By Sebastian O’Kelly
Martin Boyd, the chair of the Leasehold Knowledge Partnership, has decided to resign and has announced his resignation publicly on Twitter today.
This is a huge loss to the Leasehold Knowledge Partnership, to the wider efforts to reform the leasehold system and to leaseholders generally.
Justin Madders MP, Labour MP for Ellesmere Port and Neston and an LKP patron, expressed his regret here:
Martin’s decision is prompted by the MHCLG civil servants’ response to his complaint about a meeting between LKP, Sir Peter Bottomley and the chair of the Leasehold Advisory Service, Wanda Goldwag on April 25 2019.
This meeting is reported in detail here:
‘If I fail to offend anyone, I will do it next time,’ Bottomley tells appalled leasehold professionals at LEASE annual conference
The matter is now the subject of a complaint to the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman against MHCLG’s handling of the issue, which is expected to rule shortly. But the views of the civil service on the matter are clear.
Martin has argued that he was subjected to false accusations at the meeting. See article above.
The civil service have ignored these points in their response to the Ombudsman. As a result, Martin feels he has no credibility with officials, with whom LKP meets regularly, and has resigned as our chair.
Instead, the response addresses what the MHCLG permanent secretary terms Ms Goldwag’s “navy language”, which was deployed throughout the meeting.
According to the MHCLG permanent secretary Ms Goldwag is disposed to apologise for this, but after 18 months has not done so (there is reference to an attempt to obtain his phone number).
The meeting was also attended by myself, Katherine O’Riordan, Sir Peter Bottomley’s Senior Parliamentary Adviser, and Joanne Darbyshire, an LKP trustee and co-founder of the NLC.
The MHCLG has made no effort to contact any of those who were present.
Leaseholders should be in no doubt about what has been going on here.
The meeting with Wanda Goldwag was a disgrace.
She ignored the agenda, which the Leasehold Advisory Service had itself set, and immediately launched into a foul-mouthed attack on LKP and particularly Martin.
Neither Martin nor Sir Peter responded to these provocations, and throughout the meeting the only other person who spoke was me, to try to calm matters.
All present were aghast by this performance, the aim of which presumably was to break LKP’s relationship with MPs. It is most unlikely that someone of Ms Goldwag’s nature would make an accurate assessment of Sir Peter Bottomley. Or Martin, come to that.
Leaseholders may wish to ask:
Why should LKP lose its chair in these circumstances?
Why should leaseholders be deprived of the services – freely given over many years – of Martin Boyd because of a series of ill-disciplined and wrong accusations by someone on the public payroll?
How are leaseholders’ interests served by inaction over this by the civil service?
Many officials in MHCLG, other ministries, the Law Commission, the judiciary, the Competition and Markets Authority etc have had regular dealings with Martin Boyd.
If he is wrongly accused of bulling LEASE staff – many lowly paid, women and from ethnic minority backgrounds, as Ms Goldwag emphasised – they need to support him.
Cladding leaseholders in particular owe Martin Boyd a debt of gratitude: it was solely thanks to him that their issues were first raised in Westminster.
It is to be hoped that those MPs with whom LKP has worked for many years – many of them directly assisted by Martin – will not let this matter pass.
Related posts:
Martin Boyd returns to LKP
LKP trustees tell MHCLG that Martin Boyd can return to LKP any time
Martin Boyd should be the chair of LEASE
Reform laws on track for ‘second half of 2020’, Martin Boyd tells Property Week
Sebastian O’Kelly and Martin Boyd praised in House of Commons: put them on the board of LEASE and clear up the ‘muck’ of leasehold
You are better than commercial developers and freeholders so be kind over the cladding catastrophe, LKP urges housing association conference
Please let the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman’s report be thorough. MHCLG have shown themselves to be unable to stand up to what sounds like bullying behaviour from Wanda Goldwag.
For Martin to feel he has no option but to resign is a terrible indictment of the dysfunctional culture between LEASE and the Ministry. More scrutiny needed.
I find that when those in power can’t win on reason or evidence they fall back on character assassination. This is LEASE using the underhand tactics of the bar to slur the character of the opposition. It’s because LKP was right! I’m sorry they got to you Martin. Hope to see you back soon. Cheers to you – Shula
Bullying, underhand tactics. Unfortunately all to common traits of a government too focused on their own self interests. Martin is yet another victim of this and will be sorely missed in the fight.
Martin, I do hope that you change your mind. Show that despite their childish, bullish behaviour that they can’t and won’t beat you and that we are not going away!!!!
If Boris Johnson is serious about fixing Leasehold he needs to look at this situation carefully and understand that LEASE has failed. Wanda Goldwag needs to be fired from her role – her salary if it is £150,000 is outrageous for a failing organisation. Instead she tries to blame Martin Boyd who has only worked hard to help Leaseholders which I believe was what LEASE was supposed to do but has not.
Wander time you wandered off somewhere we don’t kneed you.
But Martin we need you please reconsider
Oh Martin this is very sad news indeed and, I fear, exactly what Wanda Goldwag set out to achieve. It’s low when the bullies’ friends lose credibility so accuse their victims of being the bully.
It’s been made clear time and again that LEASE is not fit for purpose. The Leasehold Advisory Service is the freeholders friend, they are not helping the leaseholders which is their actual purpose. They’re threatened by you of course because they know that you would do a much better job than Wanda.
She should be sacked, or resign, so that we can have someone like you in seat who actually represents leaseholders to protect us from the real bullies; Freeholders and rogue developers.
Oh Martin this is very sad news indeed and, I fear, exactly what Wanda Goldwag set out to achieve. It’s low when the bullies’ friends lose credibility so accuse their victims of being the bully.
It’s been made clear time and again that LEASE is not fit for purpose. The Leasehold Advisory Service is the freeholders friend, they are not helping the leaseholders which is their actual purpose. They’re threatened by you of course because they know that you would do a much better job than Wanda.
She should be sacked, or resign, so that we can have someone like you in seat who actually represents leaseholders to protect us from the real bullies; Freeholders and rogue developers.
The people need more society-minded volunteers like Martin Boyd: a tireless campaigner who has given years (given), not forgetting his wife’s sacrifice, to fight for we, the underdogs, the little people, who want a feudal iniquitous money-sucking scheme consigned to the dustbin of history. He deserves much more than an apology.
Martin
You have been doing an excellent job as the head of the LKP. We, leaseholders need you in these crucial times. Please reconsider your decision to resign and do not allow anyone with underhand tactics to force you out.
Hoping that you think carefully before throwing in the towel. Please continue to fight the good fight.
Martin your work for us is invaluable please continue the fight with us
What a sadness it is to see that Martin Boyd has stepped down. What a hero for us leaseholders, he has been working voluntarily for LKP. Martin worked from a sense of what was right and good. A man who has the skills of understanding the complex nature of lease hold and its multifarious loopholes. What a grand loss it is. For Lease, the fight was a gloves off vicious affair, where as Martin has obliged and respected the rules. Any who have fought and lost as many times as I have in the Tribunals knows at a smaller level how much these knocks take out of someone. I understand why a line has to be drawn because banging your head a against a brick wall in the end becomes self harm. I get why he has stepped down but what a loss for all leaseholders. I remain dismayed but unsurprised that LEASE is not represented at the helm by someone like Martin or someone senior at NLC and as a result LEASE remains a tax funded organisation which profits freeholders and not the leaseholder for who it is promoted to support. It’s a farce supported by Government who interest is firmly stacked in the direction of the developers of leasehold sites. Developers who pay hefty whacks of money in government support, earned on the back of and as a result of unfair and unsafe terms of leasehold. We are sorry for your treatment Martin. You have truly been a voice in this wilderness.
Leaseholders need you Martyn please re consider. You are a fountain of knowledge.
You have helped so many of us. Long may it continue
This is terrible news and a huge loss to the leasehold world. Martin, I hope you will reconsider your decision to step down as we need you. I also sincerely hope that action will be taken against this civil servant.
Tragedy.
This is very sad news for the Leasehold fraternity. I sincerely trust that Martin reconsiders as this will be a terrific loss for all leaseholders. Grateful thanks for his many efforts over the years cannot really be expressed in words.
The wrong person is resigning here. Many thanks to all those working hard to get justice for leaseholders.
Martin Boyd should continue his work and chair LKP. The accusations are just political games to throw opponents out. Do not give up and do not let dirty tricks to put you off course, that how they win – divide and conquer. Martin please continue your work and your fight.
This is such a devastating loss to those of us who are caught up in the exploitative trap which is leasehold ownership.
To lose someone who stood up for us to end these injustices is almost too much to take.
I pray Martin will reconsider – we really need you and you are amazing!
Thacker you for all you have done for us – from the bottom of my heart.
I fear this man is simply irreplaceable 😢😢😢
This has taken a few hours to sink in. LEASE have proved time and time again they are not fit for purpose. We, the taxpayer’s of this country demand that Martin Boyd should have a place on the board at Lease, he has all leaseholders interests at heart and all of his time given freely, Wanda Goldwag and her foul mouth should not be in place to carry on supporting freeholders, many of them are not even paying taxes in this Country. MHCLG please do the right thing enable Martin to carry on supporting us.
Heartbreaking news. One of the fighters for good.