KC ETRA Meeting

(Enhanced Tenants & Residents Association Meeting)

Thursday 18 September 2025
7:30 – 9.00 pm
Hackney Showroom

Minutes

18 September 2025 7.30 – 9pm

‘Enhanced’ Tenants & Residents Association Meeting

1. Welcome, Introductions & Apologies

Lead: Remi (TRA Chair)

Present:
TRA members – Remi (Chair), Emley, Richard, Isadora, Kathy, Jill, Sarah
Hackney – June Welcome (Housing Officer KCE), Josephine Burton (Homeownership Team), Laura Coombs, Bernard Thomas (Cleaning), John Prestage (Repairs), Cllr. Clare Potter
Apologies: Bianca Rembrandt (ASB)

• Minutes from the last meeting (22 May 2025) were approved.

Kathy McEwan:

• Emphasised the need for more resident support to keep TRA activities running.
• Highlighted the voluntary nature of TRA roles (not paid, no financial benefit).
• TRA aims to build a stronger community through initiatives such as allotments and youth club.
• Urged members to help set TRA priorities for the next year – residents to bring ideas to the AGM in October.
• TRA needs new committee members and volunteers for: communications, newsletter, funding applications, strategy, youth club, gardening, website, treasurer, administration, secretary, and Hackney liaison.
• Gardening and youth club will continue, but succession planning is required.

Richard McVetis:

• Outlined rules of engagement for meetings: respectful communication, focus on agenda items, no interruptions, concise contributions.

Action Points:

• Residents to think about and suggest TRA priorities before the October AGM.
• TRA to circulate a volunteer call-out with specific roles listed.

2. Estate Cleaning

Lead: Bernard Thomas (Hackney Cleaning Team)

Discussion:

• Persistent issues: urine in blocks (Bramfield, Theobold), pigeon droppings, dirty corridors, uncollected recycling, and external rubbish dumping.
• Residents reported cleaning issues being unresolved for weeks/months despite being logged.
• Concerns raised that service charges increase annually, but cleaning standards remain low.
• Query on accountability: who checks standards and ensures cleaning has been completed?

Bernard (Council):

• Explained cleaners’ duties: lifts, entrances, bin areas, litter collection.
• Deep/“spot” clean every 20 days.
• Admitted problems with ASB occurring after cleaning which delays resolution.
• Cleaning regime to change – two cleaners will now work together.
• Cleaning Charter available on Hackney website: https://hackney.gov.uk/estate-cleaning

Residents:

• Bramfield Court corridor reportedly not cleaned for months.
• Standards feel subjective – need agreed baseline.
• Specific pigeon issue: allotment gate and Wallington Court exterior access corridor heavily affected by droppings.

June (Housing Officer):

• Will share her estate inspection schedule with TRA.
• Invited residents to join inspections.

Action Points:

• Bernard & June to conduct a joint walk-around with TRA to set agreed baseline standards.
• June to circulate her inspection schedule to TRA members.
• Bernard to investigate pigeon issues and request pigeon spikes installation (allotment gate, Wallington Court).
• Residents to continue reporting cleaning issues via estate cleaning email address (Hackney).
• TRA to monitor changes following new two-cleaner regime.

3. Repairs

Lead: John Prestage (Hackney Repairs)

Agenda Items & Discussion:

• Lighting – Theobalds Court/ Flooded Area – Old Boiler Room
  • John confirmed he could not comment on lighting issues (he is carpenter background and not electrician).
  • Repairs system described as fragmented, emailing without a reference number or date risks requests being deleted.
  • Resident raised issue of a huge leak. Leak was fixed, but the repair left a large hole.
  • Concern: repairs often leave incomplete or poor-quality outcomes.
• Broken Courtyard Gates
  • Ongoing frustration with repeated issues not being resolved effectively.
• Communication & Oversight
  • Residents questioned: Who decides on the work? Who checks it has been carried out to standard?
  • Repairs system seen as “not fit for purpose” – siloed departments, no clear accountability.
  • Call centre staff often lack training and knowledge of estate complexities.
  • Strong concerns about value for money in service charges given repeated, unresolved repairs.
• Councillor Input
  • Cllr. Clare Potter asked that all repair issues be sent to her directly by residents.
  • Residents suggested escalating concerns to the Housing Ombudsman.

Residents’ Requests:

• OPTs time planner to attend next meeting.
• Ron Springer (Hackney Repairs) to be invited to attend.
• More training for Hackney call centre staff.
• Dedicated repairs overseer needed with full estate oversight.

Action Points:

• TRA to formally request OPTs (Manager at call centre) time planner’s attendance at the next meeting.
• TRA to invite Ron Springer (Hackney Repairs) to next meeting.
• Residents to feed ongoing repair issues to Cllr. Clare Potter for escalation.
• TRA to draft a letter to Hackney Council requesting:
  • clearer accountability and supervision of repairs,
  • improved call centre training,
  • dedicated estate-wide repairs oversight.
• Consider escalation to Housing Ombudsman if systemic issues persist.

4. Lifts

Lead: Cindy Crawford (Interim Lift Service Manager)
(Unable to attend – written responses promised. Presentation given by resident Karsten Hartmann.)

Discussion:

• Presentation & Report
  • Karsten Hartmann gave an overview of the lift maintenance report, stepping in due to council officer absence.
  • Thanks were extended to Karsten for undertaking this work on behalf of residents, effectively doing the council’s job.
  • Emley to circulate Karsten’s report to residents via email and WhatsApp.
• Persistent Failures & Design Issues
  • Residents highlighted that Hackney Council has failed to address the root causes of repeated lift breakdowns.
  • Design faults were identified in earlier meetings but remain unresolved, raising serious questions about whether newer block lifts are still under warranty and if design flaws are being properly addressed.
  • Residents noted that the same issues have persisted for years despite repeated reporting.
• Health & Safety Risks
  • Alarm buttons in lifts frequently fail to work.
  • There is no reliable mobile signal or emergency phone coverage inside lifts.
  • Residents reported women and babies trapped in lifts for hours without being able to call for help – a critical health and safety hazard.
  • Current failures represent not only an inconvenience but a significant risk to life and wellbeing, particularly for vulnerable residents.
• Accountability & Oversight
  • No evidence of a proper monitoring system or accountability structure to ensure repairs and servicing are carried out effectively.
  • Residents expressed frustration that they are forced to act as investigators and monitors, effectively doing the work of Hackney Council, while still facing increasing service charges and declining service levels.
  • The absence of the Lift Service Manager (Cindy Crawford) was seen as unacceptable given the seriousness of these ongoing issues.
• Escalation
  • Councillor Clare Potter to be sent the full lift maintenance report and resident accounts.
  • Residents raised the possibility of escalating matters to external regulators due to consistent failures in safety and service.

Action Points:

• Emley to circulate Karsten’s lift maintenance report to all residents (email and WhatsApp).
• Cindy Crawford (Lift Service Manager) to provide written responses to all lift-related questions (maintenance, design, warranty, accountability).
• TRA to request confirmation of whether lifts in newer blocks remain under warranty.
• Hackney Council to clarify:
  • Who is currently responsible for lift management and oversight.
  • What actions are being taken to address acknowledged design faults.
  • Timelines for resolving alarm and emergency coverage failures.
• TRA to prepare a formal letter highlighting lifts as a serious health & safety risk requiring urgent intervention.
• Councillor Clare Potter to receive the full report and resident testimonies for escalation within Hackney Council.
• TRA to consider escalation to the Health & Safety Executive (HSE) and/or the Housing Ombudsman if immediate and verifiable improvements are not made.

5. Homeownership & Service Charges

Leads: Josephine Burton & Laura Coombs (Hackney Homeownership Team)

Discussion:

• Role of the Homeownership Team
  • Josephine and Laura introduced themselves, explained their roles, and invited resident questions.
  • Stated that residents can dispute service charges, but this requires very specific detail and supporting evidence, which many residents find burdensome.
• Nature of Service Charges
  • Clarified that Hackney’s service charge is not for “service provided” as residents might expect, but rather a contribution towards the costs of works, utilities, and services (e.g. building insurance, cleaning, maintenance, management fees).
  • Residents challenged the fairness of rising charges given falling service standards.
• Accountability & Oversight
  • Residents expressed frustration at the lack of transparency or accountability over how charges are calculated and monitored.
  • Management fees were highlighted – residents asked how these are calculated. The team confirmed details are on Hackney’s website: https://hackney.gov.uk/service-charges.
  • Homeownership officers admitted they interact with many different council teams but do not always have the power to intervene directly. They agreed to feedback frustrations and issues.
• Structural Changes
  • A new Head of Service role has been created to focus on resolving systemic problems.
  • The team acknowledged that current systems are inadequate and that past failings were unacceptable.
  • New IT systems are being developed to provide more accurate costings, pricing, and transparency (particularly around reserve funds and future works).
• Specific Issues Raised by Residents
  • Lifts: Residents were told that obvious lift-related costs may not automatically be passed on to service charges, depending on circumstances.
  • CCTV: Residents questioned why they were still paying charges for CCTV when it had not been functioning.
  • Reserve Fund:
    • Residents asked how much was being held in the reserve fund for their specific flats/blocks.
    • Officers assured residents that the money exists but admitted they could not currently provide figures for individual buildings.
    • New IT systems are expected to resolve this, but no timeline was given.
    • Concern: historically the council did not operate reserve funds for Right-to-Buy leaseholders. Current reserve fund arrangements are presented as a “USP” (unique selling point), but residents remain unconvinced.
    • Reserve fund intended for major works (e.g. door replacement, roofs, lifts) but has not yet been utilised.
    • Residents expressed strong concern about the lack of financial systems, data gaps, and future planning (e.g. for major works expected around 2030).
  • Consultation & Engagement:
    • Residents frustrated that they have not been consulted on system changes or restructuring.
    • Questioned how improvements can be designed without resident input.
    • Noted that the Homeownership team does not always hear about issues raised at TRA meetings.
  • Complaints Procedure
    • Team reminded residents to use Hackney’s three-stage complaints system.
    • Residents responded that the complaints process often feels like a closed loop with no accountability or joined-up thinking, leaving them powerless.

Action Points:

• Homeownership team to feed residents’ frustrations and concerns back to senior management.
• Josephine & Laura to confirm when the new IT systems will provide transparent reserve fund data by block/estate.
• Hackney Council to clarify:
  • how management fees are calculated and justified,
  • how reserve fund contributions are held, tracked, and reported to leaseholders,
  • how residents will be consulted in restructuring/improvement processes.
• TRA to draft formal request for reserve fund statements by building/flat, with a clear timeline for delivery.
• TRA to escalate systemic concerns about lack of accountability to the Head of Service and consider raising with the Housing Ombudsman.
• Councillor Clare Potter to receive a summary of resident concerns for follow-up.

6. Anti-Social Behaviour (ASB)

Lead: Bianca Rembrandt (ASB Officer – Apologies sent)

Discussion:

• Noise Complaints
  • Ongoing concerns about noise disturbance from residents and events.
  • Specific mention of street parties continuing beyond permitted times, creating disruption and distress.
• Criminal Activity
  • Residents reminded that criminal activity must be reported directly to the police.
  • Next Police Safer Neighbourhoods meeting:
    St John’s Church
    15 October
    7pm
  • Residents strongly encouraged to attend and raise issues directly with police.
• Respect & Conduct
  • Chair reported receiving unfair treatment and personal attacks, including during discussions around ASB and noise.
  • Meeting reiterated that TRA operates on a voluntary basis, and respectful behaviour is essential.
  • Residents were reminded that living in a community requires mutual respect and consideration for neighbours.

Action Points:

• Residents to raise specific ASB and criminal activity concerns directly with the police at the 15 October meeting.
• Bianca Rembrandt to follow up with TRA on unresolved ASB cases at next meeting.
• TRA to restate rules of engagement at the start of future meetings to prevent personal attacks on volunteers.
• Explore possibility of joint estate walkabouts with ASB officer and Housing Officer to monitor persistent problem areas.

7. Any Other Business

• Bikes in the Lock-Up
  • Issue raised regarding abandoned or unclaimed bicycles in the estate lock-up areas.
  • June (Housing Officer) will develop a plan to address this, including:
    • Identifying and tagging bikes to determine ownership.
    • Setting a timeline for residents to claim their bikes.
    • Arranging removal of abandoned bicycles.
  • Residents were asked to allow June time to gain a full overview of the estate and its challenges, as she is newly in post.
  • June emphasised her commitment to effecting positive change on the estate but noted this will require both time and resident support.

Action Points:

• June to prepare and circulate a clear plan for dealing with bikes in the lock-ups (including process, timeline, and communication to residents).
• TRA to support June by encouraging residents to engage with the identification/claiming process.
• Review progress at the next TRA meeting.

Previous Information prior to meeting:

ETRA meetings are where residents can speak to Hackney officers about estate issues

What should we bring to the Council’s attention?
As your Tenants and Residents Association (TRA), we are responsible for setting the agenda and inviting the relevant council departments.

So far, we’re planning to raise the following key issues

* Pest control (mice, rats, mosquitoes)
* Lifts (maintenance and reliability)
* Cleaning (internal and external areas)
* Gardening (green space maintenance)
* Parking (use and enforcement across the estate)

Please let us know urgently if you have additional agenda items to add (email KingsCrescentN4@gmail.com)

The deadline for adding issues to the agenda is Monday 18 August to allow us time to invite the relevant Hackney representatives.

Please ensure any housing/estate issues you are raising have been reported to Hackney directly.

You can find details of relevant Hackney departments on the ESTATE page of this website

Update (28.08.2025):

We are still working on the agenda as we have not had confirmation from Hackney teams regarding who will be attending.

In attendace so far will be June Welcome the Estate Manager, and someone from Leasehold/Service Charges team.

Plus we will discuss ASB/community safety.

Issues raised with other specific departments but no reply yet:

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