RAGE – Residents Action Group EXMOUTH

we have a ward Councillor here in St Dunstan’s & Stepney Green who is a Cabinet Member for Cleaner, Safer, & Greener neighbourhoods, Could this Councillor please help the residents of Clearbrook Way?

This probably wasn't on the guided tour of the Exmouth Estate

There are no street level locks. The lights on the second floor landing are out. There have been no street level locks for months. The lights are replaced but get broken. Because there are no street level locks.

There are twenty four flats on this floor alone. People who pay council tax to LBTH and service charges to our landlord live on this floor.

RAGE reminds you that unlike our landlord, these people vote.

Meanwhile, details are sketchy; if you know of any ASB in Clearbrook Way or anyplace on The Exmouth Estate, or have any firm information regarding these incidents please

CONTACT RAGE NOW!

According to local residents, Clearbrook Way, flats 53-77 has lacked security for several months now. If Councilor Francis and Councilor Ullah had visited this block during their December photo opp, they would have noticed locks are missing from this ground floor entrance door, leading to ASB on the upper floors.

Our ward Councilors shouldn’t have let themselves be taken on a guided tour. They should have shown some initiative and investigated conditions on The Exmouth Estate themselves, before pronouncing they were “happy with the progress”. People living in this block are hardly happy.

RAGE will be conducting another door knocking and leafleting exercise, insuring EVERY RESIDENT OF CLEARBROOK WAY knows their ward Councilor’s position on the security situation.

Why doesn't the security work?

People who pay council tax. People who pay rent or mortgages and, of course, service charges. People with families. People who depend upon their ward Councilors for help. People who have been let down by these Councilors, elected officials who are willing to go on record as saying they are “happy” with conditions like this on an estate in St. Dunstan’s and Stepney ward in London.

Once again RAGE wonders why these Councilors didn’t leave the guided tour? Why didn’t they show some initiative? After all, problems like this broken security system aren’t hard to find on The Exmouth Estate.

While taking these photos three residents of this block exited. They were hardly “happy” at their plight.

RAGE made sure all three knew Councilor Ullah – who to the best of our knowledge doesn’t live on The Exmouth Estate – was “happy”.

RAGE also completed our door knocking exercise, distributing fliers and personally talking to residents, so those effected on the Exmouth Estate would be FULLY aware of Councilor Ullah and Councilor Francis’ stated feelings regarding their living conditions.

Metal panel replaced by wood

How durable will this wood panel be, compared to the original metal? RAGE doesn’t know the answer to that; we’re not engineers.

But we note the original panels used by LBTH were METAL. Durable, long lasting METAL. The METAL panel has been replaced with WOOD. Surely metal lasts longer than wood, doesn’t it?

Click on the photograph and you’ll notice the unfinished wood has been artistically (and inexplicably) daubed with a spot of paint on top and bottom. Why we have no idea, but it has been like this since last year.

We wonder what Councillors Ullah and Francis thought of the wood panels? Did they notice at all or did they allow themselves to be guided about The Exmouth Estate?

RAGE notes that Councillor Marc Francis (Housing and Development) and Councillor Abdal Ullah dropped by The Exmouth Estate on Wednesday, 09 December 2009.

Billed as an chance to “to get a clear picture of the security improvements”, they should shown some initiative and wandered off the guided tour.

Then they would have seen what their tour guides clearly don’t want anyone to see.

For example, if they had just headed over to Clovelly Way they would have seen this abject entrance way (“Door opens freely”). Apparently work stopped shortly before the holidays and reportedly there has been no progress since.

Door opens freely

Even though residents of the this block have to put with NO security in this ground level entrance way, Councillor Abdal Ullah was quoted as saying “I’m happy with the progress on the security door system and the wider security benefit of the whole estate.”.

RAGE is conducting a door knocking session over the next week to inform those in these unsecured blocks about Councilor Ullah’s opinion regarding their plight.

It is important those living without security know that Councillor Ullah – who to the best of our knowledge doesn’t live on The Exmouth Estate by the way – is “happy with the progress”.

We live on The Exmouth Estate, and we’re not happy. Broken security door are a persistent problem on The Exmouth Estate.

Broken doors have previously been documented in the RAGE produced movies NO SECURITY from December 2008, and WIDE OPEN from January 2009.

Image used under Creative Commons license, courtesy of Security4All

We are migrating content from the old server to the new platform, and expect this process to be complete within two weeks.

During our hiatus we have received almost 100 emails from residents of The Exmouth Estate. Many contained photographs documenting their concerns. We will post these as time permits.

Image licensed from FlamGlam Studios

RAGE has heard from multiple sources – several Local Councilors as well as residents of at least two blocks – that crudely worded flyers were distributed across parts of the Exmouth Estate on Wednesday, July 15th.

Coincidentally this was a day before Councillor Oliur Rahman’s open meeting of the Exmouth Estate residents, held in the hope that concerns of a majority of residents could be brought directly to the attention of Swan Housing, rather than by complaints, letters to newspapers or involving elected officials.

These crude flyers sternly warned that “unrecognised residents working with a local councilor” had “organised a meeting” and then went on to protest several times that “this meeting was not authorised”.

The crudely worded flyers repeatedly warned residents several times in bold,capital letters

DO NOT ATTEND THIS MEETING

One Exmouth Estate resident contacted RAGE, emailing she “felt threatened by the flyer in me postbox, the words”

As we said, either comical or tragic.

Certainly tragic for Exmouth Estate residents who only wanted to attend a meeting.

But, comical as well, since it seems this attempt at bullying and intimdation by a minority of long time residents has backfired.

Several well local Councilors are in posession of copies of the flyer. They are not impressed. One Councilor has emailed RAGE, directly expressing her shocked feelings at this aggressive, bullying behaviour by a small number of Exmouth Estate residents towards their neighbours, who only wished to hold a meeting.

TO HOLD A MEETING OFF THE EXMOUTH ESTATE we might add.

NOTE: If you are in posession of an ORIGINAL copy of this flyer, PLEASE CONTACT RAGE IMMEDIATELY!;

Someone is unamused by this latest heavy handed, crude attempt at stifling the voices of dissent on The Exmouth Estate. THEY URGENTLY NEED ORIGINAL COPIES OF THESE FLYERS.

Can you help?

According to two letters published late yesterday in The East London Advertiser, Swan Housing was a no show for last Thursdays’s scheduled meeting with residents of The Exmouth Estate.

Swan Housing did not turn up to hear concerns of their tenants

“I must warn all landlords who fail to listen or deal with the problems residents face that I, for one, will not welcome them in Tower Hamlets.”

Cllr Oliur Rahman
St Dunstan’s and Stepney Green ward
Tower Hamlets Council

Swan Housing didn’t turn up for meeting to hear our concerns

“We all have problems, from lack of repairs to damp and mould, as well as shoddy workmanship on the regeneration work with cheap materials used.

I know that Swan Housing are not doing the work [themselves]. It is their duty to make sure the work is done right.”

M Bennett
Exmouth Estate
Spokeswoman, Jamaica Street Residents Association

If you were at last Thursday’s meeting please contact RAGE now!

We are especially interested in hearing concerns expressed by residents at the meeting about the lack of a democratic residents association on The Exmouth Estate.

RAGE has been provided with a copy of flyers distributed yesterday to all residents of The Exmouth Estate. They are reproduced here.

We have also learned more about this meeting, who is organising it and why it is being held.

In a stunning vote of no confidence in the EERB , leaders from The Exmouth Leaseholders Group, the Jamaica Street Residents Association, the Brayford Square Residents Asociation, the Musbury Street Residents Association and the Clovelly Way Residents Association all requested Councillor Rahman organise this meeting, so problems the EERB ignores could be brought directly to the attention of our landlord, Swan Housing.

RAGE has learned London Borough of Tower Hamlets Concillors will be hosting a meeting of Exmouth Estate residents at The Town Hall on Mulberry Place, the evening of Thursday July 16th 2009 starting at 6PM.

The purpose of this meeting reportedly will be for residents to meet bosses from Swan Housing, and air grievances the long standing residents board don’t take forward.

Information is sketchy at this point, but RAGE will update if and when further details emerge.

if you have any information regarding who is organising this evening or details on its agenda, please contact RAGE now!