Anabel A

@Nesil_Caliskan Hopefully the grant encourages a more diverse range of restaurants and shops in the town centre.So many new builds yet a lack of places to eat out. It would be great to see more variety beyond the usual barbers, luggage stores, butchers & convenience shops

Empty shops and run down public spaces have left #Barking town centre a mess. I am delighted the government have stepped up £1.5m to put pride back into our high street. I will work hard to make sure this funding is invested in local people's priorities for Barking town centre.

@cattwil @EOCS_Official @SteveReedMP @SamanthaDixonMP @NLC_2019 @LKPleasehold @mtpennycook They’re a bunch of useless politicians who spent five years criticising the Conservatives, yet have accomplished even less since taking office

@EOCS_Official @SteveReedMP @SamanthaDixonMP Well done for securing this meeting and I know you'll bring him up to speed. Fingers crossed he really listens and ensures no leaseholder has to pay for other's dangerous building decisions. @NLC_2019 @LKPleasehold @mtpennycook

We're meeting @SteveReedMP and @SamanthaDixonMP today. The last 15 months have seen no real progress. Accelerating remediation means little without resolving the issues. Their plans will do nothing to help people any time soon. Labour must do much more to keep its promises.

@EOCS_Official @SteveReedMP @SamanthaDixonMP besides remediation,what's happening with insurance premiums?They are extortionate even for remediated buildings.

@bphillipsonMP Such a joke of a government. This was implemented by the Tories not Labour 😂 get your facts right and your act together

🥳 NEW: Working parents now have access to 30 hours of government-funded childcare, saving families £7,500 and providing high quality early years education for children. Labour’s Plan for Change is putting money in parents’ pockets and giving children the best start in life.

@Keir_Starmer It has made nursery more expensive for those sending their children full time and benefits mostly those sending their children 3 days a week during term date.

30 hours of free childcare: a promise made, a promise delivered. A landmark moment for working families across the country. Our Plan for Change is putting money back in parents’ pockets and giving every child the best start in life.

@julietMCP2 This government is tone deaf

Leaseholders don’t need more consultations, we need the govt to honour its promises. We’ve spoken, again and again. What’s missing is political will, not evidence.

@MattLismore Transparent & structured SCs are welcome but only scratches the surface.The gov is taking LHs for fools.30% of our SC charge is buildings insurance.We’re also complying with the building safety case with expensive surveys & then paying the building safety regulator to review 😂

Do these client journalists realise that tribunal is not something most leaseholders have the training to access? Hiring a lawyer to do this for you will cost £20k - I know - I got a quote.

The gov still has no grip on soaring service charges FOR LHs.Managing agents lack transparency,but the real issue? Only 1–2 insurers cover B2-rated high-rises (30% of SC),plus costly building safety cases requiring surveys then we pay the gov hourly to review. @mtpennycook

@MattLismore @lbbdcouncil That makes more sense. Great work from the council 🫣

@anaboula @lbbdcouncil The developer agreed to pay straight away, the delay was getting the council to log a defect claim.

If my home was Commonhold or share of freehold the balconies would have been fixed before they collapsed. Instead my freeholder @lbbdcouncil ignored myself, other residents and our MP when they were implored to serve a defect notice to the developer. Ending leasehold is also vital for building safety. At this rate i’ll be allowed to choose assisted death before I can choose who cleans, maintains and insures my home. It’s about priorities, at the end of the day.

@MattLismore It's no secret that you'll always find expensive cars at around council/affordable homes.Some just know how to cheat the system & authorities can't be asked. A clear example is "single" mothers with children getting free housing when they are in a relationships but not married.

@LostInSW19 @Kwajotweneboa @UKLabour At least with Gove, there was some momentum. Since Labour got elected, it feels like we've reset to zero. Not surprising, though when Labour is fixated on "housing" and pushing for more and more construction while ignoring the bigger underlying issues.

@Kwajotweneboa That's exactly what's happening. Despite their warm words in opposition, the @UKLabour government hasn't changed a single line in the Building Safety Act, which requires some leaseholders to pay. Leaseholders have gone bankrupt, some have lost their home. Ministers don't care.

Taking the absolute piss if they’re expecting Leaseholders to pay that.

@MattLismore @exodusenglish Yes I believe the owner and son of shapoorji pallonji passed away in a car accident and the company was restructuring or something like that and ceased to operate

@anaboula @exodusenglish Oh I see - I had been told the original owner passed away. It’s a terrible state of affairs.

[New] £40m commercial development in Barking needs to be torn down, according to council sources. Building safety inspections repeatedly failed on the building that is already over 2 years past expected completion. It was due to have a bar, cinema and housing for medical students. Further setback for the regeneration of Barking, as this was set to be a flagship commercial hub in a sea of residential development.

@exodusenglish @MattLismore Lindhill properties is the developer and original contractor was Shapoorji Pallonji until they either went bust or stopped operations in the UK

@MattLismore Thanks.

@FourKandols @mtpennycook @FreeLeasehlders At least Michael Gove attempted to help leaseholders and had a plan!

@MetCC @MPSBarkDag @MetCC For the second Saturday in a row we have the same street buskers using their loudspeakers in barking town centre. Can we please enforce the PSPO once and for all? I haven’t seen any officers doing patrols.

@anaboula Thank you for bringing this to our attention, local police have been informed.

Yesterday a female was arrested by #CETF for handling stolen goods after she was seen by the team driving a stolen and cloned vehicle. (1179EA).

@MattLismore @MetCC Exactly, without patrols on the streets the PSPO is pointless. At least they’ve started taking the benches away from the Arboretum to discourage large groups of men drinking in a residential area

@MetCC @anaboula If you could stop the large groups street drinking, harassing women & playing music from a speaker in violation of the PSPO too, that would be great. It happens every evening, it’s only really illegal if you enforce the law.

@MetCC Thank you!

@adamfmk4 @EOCS_Official @H_S_E @mhclg @UKLabour @AlexJJNorris We were told 16 to 24 weeks for BSR approval assuming it’s not rejected. That leaves us with a potential start date May 2025 if we’re lucky and already 4 months behind initial start date.

@EOCS_Official @H_S_E @mhclg @UKLabour Can we get BSR application review times added as a regular metric too please @AlexJJNorris ? Our developer has told us they're seeing 24+ *weeks* (that's 6 months!!) But you've got some magic to drop that to 16 weeks in 2025? That's still *twice* the 8 weeks it should be. 🐌

The latest Building Safety data is out 👇🏼 4,998 buildings over 11m now being "monitored". 29% have "completed" (been made half-safe). Thousands of unsafe buildings still to be identified. Hundreds of thousands of people still living in unsafe homes. gov.uk/government/pub…