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KCTMO to call for AGM postponement following tenant concerns
Kensington and Chelsea Tenant Management Organisation (KCTMO) plans to call for an adjournment of its annual general meeting (AGM) tonight, following tenant concerns about the organisation’s future.
The TMO had planned to hold a vote on the winding up of the organisation at the AGM tonight following an intervention by the prime minister promising residents a change in the management of their homes.
The vote also proposed making Kensington and Chelsea Council the sole member of the TMO so that it would not be wound up before the end of the inquiry into the Grenfell Tower fire.
Tenants had called for “urgent confirmation” that the vote would be postponed and sought legal advice ahead of the meeting.
Tenants are concerned the council may wind up KCTMO while the inquiry is ongoing and it “therefore may not be subject to prosecution for corporate manslaughter”. It also would not exist as an organisation that could be sued.
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KCTMO had been advising tenants to vote for the TMO to continue for a “limited period” to allow for “meaningful consultation and an orderly handover of services”.
KCTMO had said if tenants do not vote for this option then this will mean it has to wind up immediately and a further meeting will be called 28 days later to confirm the decision.
In its letter to KCTMO, Bindmans solicitors, which is representing some of the tenants, said it has “very serious concerns” about the procedure of the AGM and “what actions [the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea] might take if it was to become the sole member of the TMO”.
A statement on the KCTMO website said: “The board of Kensington and Chelsea Tenant Management Organisation will be recommending to the annual general meeting tonight (17 October 2017) that the AGM is adjourned. This is in recognition of significant feedback that has been received by KCTMO.”
Update: at 9.10am, 18.10.17 After the story was published Kensington and Chelsea Council sent the following statement.
Kim Taylor-Smith, deputy leader of Kensington and Chelsea Council, said: “We are disappointed that the KCTMO has decided to adjourn the AGM. We have spoken to many residents, and they want certainty over the future of housing stock in the borough. Everyone agrees there is no future role for the TMO.
“But let’s be clear. If the KCTMO had voted the council in as the majority shareholder tonight, we would have secured three things.
“Firstly, the TMO would continue, and therefore it would be accountable to both the police investigation and the public inquiry. We have guaranteed that.
“We would be able to continue running the estates during an orderly transition period, ensuring simple things like repairs are carried out.
“Most importantly, it would have allowed us to start a consultation with residents and communities so that they decide the future of housing in the borough. We want to give the power back – and we remain committed to that, no matter how long it takes.”
