Background
Holland Rise &
Whitebeam TMO
Why and How the TMO was established
Why and How the TMO was established
Sometime in 1993, two residents - Roy Watson and Jim Albury met to discuss a common concern regarding the state of the estate with “cars and rubbish strewn around”. They considered starting a Tenant Association and called a meeting of residents to discuss this. The first meeting was held at the Old Peoples Home (now occupied by the block of flats next to Whitebeam Close) which led to the establishment of a formal Tenants Association (TA). The TA appointed its first officers with Jim Albury as Chairman, Roy Watson - Vice Chair, Arthur Barnes - Treasurer, and Iris White as Secretary.
The TA then met with Lambeth Council for funding to improve the estate but were told that this can only be achieved if they form a Tenant Management Organisation (TMO). The TA held a series of meetings with government officials in Westminster with a Section 27 Advisor appointed to guide the process. There was a ballot of residents in 1994 to approve the formation of a TMO. The TMO was approved with the legal document - the Modular Management Agreement (MMA) brought to the estate to be signed on Wednesday 16 Aug 1995.
The MMA was signed by 3 residents – Cyril Reading, Charles Knight, and Dorothea Williams who became the Secretary, Treasurer, and Chairperson respectively. Monthly meetings were held in the Nursery Room (now The Community Hall) with Council officers attending. Holland Rise and Whitebeam Close TMO was thus formally established and became the first Tenant Management Organisation under the Right to Manage Act in London Borough of Lambeth.
Previous Structure & Services (1995-2008)
The structure and services under which the TMO operated were covered by the 1994 Modular Management Agreement (MMA).
The management team was made of board members and staff who oversaw the delivery of delegated services – mostly repairs and maintenance. Board members were more hands on and directly involved in the day to day running of services.
Services were mostly delivered by in-house staff including day to day repairs, cleaning, and grounds maintenance, headed by the Estate Manager who oversaw the management of staff and reported to the Board. There was a Worker Liaison Officer – (a board member) who served as a liaison between staff and the Board.
The delegated services carried out by the TMO included: cleaning, grounds maintenance, responsive repairs, residents dispute, tenancy management - (then limited to investigation of nuisance and anti social behaviour with a referral of legal stages to Lambeth Council).
Other services in the estate were managed by Lambeth Council including concierge, garages, pest control, CCTV, gas servicing (both in Holland Rise House & Whitebeam Close), lifts and tenancy enforcement
Current Structure & Services (2008-Date)
Since 2008, the TMO has taken steps towards complete control of housing services in the estate. In this respect, more services were taken on including (full list of functions available on Services Page);
• Concierge
• Garages
• CCTV
• Gas Servicing (in Whitebeam Close)
• Pest Control
• Tenancy Management.
The take-over of more functions was to ensure efficient provision of services and value for money. The TMO is proud to note that its cost for delivering these services is one of the lowest in the borough particularly Concierge, Pest Control and CCTV. There are other services still being delivered by Lambeth Council such as Door Entry, Heating & Hot Water (in Holland Rise House), Lifts, Rent and Leasehold Management. The TMO is exploring ways of taking over some or all of these services in order to further improve the quality of delivered services to our residents.
MMA, Constitution & Continuation Ballots
The TMO now operates under the 2012 Modular Management Agreement (MMA) following a review of previous MMAs in 2005 and 2009.
The 2012 MMA is detailed and spells out the various obligations of the TMO and the Council on provision of services within the estate.
The TMO original Constitution (or Rules) was adopted in 1995 and amended in 2006. A new Constitution was drafted and adopted by shareholders at a Special General Meeting of the Society held on Thursday, 05 September 2019 who voted unanimously to adopt the new Rules of Association.
The 2019 Constitution is more comprehensive in terms of Society’s objectives, terms of membership as shareholders, roles and duties of the board and executive officers.
Under the Management Agreement provisions (Chapter 1, Sec 17.2) “every five years the TMO will consult with all the tenants and leaseholders of dwellings, through either a secret ballot or an anonymous questionnaire, whether this Agreement should continue.”
The TMO had its last Continuation Ballot in 2017 with a 93.4% Yes vote, 4.9% NO votes, and 1.6% VOID votes. The returns from ballots sent out was 56%. There are currently 76 active shareholders representing 71% of the estate residents
Management Committee 2019/20
| Juliana Ajisafe | Chair |
|---|---|
| Johanna Heusner | Secretary |
| Samina Mulla | Treasurer |
| Mary Anne Gould | Committee member |
| Anne Tessadri | Committee member |
| Tara Spencer | Committee member |
| Tawieu Balogun | Committee member |
| Pauline Ditch | Committee member |
| Claudia Oliviera | Committee member |
| Goran Zdrale | Committee member |
| Jo Smith | Committee member |
Sub Committees:
Governance Sub Committee –
responsible for governance and policy matters
Finance Sub Committee – responsible for financial matters
Resident Engagement Sub Committee –
responsible for social events
Getting Involved:
• Getting Involved:
Residents can get involved with the running of the TMO in various ways;
• Becoming a board member
• Participating in residents’ activities and events
• Making suggestions
