The Conservative Parliamentary Candidate for New Forest West Desmond Swayne, pictured here cutting the ribbon to a Churchill Retirement Living scheme in his local area, tweeted effusive praise for the retirement housebuilder last month
Churchill Retirement, which belongs to the McCarthy family who founded McCarthy and Stone, yesterday gave £150,000 to the Conservative party.
Churchill Retirement has led the rear-guard action to exempt retirement housing from the government’s three-times repeated promise to reduce new ground rents to zero.
McCarthy and Stone, on the other hand, more or less conceded that the time for ground rents was over, as it moved to a long-term management business of the assets that it built.
Ground rents, and leasehold, makes little sense if you build and manage retirement housing for the long-term.
Indeed, the trade body Association of Retirement Community Operators opposes ground rents. Its members included posh private retirement housing providers such as Audley, and outfits such as the ExtraCare Charitable Trust and the Methodist Housing Association.
ARCO snubs McCarthy and Stone / Churchill by saying there is no need for ground rents
View donation – The Electoral Commission
The independent body which oversees elections and regulates political finance in the UK
Related posts:
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Huw Merriman calls for zero ground rents for retirement leasehold at prime minister’s questions 
ARCO snubs McCarthy and Stone / Churchill by saying there is no need for ground rents
With Ground Rents of £600 per annum and increasing, a £150000 donation is a small price to pay.
At least their leaseholders now know where some of their ground rent is going.
We have always thought that Ground Rents were collected for absolutely no reason at all.
Now at least we know there is a reason. It is to keep a Government in power that will allow ground rents to be collected for no reason at all.
Nicely expressed.
what nonsense from Michael Hollands
from Wiki
A lease is a contractual arrangement calling for the lessee (user) to pay the lessor (owner) for use of an asset.[1] Property, buildings and vehicles are common assets that are leased. Industrial or business equipment is also leased.
Broadly put, a lease agreement is a contract between two parties, the lessor and the lessee.
The lessor is the legal owner of the asset; the lessee obtains the right to use the asset in return for regular rental payments.
The lessee also agrees to abide by various conditions regarding their use of the property or equipment. For example, a person leasing a car may agree that the car will only be used for personal use.
If you don´t want to pay Ground Rent …….. why did you buy the Lease ?
You don´t own the bricks , the floor-boards and joists , the roof tiles or the fire-place.
You might have purchased the letter-box from B&Q
You are moaning & complaining after the event.
QUICK & EASY PROPERTY LAW REFORM for you Dumb Arses who MOAN & COMPLAIN
I first heard about Lemon Laws from the USA (quite a few) decades ago.
And I thought : Why don´t we have those Lemon Laws here in the UK?
The reason is ….. 650 MPs.
All it needs are amendments to the Sale Of Goods Act to cover
NEW BUILD LEASEHOLD & FREEHOLD FLATS & HOUSES and
NEW & USED Cars here in the UK.
What could be simpler when BREXIT is finally sorted ?
Lets have the updated Lemon Laws effective 2025.
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I emailed a FEW MPs and Newspapers with the above
message just 3 minutes ago – why don´t you ?
LEMON LAWS
In the USA they have LEMON LAWS that concern CRAP NEW & USED CARS.
Dumb Arses Everywhere : New Build Flats & House that are sometimes CRAP quality
These LEMONS can be taken back to the Showroom for a FULL refund.
We don´t apply the Sale Of Goods Act to NEW Cars & Houses & Flats – we should.
Most of the Problem today with MEGA Domestic Property Companies is the lack
of strict oversight from 10 Downing Street : it did almost nothing for decades.
Even with second-hand property for sale & rent , it is a nightmare with Estate Agents
cowboys & spivs.
In the USA and EEC property agents & tradesman are Licenced and Supervised –
in the UK it is almost like a Car Boot sale pot-luck lottery ticket.
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In Scotland many years ago the Missives procedure for New Build Law was
outdated and then a MSP started a review process that finally became Law.
It isn´t perfect TODAY : if there is SEVERE DELAY to a build or the specifcation
is really substandard then the Buyer can pull out and get the Money
deposited refunded in full but not Legal or other costs..
——————————————————————————————–
It surprises me that such an important Topic as UK New Build Property Law
has been neglected by Parliament for so long ……. decades.
Ditto Vehicle Pollution
Ditto Knife Crime
Ditto Vehicle Deaths & Injuries (including the EEC)
Ditto Recycling & Litter
Ditto Alcohol Abuse & Obesity
Ditto Traffic congestion
Ditto Keith Lemon