Graeme & Lisa Morgan re your Booker and Best Video----- Original Message -----From: "Jules Morgan"
Graeme and Lisa,
Don't worry, I'm a resident of AH and definitely not on their Christmas Card list. The reason I wanted to complete an independent and professional report on the door is to add it to an ever growing file I have to pass on to the HSE. My governing body. The Disability Act is not the only breach there. Most of the sections of the Fire Orders and Control of Asbestos with at least three of the Health and Safety at Work and Management of Health and Safety Acts. For the 'Fire Door' alone, I can think of seven breaches not including subsection.
I have been fighting them on resident safety, fire, maintenance and repair issues for some years and have found my greatest obstacle to be Martin Jones, Area 'Customer Services' Manager for Sussex. His old pals act with the Board Members, including supposed resident members, has deliberately overlooked serious breaches of Legislation in these areas. Even to stage three of their complaints procedure. Their current Asset Management Team does not seem much better yet. They have been ordered to appoint a group HSE guy, but they are not sure when that will be. No surprise there. When the poor sod arrives, I intend to be on their case permanently, so watch for the smoke…
The new area panels are supported and monitored by TPAS (Tenant Participation Advisory Service) and have a degree of power over service standards. Not enough though… I want to get to the next level of resident governance, which gives access to the board. Our Panel is already getting a name for being troublemakers. Good.
For more info look at AH website. The whole shooting match is on there courtesy of their compliance with the improvement order they got. Once you get through all the bull, there are ways to get these complaints on to their company minutes. Then they can't ignore them. AH is appointing a Project Manager to oversee emergency works on Asbestos and Fire, but he is a business type without the wider H&S brief. So monitoring of contractors is still a grey area.
The willful disregard for resident safety includes;
· No Asbestos register.
· No fire risk assessments on properties.
· No mains wiring tests on properties.
· No maintenance of fixed mains fire/smoke detectors in properties.
· Lack of regard for public safety during works.
· Failure to monitor safety of contractors. Prior and post works
· Failure to inspect and assess repairs.
Under the Offences Act 2008, the top three carry a sentence of 12 months and/or a fine of £2000 per offence. That technically means that the board and senior management team, down to responsible managers are liable for each offence in each property that has been neglected. The others carry varied sentences on conviction, but put all the breaches together and they add up to a massive and wilful disregard for the Law over a number of years. Chances are not good though, and they rely on different areas not being in touch over group matters. So far that has been successful for them, but with a bit of a network and concerted effort, I think our job will be a whole lot easier. Hence my contacting you. I would like to meet, and have no problem with travel. Give me a ring this week, I'm working from home, and have a chat, see what you make of me.
So, if any of the evidence and transcripts of complaints at every stage that I have collected could help you, let me know. I keep the originals. Otherwise, I am always available to professionally assess any safety problems you may come across in the future. I fully intend to nail the Mr Jones throughout AH to the wall with their own words. Any AH problems I work on are pro bono as this is a personal project, not work related.
Julian Morgan (not related)