Last night the directors of the Federation of Private Residents’ Associations reversed the appointment of disgraced former LEASE chair Roger Southam as an “esteemed honorary consultant”.
The appointment, which appalled many leaseholders, was made by FoPRA chair Bob Smytherman and announced in the latest FoPRA newsletter.
It prompted LKP to sever all connection with FoPRA and for Martin Boyd, LKP chair, to resign as an “honorary consultant”.
The astonishing misjudgement of Mr Southam’s appointment has divided the FoPRA board of directors and the open question now is whether long standing chair Bob Smytherman steps down. The organisation has its annual general meeting in Novermber.
Sebastian O’Kelly, of LKP, said:
“Bob Smytherman should stand aside.
“It is appalling given the disastrous position of so many leaseholders caught up in the building safety scandal, and the important business of substantive reforms to leasehold law, that there is a purportedly leaseholder organisation apparently eager and willing to be manipulated by the commercial interests in this sector.
“Shula Rich has the authority and respect to lead FoPRA forward: if it does not change, another organisation needs to be set up to replace it.”
Veteran leasehold campaigner, and FoPRA vice-chair, Shula Rich was aghast at the appointment of Mr Southam – and that of other sector figures such as solicitor Cassandra Zanelli and online property guru Bernie Wales, who advices freeholders on monetising their assets, although a former “honorary consultant” he seems now to have no formal role with the organisation.
Shula Rich has told the FoPRA board:
“If we use people such as Southam, Zanelli, Wales etc they use it to legitimise themselves in leaseholder circles. That’s why they ‘volunteer’.
“As a genuine volunteer I’m then working for them. So the objection to allowing them to be associated with us is (1) we legitimise them; and (2) I’m giving my volunteer time for them.”
The UK Cladding Action group and the National Leasehold Campaign shared LKP’s concerns about the direction of FoPRA.
Ritu Saha, co-founder of UKCAG, told Mr Symtherman:
“I have previously raised concerns about FPRA claiming they are ‘the voice of leaseholders’ but acting in a manner that is detrimental to the interests of leaseholders … These concerns still stand and have now become more pronounced than ever.
“Instead of standing up for the rights of leaseholder directors in RMCs and RTMs (such as myself), FPRA seems more interested in ingratiating themselves to government bodies and stakeholders that are actively looking to harm leaseholder directors, by making them responsible for building safety defects that are not the fault of these leaseholders.
“Please would you let us know why you claim to be ‘the voice of leaseholders’ and how you claim to represent the interests of leaseholder directors of RMCs and RTMs, when your actions to date, as given in the email below from Mr Boyd and my email dated 25 April 2021 (see below) suggest otherwise. It would be incredibly irresponsible for FPRA to say in government led working groups that they are representing the interests of the victims of the building safety crisis, when this is categorically not the case.”
Katie Kendrick, co-founder of the National Leasehold Campaign, was also extremely critical:
“The decision for the FoPRA to appoint Roger Southam as “an esteemed honorary consultant” is not welcomed by many of our members and is quite simply a wholly inappropriate appointment …
“He is an expert only on exploiting the leasehold system and using the system against leaseholders to maximise his own profit. For over 40 years he has milked the system. He ran Chainbow Ltd – a management company that were embedded into many leases resulting in greater expense and headaches for leaseholders. Is this someone who you really want your organisation to be affiliated with?”
On April 25 2021 UKCAG wrote a highly critical email to Bob Smytherman over FoPRA’s decision to break ranks with other leaseholder bodies to participate in the government working group,
Related posts:
LKP quits FoPRA as it appoints Roger Southam an ‘esteemed honorary consultant’ – after re-surfacing from the Cayman Islands
LEASE chair Roger Southam resigns
LEASE chair Roger Southam in Private Eye (again)
DCLG rejects second complaint about Roger Southam as LEASE chair. He was appointed on merit, it claims
Motion of no confidence in Roger Southam as LEASE chair
LKP quits FoPRA as it appoints Roger Southam an ‘esteemed honorary consultant’ – after re-surfacing from the Cayman Islands
But leasehold exploitation must go on….who is it that put up Mr Wales. as the next ‘expert’… you couldn’t make this stuff up.!!!
Interesting that you smear others whilst hiding behind anonymity. At least I am open and honest about my opinions and I don’t hide behind a screen.
What difference would it make if “An English Leaseholder” gave his actual name, which I do.
In any event Mr Wales, you are what you are. All these “clubs for the boys” – nothing more nothing less – they should all be banned as not one of them do anything meaningful to stop leaseholders being abused
Errrm, are you the same ‘ Bernie Wales’ who advised landlords how to maximise their incomes on the backs of leaseholders by using a shaving foam analogy?
You advocated landlords profiting by charging commission on building insurance…( I don’t think that’s allowed) . It’s all there online in your own words.
Forgive me if I do not believe you to be a supporter of leaseholders. Jus sayin , Mr Wales….
Ah! the tried and tested (constantly by the odious ground rent investor, Stephen) anonymity accusation – (not so) curious by the way that Stephen doesn’t have a surname, and we do not know if he gives his true christian name.
I don’t know you from Adam, Mr Wales. What exactly are you open and honest about? It appears from a brief google search that the existence of our leasehold laws enables you to put food on the table. It follows that you have an interest in maintaining these laws, does your self interest override integrity, your sense of fairness, justice, and equity? It appears to me that you are a Roger Southem clone.
Quite extraordinary. I recall the wonderful campaign to get Southam dumped a chair of that useless quango otherwise known as ‘ LEASE’.
It is quite apparent that leaseholders are viewed with little more than entitled indifference by the Individuals running these organisations that supposedly have leaseholders interests at heart. I shall refrain from saying these folks are as much use as a eunuch at an orgy when it comes to supporting leaseholders.
I have just read another post from ‘They work for you’ which I believe is a voluntary organisation reporting on who said what in Parliament.
The post was about a question from Clive Betts, and he asked about the Governments reform for event fees for older people in housing.
The same response was given by Eddie Hughes that reforms are on their way for future leaseholders and retirement homes….but can I ask does anyone know HAS ANYTHING BEEN SAID ABOUT REFORMS FOR CURRENT LEASEHOLDERS !!
The last person I heard of who mentioned it was Lord Blencathra, since then I have not heard any mention of reforms for the very people who are funding this leasehold racket and have been for many years in most cases.
Is there a politician, perhaps Mr Bottomley who could ask …” Why is it that current leaseholders have not been mentioned” !
In effect what is happening is this…. Instead of leasehold we now have Shared Ownership….There will be no leasehold tenure for future NEW house purchasers and some reforms for retirement properties. As there is no mention of current leaseholders are we to assume that this racket will still be in operation after the reforms mentioned are carried out?
and a two tier system will be in operation with guess who losing out again.
So basically it appears that the whole leasehod scheme for current leaseholders will carry on as normal …. and even worse Shared Ownership will be the new racket!
Current leaseholders have every expectation that as when new reform legislation on Ground Rent and Extension costs are enacted (in this parliamentary year) new rules applicable to current leaseholders will also apply.
We did not go to the lengths we have to support the Law Commission, the Parliamentary Housing Committee, and the CMA for any other reason. All the evidence provided since 2017 to each of the above bodies was from current leaseholders on behalf of current leaseholders.
I trust that Michael Gove will now be free of all entanglements (unlike Mr Jenrick) and proceed forthwith to enactment on all existing and future fronts.
And as we near enactment of reform legislation for all, I trust that LKP, Sir Peter Bottomley et al will ensure that henceforth any continuing procrastination or obfuscation (not to mention subterfuge) will cease forthwith.
Thanks Alec,
Yes, you are right, at last there seems to be some light at the end of a very long tunnel which has caused many leaseholders to give up hope that just laws will be put in place.
Further response to Alec,
If indeed the reforms you outline will come about then as I replied previously there is some hope even though the exact details have not yet been forthcoming, however it does appear to be the case that some housing ministers have publicly given assurances for example that funding for remediation must not be paid by leaseholders, but later this is watered down only to become the reverse of what was stated, lets hope our hopes are not hopeless.
This seems to be the hallmark of the present government and myself and many others are waiting patiently to see what the actual outcome is with respect to leasehold rulings.
As I mentioned earlier, the wait has been a long time a coming, a wait which has caused many to seek information and find that there are groups such as LKP and NLC who are the voices of the disempowered, so the interminability and prevarication that leaseholders are still suffering has now created a reaction which will not be satisfied until its demands are met.
You might see that my icon is a pussy cat, but you may know that if a pussy is antagonised it can become very dangerous .
The law on land tenure, leasehold in particular, is indeed of reform, of the revolutionary kind.
The origins are from the medieval period…….