Sebastian O’Kelly receives his award, sponsored by Your Move, from Andrew Neil
The Leasehold Knowledge Partnership has won the Best Online Editorial at the LSL Property Press Awards 2013 staged in central London last night.
The award was presented to Sebastian O’Kelly, of LKP, by veteran broadcaster and journalist Andrew Neil, who edited the Sunday Times for 11 years.
In handing over the award Neil said the judges were impressed by the website’s trenchant views, thorough investigations and total avoidance of PR puffery.
Other websites shortlisted for the award were the Financial Times Online and Estates Gazette.
O’Kelly also won a Silver Award for “Scoop of the Year” for his coverage of the leasehold dispute involving Plantation Wharf, Battersea.
“The award is a massive public recognition of the achievements of the Leasehold Knowledge Partnership and the importance of its work,” said O’Kelly.
The property press: award winning journalists from the Times, the Evening Standard, Estates Gazette, Investors’ Chronicle … and the Leasehold Knowledge Partnership
“LKP was set up by Melissa Briggs, the brilliantly effective head of the Campaign Against Retirement Leasehold Exploitation, and draws on the contributions of formidable leasehold campaigners such as Martin Boyd.
“Those who have contacted LKP over the past year, drawing public attention to the abuses they have experienced, are warmly thanked.
“Leasehold is the murky corner of residential property where ordinary homeowners can be preyed upon by monetising freeholders, their managing agents and an array of expensive lawyers.
“At every stage the dice are loaded against the ordinary leaseholder, in spite of all the protections Parliament has introduced to this flawed form of property tenure, that is unique to England and Wales.
“The amounts of money are vast and the vested interests are formidable.
“On this site you can read about the case of Dennis Jackson, 73, who had his £800,000 flat forfeited from him – all he owns – over a £7,500 service charge dispute in a private court session at Wandsworth County Court. It took all the efforts of LKP and Sir Peter Bottomley, MP, to get this forfeiture lifted with 36 hours to go before it became absolute.
“In what other area of the law can such obvious injustice exist apart from leasehold?”
The full citation of the award says: “The campaigning winner chose original subject matter written in a style that should prove popular online.” Judges also added, “Independent, authoritative and non puffy and used strong images well suited to PCs and mobile devices alike.”
(The ‘scoop of the year’ category was initially billed as ‘celebrity scoop of the year’, and LKP was nominated because of John and Sally Bercow buying at Plantation Wharf – the least interesting aspect of the whole saga, but we live in frivolous times. The award was then thankfully changed to simply scoop of the year).
The full list of winners can be read here
In response to an inquiry: these awards are not like those common to the property industry where you buy tables at a fancy dinner (often £1,000-2,000).
None of the journalists at these awards paid a thing: they won on merit (and there wasn’t a fancy dinner either, although quite a bit of other refreshment!)
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Well done Sebastian, your comments—
“Leasehold is the murky corner of residential property where ordinary homeowners can be preyed upon by monetising freeholders, their managing agents and an array of expensive lawyers” —-sums it up perfectly!!
As the conference season begins yet again I see LEASE is condescending to allow leaseholders a whole 2 3/4 hours in the EVENING ( probably not the best time of day for most people ) whilst I presume a FULL DAY will be given to, as described on their website–
“This year the event takes on a new, exciting format and aims to cater specifically for the range of PROFESSIONAL interests across the leasehold sector, including LAWYERS, PROPERTY MANAGERS and VALUERS”. (Capitals mine in sheer frustration and continuing disgust that leaseholders are again the LEAST considered!!).
Our dear friend Julian Shersby said it all at last years conference and nothing looks to be changing this year.
So it looks as though you will have many more investigations and follow ups to come. I would just like to say also for me personally and I know many more that Melissa Briggs deserves a share in this award for her dogged determination not to give in to ‘The Big Boys’.
Prodigious, accurate and clear coverage – we owe you, Sebastian.
Excellent result and thanks to Sebastian and LKP.
Pity the LSLPS web site is such rubbish. You’d think that an award for “Scoop of the Year” would have a link to said scoop, but noooo chance.
Captioning photos? Not a chance. Not a snowball’s…
When will be able to say “not a tchenguiz in an sfo case”? and who will report that happy day?