Meeting 1/10/26

Residents’ Committee Update – We Need Your Support

Thank you to everyone who attended tonight’s meeting.

Tonight’s meeting was a little different from our usual committee meetings. The main purpose was to explain where the committee currently stands and, most importantly, to ask for more residents to get involved and support the work that is being carried out for the estate.

We Need More Support

The committee currently has fewer members than we need to effectively manage everything involved in looking after the estate.

Our existing committee members already have work, families and other commitments, as well as dealing with periods of ill health. We have also recently lost our Contract Coordinator.

Without additional support, there is a real risk that the committee will eventually have to fold and the estate may have to move to a factoring arrangement.

The estate covers approximately 28 acres, including the houses and surrounding grounds. There is a considerable amount of work involved in monitoring contracts, checking work that has been carried out and helping to ensure the estate continues to be maintained properly.

Contract Coordinator – The First Role We Need to Fill

One of the immediate roles that needs support is the Contract Coordinator.

This role does not necessarily need to be undertaken by one person. It could be split between several residents, making the commitment more manageable.

We also recognise that some of the work involved requires people with relevant knowledge or experience. We will therefore be putting together clearer job profiles for the various committee roles, explaining what is expected and what support may be required.

The aim is to make it easier for residents to understand what they would be taking on before volunteering.

Park PM and Factoring

Park PM currently acts as a payment collection agency. They do not provide the wider estate management and factoring support that would be required if the committee ceased operating.

Without a functioning committee and sufficient resident involvement, the estate may therefore have to move to a factor.

Our aim is to continue with the current community-led approach, but this can only happen if more residents are willing to contribute.

Communication With Residents

A number of questions were raised about how the committee communicates with residents.

There was some confusion about the website and Facebook, with some residents saying they were not aware of the website.

The committee currently uses the website to provide information, and the website is promoted on our flyers when they are distributed.

We previously had a Facebook page, but unfortunately this had to be taken down because it was not being used appropriately.

We are looking at creating a new informative Facebook page, with the intention that it would be used to provide information and updates rather than becoming a platform for arguments or inappropriate comments.

We also understand that not everyone will be able to attend meetings. Shift work, family commitments, security concerns and other responsibilities can all make attending difficult.

We therefore need to continue looking at the best ways of keeping everyone informed and making it easier for residents to contact the committee.

Contacting the Council

Residents can contact the council directly regarding issues such as roads.

The council's website also has a Contact Us facility for reporting relevant issues.

A Reminder About Respect

A question was raised about whether Rob might return to the committee.

Unfortunately, the answer is no. Rob has had enough of people coming to his door and shouting at him.

We want to be very clear that people should not be going to committee members' homes to confront them.

Everyone involved in the estate has the right to be treated with respect. If the committee has employed someone or obtained professional advice about an issue, we would ask residents to respect that advice and allow the committee to deal with matters appropriately.

Abusive or aggressive behaviour towards volunteers is unacceptable. It also makes it much harder to encourage other residents to come forward and get involved.

Why We Need Volunteers

The flyer sent out last month was intended to encourage residents to come forward and become involved.

The reality is straightforward: if we cannot get more residents to help, the committee may eventually have to fold.

We understand that one meeting time will never suit everyone.

We are asking for approximately one hour per month, with meetings currently held on the first Thursday of each month.

There are also opportunities to help with specific tasks rather than becoming heavily involved in every aspect of the committee.

Even a small amount of support from a number of residents could make a significant difference.

Back to Basics

The message from tonight's meeting was essentially about getting back to basics:

• More residents supporting the committee.

• Clearer job descriptions for committee roles.

• Sharing responsibilities rather than relying on a small number of people.

• Better communication with residents.

• Making sure contracts and work carried out on the estate are properly monitored.

• Encouraging respectful communication between residents and committee members.

• Ensuring the estate continues to be maintained to a good standard.

The current committee is doing everything it can to keep the estate looking good and running effectively, but we cannot do this indefinitely with such a small number of people.

We Need You

If you have skills, experience, time or simply a willingness to help, please consider getting involved.

You do not necessarily need to take on a major role. We are looking at ways of splitting responsibilities between several people so that the workload is manageable.

Please contact the committee if you have questions, would like more information about a role, or would like to offer your help.

Our Next Meeting

Our next committee meeting will be:

Thursday 5th November

We would really encourage anyone who is interested in helping the estate, even for just an hour a month, to come along.

The committee can only continue with the support of the residents it represents.