News

Dear Committee Members and Fellow Leaseholders,

I am writing to formally announce my immediate resignation as Chair of the V7RLA. This decision is driven by the need to rebalance my time towards my family and business commitments.

Since assuming this role in February 2020, I am proud of our achievements, particularly the removal of the waking watch and the critical cladding remediation project. When I assumed this role, my primary goal was to ensure the permanent safety and compliance of our development, a goal we have successfully set in motion. The project is well underway, and importantly, the financial burden has not fallen on leaseholders, a testament to our collective efforts.

However, our community faces ongoing challenges, notably those stemming from the cladding crisis, which have led to increased living costs and coinciding with a decline in service levels from the outgoing management company. The incoming management firm, Gateway, does offer new opportunities for improvement, and I am hopeful they can quickly start to address the major issues left behind by JAR.

I also wish to address the recent personal attacks and accusations against committee members. Such behaviour is unwarranted, counterproductive, and undermines the collective effort of our volunteers. The committee is made up your fellow, dedicated, leaseholders with completely aligned interests. Despite huge challenges, including unforeseen events like the cladding crisis, we have worked hard to maintain a functional and effective committee, which until recently possessed deep, relevant professional expertise that benefited all leaseholders. Regrettably, the recent resignations within the committee have reduced this effectiveness and will require other capable and motivated individuals to step forward to fill these roles and sustain the level of dedication and advocacy leaseholders require going forward.

Lastly, we should not need confrontation to initiate change. Each year at the AGM, we openly seek volunteers, yet it often takes significant events, like the recent service charge mismanagement by JAR, to spur engagement. Committee transitions should happen openly and without resentment.

Several members have known of my desire to pass on my duties for some time, particularly as the cladding project has begun, making the upcoming SGM an appropriate time for me to resign and allow others to address the continuing challenges, including combating the excessive service charge overruns by JAR.

I am committed to a smooth transition and will be available to discuss the key issues, identify a plan of action, and assist with onboarding my successor at the upcoming SGM.

I’d like to thank all committee members for their dedication and support during my tenure. Your efforts, alongside a supportive leaseholder community, have been crucial to our accomplishments and will continue to be the foundation of the V7RLA's future successes.

Regards,

Simon Murphy
Chair, V7RLA