Justin Madders, MP for Ellesmere Port and Neston, called for an urgent review of the LEASE Chair in Parliament today. In his strongest statement yet, Madders explained that the LEASE Chair “Roger Southam has extensive previous business interests with freeholders and has even boasted of maximising ground rent opportunities for them”
The exchange in Parliament can be seen HERE
Hansard records
- Justin Madders
“The Leasehold Advisory Service should play an important role in providing advice to leaseholders. However, the current chair Roger Southam has extensive previous business interests with freeholders and has even boasted of maximising ground rent opportunities for them. Can Ministers not see how that looks? In order to regain leaseholders’ confidence, will Ministers agree to an urgent review into the suitability of Mr Southam to continue as chair?”
- Gavin Barwell
“I am well aware of the hon. Gentleman’s passion for this issue; he spoke powerfully in a debate on this matter a few weeks ago. I recently announced that funding for LEASE will continue to come purely from the Government so that no one can be in any doubt that its job is to stand up for the interests of leaseholders.”
Disappointingly, Minister Barwell did not answer the question put by Mr Madders, but instead proffered that there can be no doubt LEASE’s job is to act in the interest of leaseholders.
Although we accept the Minister believes it has been LEASE’s job to stand up for the interests of leaseholders we have to say that LKP are in no doubt they have not done so for many years. Yes, they have helped some leaseholders, but they have also chosen to help too many developers, landlords, managing agents and professionals in the sector, and sometimes helped them to exploit leaseholders. They have also stayed silent over abuses in the sector for far too long.
The Chief Executive of LEASE, Anthony Essien, has been in place for nearly a decade and has argued vociferously with LKP for at least 7 years that there is nothing wrong with speakers at his LEASE conference training delegates how to maximise their income from leaseholders. In 2014 Anthony Essien again set out his view that “the Leasehold Advisory Service can help guide leaseholders, landlords and lawyers alike”.
The most blatant example of double standards was a talk, endorsed by LEASE at their conference in 2010, where a speaker explained to the delegates how they could maximise profits from buying ground rent freeholds. We hope the Minster and his advisors note, with more than a little irony, that this is one of the key problems they now have to solve.
We hope Justin Madders notices that this is the issue he has to deal with among his aggrieved constituents, who have purchased their leasehold houses using the governments help to buy scheme.
Related posts:
LEASE chair Roger Southam launched complaint to Parliamentary Standards Commissioner against Sir Peter Bottomley and Jim Fitzpatrick (and LKP, naturally enough)
Justin Madders MP demands LEASE chair has ‘no business interests in the leasehold sector’
LEASE chair Roger Southam resigns
Roger Southam takes over as LEASE chair
Motion of no confidence in Roger Southam as LEASE chair
Taylor Wimpey rejects responsibility to resale buyers facing doubling ground rents
Can you refresh my memory please?
When at Lease didn’t Mr Deep Sagar threaten LKP with legal action for the “crime” of pointing out the failings of Lease?
Is it correct that at a Lease sponsored event a lecture was given as to how freeholders could charge insurance commissions without revealing those charges to the leaseholders that ultimately paid the bills?
Dear Michael,
Your memory does not fail you. At every stage LEASE has loathed the involvement of the Leasehold Knowledge Partnership, either trying to subborn or threaten it.
The previous chairman’s threats – from a placeholder’s self-interest – was to shut up LKP, and keep this sordid show on the road.
Now Anthony Essien is off to the North West to visit the leasehold house owners. What on earth can he offer apart from bland piffle?
This organisation is rotten to the core and needs a clear out.
The women of the North are very unlikely to listen to bland nonsense, which is Mr Essien’s stock in trade.
If he talks trifles, he is going to be roughly handled.
He deserves it.
No, in fairness, the organization is not rotten to the core. I got a very good tip from an advisor sympathetic to leaseholders. Had he not been he could easily have withheld the information.
I do not know his views on the way the organization discharges its functions or whether it is, in fact, impartial, but would imagine that the people on the coalface are better informed than their masters. Have they ever been consulted about leasehold reforms? Would they agree that the main problems arise from leaseholder ignorance, as claimed by Mr Southan. Or could they write a book about the abuses they know of?
I wonder if LKP should have a secure mail drop like The Guardian and the New York Times?!
A very fair comment Paul.
It would be very interesting to hear what anyone on the “coalface” could bring to the table
Paul,
A large chunk of what LKP does remains confidential. As you know what can appear on the site is only a small fraction of what may be know.
We only ever publish information provided to us by leaseholders and those working in the sector with their agreement.
We fully accept there are a number of supportive staff at LEASE and a number keep in contact. However we also know some of their systems and some of their actions as an organization have been deeply corrosive.
Glad to hear that you some sources. Indeed, I know about and also deplore the corrosion.
After previous promising comments from the Housing Minister today we seem to have gone back to normal.
This has been my experience of the leasehold situation since the 2010 General Election. Promising statements but refusal to rock the boat. And no support from the Regulating bodies.
I don’t see it changing soon.
Sadly I have to agree with you. Promising statements and soothing words, because ultimately does this government have the balls to do anything that may upset the interests of freeholders?
Having taken my own case to FTT at considerable expense (this was not anything to do with ground rent) I can confirm that all the judge did was give the freeholders agent some gentle rebuke for their utter incompetence.
Roger Southam has to go. Sebastian O’ Kelly has to be appointed as LEASE Chairman. Anthony Essien strikes me as nothing more than a Patsy! Why is he not engaging with Sir Peter Bottomley or Barwell regarding the NATIONAL LEASEHOLDER CAMPAIGN Letter sent to Barwell on 16th February 2017? I’ll tell you why , because he thinks the leaseholders of the North will be a soft touch. Essien is a Lawyer therefore one must Believe Half Of What You See And NOTHING Of What You Hear’. Southam Must Go and Go NOW!!!
I can assure u the leaseholders of the north west will not be a soft touch !!!.
We have our eyes fully open.
Xx
Katie, I am fully aware of that!! I beginning to feel just the tiniest bit fearful for Essien- I don’t think he is aware of what he’s up against. Tee Hee……x
Does anyone remember Julian Shersby who stood up at the LEASE conference as far back as 2012 and told them they were failing to represent the interests of ordinary leaseholders?
Anthony Essien apparently said he sympathised with ordinary leaseholders but that they did not come in any number to the open events LEASE organized around the country!!!!
Since then nothing much has changed except LEASE now holds a derisory seperate evening event for leaseholders although I have still not seen any reports of this years anywhere?
So, LEASE is not fit for purpose but in my view neither is FPRA, ARMA, RICS or any other body CLAIMING to represent or support leaseholders but still having affiliation to the ‘professional’ sector!!
LEASEHOLD MUST BE ABOLISHED. END OF!!
FPRA seem incapable of managing technology. For a long time they paid a fortune to an insider to run a very poor web site (ye olde conflict of interest all leaseholders are familiar with). Then it got revamped and was much improved, now it’s down again. They almost never email members and couldn’t campaign their way out of a wet paper bag.
LKP and Campaign against retirement leasehold exploitation have done so much more with so much less in the way of resources. FPRA are amateurs not professionals. Nothing wrong with that but we do need better as well. Let’s call the conflict of interest sector what it is, the conflict of interest sector, not “professionals”.
If LKP were to implement a membership tier for RTMs with free legal advice I would make the case for switching from FPRA to our RTM. I lost track long ago of the number of residents’ associations that told me they joined the FPRA but then dropped out as it was poor value. It’s hard to disagree but what’s the alternative? There isn’t one. Still time for FPRA to get its act together.
Paul,
I am so pleased to see someone agrees with me about FPRA. Bob is touting for business in one comment on this site but like you I would much prefer to be a member of LKP as I was of Campaign against retirement leasehold exploitation many years ago.
We are one of those RTM’s who joined FPRA and then dropped out after our adviser had a ‘conflict of interest’ and the adverts in the newsletter where for solicitors who were sending us threatening letters!!
We explained our reasons for not renewing our membership fee but did not have the courtesy of a reply!
I see there is a big conference being held today. LEASEHOLD 2017 and being attended by the all powerful.
One of the speakers is the CEO of ARMA. And yet again it is on the topic of educating Leaseholders. (The ignoramuses that we are).
Also the favourite topic of the Chairman of LEASE and given as a common excuse at to why Leaseholders get ripped off.
And it is so ironic as many of us Leaseholders have been trying unsuccessfully for many years to educate ARMA, LEASE, ARHM, the GOVERNMENT etc. Trying to get them to reform the system.
If it was a fair system backed up with legislation, leaseholders would not need all this proposed education. And when it comes to the elderly looking for a secure retirement property why should they have to be educated just to make sure they are not being taken advantage of.
Michael,
On the 2nd Feb under “The day Leasehold Advisory Service was returned to leaseholders” I asked Sebastian about this conference and why he was supporting it only a month after the LEASE one with some of the same speakers! You can read his reply.
I was disappointed that LKP is getting involved instead of staying completely seperate and as we have both said before I would love to see a conference FOR US just leaseholders where we could meet after all these years instead of just commenting on websites!!
At least we should get a good insight into what was said even though we know it will not be any different from all the conferences held previously!!
Well I see that Martin, Sebastian, Louie Burns and Sir Peter are attending so hopefully between them all they will get the message over to the Conference. Albeit this has been done at many other conferences with little change.
I think all these Conferences need one last item on their agendas.
ie. CONCLUSIONS, AND WHAT ACTION NEEDS TO BE TAKEN.
I had to miss the afternoon section of the event as I was at a meeting with Sir Peter and the Housing Minister on park homes. Then on to meet a group of leaseholders.
However, the idea that the most important thing is better educated leaseholders had been dismissed by both QC Rainey and myself in the morning session. We’ll find out this morning how the afternoon went but given the Rob Plumb was speaking I suspect he also agrees with us and will have asked why someone has to be so “educated” to be able to cope with owning a leasehold.
The tone of the conference was very very different to those of the past. The discussion was about the fact that things are. changing. It’s now seems to be accepted it’s a case of when rather than if.
We’ll write something up today. There is still a long way to go but the fact there was just one lone voice who asked but “what about the freeholder” is a big change from days gone bye.. Sir Peter was not overly sympathetic in his reply.
The National Leaehold Campaign ( NLC) have a received no response or acknowledgement to its letter sent 16 February to Gavin Barwell MP.regarding the removal of Southam as lease chairman. A follow up letter is in the pipeline. We will not let this matter rest. It is shocking that the board is made up of (, A) A director of Strettons (B) A chap whose career was/Is as a managing agent (C) A solicitor whose ‘speciality’ is residential leasehold and who acts for the Freeholder as well as the Leaseholder ( can wear 2 hats matey) He operates from Kensington Place W8. No website? (D) A solicitor who has ceased to practice and was chair of the ill fated IPSA.she resigned with immediate effect in sept 2016 I believe. It is alleged that she was employed by BPA Ltd on a salary of £30k and conducted IPSA business inside BPA Ltds offices. IPSA is / was supposedly an independent body- However BPA chooses it chairman/ Woman? She has also held a number of board level appointments in the financial service sector……? ) This board need rebalancing in favour of Leaseholders and pretty darn swiftly.
CONT…Oh and of course Mr Southam himself. Manging Agent Extrodinaire!!!
We will have to be carefull as to what we say about LEASE.
I have just been reading their policy on unreasonable behaviour towards them, and there are reems of it.
They will not tolerate
1 Being unreasonably persistent.
2 Rudeness
3 Anger
4 Aggressive behaviour
So I would like to ask them nicely, so that we can get a favourable result.
“Dear LEASE, could we please have some representatives on your Board who would have a better understanding of the problems which affect Leaseholders. I appreciate that you are continually saying that we need to be educated. But if this leasehold industry was operated fairly, we as leaseholders would not need educating to avoid being ripped off.
Can we please be represented by someone who cares.
Your cooperation would be much appreciated.”
From a humble Leaseholder.
Look out for resignations in the next few days.
And pigs might fly!!! I think these folk have the hide of a rhino. However the NLC are made of even sterner stuff. Barwell within the next few days.will get a rocket and had better act and act without delay. Leaseholders have had enough and will no longer listen to platitudes! Mr Southam had better wake up and realise that Leaseholders have educated themselves- just not n the manner he envisaged!! Shame……
An article on LKP, dated 17 April 2013 reported a speech by Sir Peter Bottomley in the House of Commons.
He stated that LEASE was too close to the interests of Freeholders and recommended that Sebastian and Martin should be elected to the Board..
That was almost four years ago.
This Government has no interest in any change.
That was before the newly ‘Educated’Leaseholders galvanised (NLC) and started making some noise. Ministers only act when they are in fear of losing their seats. Leaseholders are voters too….
Looks as though Roger Southam is trying to justify his position as LEASE chair once again by blaming leaseholders for over reacting!!!!!
At the same time Louie Burns is telling it as it really is!!
Both articles on News on the Block website.
Still hoping to hear about last weeks conference?