citizens’ Club which holds every Wednesday from 12.00 noon to 3.00pm where refreshments and various games and activities are available to participate in. We have now introduced and commissioned the Massage and Relaxation Room for residents to come and enjoy on Saturdays in conjunction with the Coffee Morning and Drop Ins which runs from 10.00am to 1.00pm under the management's guidance.
There are many significant well-being benefits residents are deriving from all these initiatives. They help to reduce stress, reduce loneliness and isolation and build a better, stronger and viable community. We are able to carry on with these new improvements and initiatives because this estate is managed by you, the Residents, with prudent financial management systems in place and we know best what we, the residents, need and desire and are tired of being dictated to by Lambeth who are lacking in carrying out their due responsibilities.
There have been numerous complaints in the Old and New Loughborough blocks with regards to defective drainage systems, defective roofs, corroded stack pipes and constantly breaking down lifts requiring servicing and maintenance all over the estate.
The conditions of the lifts on the estate are nothing to be proud of as they are always breaking down. Kettleby house lifts were out of commission well before Christmas and throughout the New Year period. Any time the lifts break down, the vulnerable and elderly residents had to use the stairs to access their flats which are up to the ninth-floor duplex. We cannot deny the fact that being forced to use the stairs has helped to force our fit youngsters to be fitter and healthier but bearing in mind we already have outdoor gyms dotted round our estate, while the vulnerable and elderly have continued to be trapped within their respective floors and flats.
The trees on the estate were not pruned in the last six years and they were blocking some of the lights. LEMB had to hire a private contractor to conduct the pruning, yet Lambeth continues to demand for tree maintenance charges.
There is constant fly tipping, which is a criminal offence, on the estate and the perpetrators go undetected because the CCTV cameras are not fit for purpose, yet Lambeth continues to charge us every year. We cannot get footage of perpetrators of fly tipping and other crimes because the CCTV cameras are not functioning including Lambeth's CCTV Section’s inability to produce footage when requested. LEMB has conveyed residents' decision to have their own active CCTV cameras installed which will reduce and help to monitor all the antisocial behaviours on the estate. This was approved by the Shareholders during one of our Annual General Meetings.
You will all agree with me that based on all these issues, Lambeth is struggling a great deal to continue delivering and carrying out their responsibilities.
Thinking of having events, we have the following venues:
Woolley House Under croft, Barrington Road SW9
The Loughborough Centre (TLC), 105 Angell Road SW9 7PD
Peter Shorinwa Community Hall, in front of Ashby house and Harper house SW9 7LW
Barbecue Hut, space between Woolley and Kettleby House, Barrington Road SW9.
Barbecue Hut, space between Harris and Howard House Barrington Road SW9
Barbecue Hut, space between Nevil and Secker House, Minet Road SW9.
We promise continued improvement as we continue to work together to develop our estate.
Regards
Peter Shorinwa
Chair LEMB