KINGSHOLM TENANTS CONSULTATIVE COMMITTEE
We were founded on Friday June 10, 1966 as the Kingsholm Redevelopment Residents Association. Despite a name change three years ago, the group has been serving the Kingsholm estate continually for 33 years. The first meeting was recorded in the Minute Book …
MINUTES OF INAUGUARL MEETING OF KINGSHOLM REDEVELOPMENT RESIDENTS' ASSOCIATION HELD IN THE YMCA HALL ON FRIDAY JUNE 10, 1966
Present: 15 Residents
Meeting Commenced at 7.35 p.m. with Mr. Grey in the chair.
| Chairman's Remarks | Mr. Grey stated that it seemed a hopeless position with 65 per cent of tenants not interested. It was suggested by Mr. Baldwin that the tenants be advised of the shocking "turnout" at the meeting. It was also suggested that a second letter be sent to the 52 tenants who did not reply to the first invitation. The suggestion was made that the tenants of the maisonettes be included, but Mr. Glanville proposed – | |
| THAT the Association be solely for Clapham Court. | ||
| SECONDED by Mr. Halliday | ||
| The motion was put to the meeting, resulting in – | ||
| 9 in favour 5 against 1 abstention |
||
| A provision was made that when the Association gets going the maisonettes be included. | ||
| Assistance | Mr. Glanville suggested that a few gentlemen give some assistance to Mr. Grey in trying to get the interest of the tenants; this was supported by Mr. Halliday. The following arrangement were made – | |
| Mr. Bull to canvas floors 1
& 2 Mr. Baldwin to canvas floors 3 & 4 Mr. Grey to canvas floors 5 & 10 Mr. Glanville to canvas floors 7 & 8 Mr. Halliday to canvas floors 6 & 9 |
||
| Finance | Mrs. Seed suggested that all present contribute towards the cost of hiring the hall for the evening. An amount of £1-1-0 was paid for the hire of hall, leaving a balance of 4/9d. | |
| Committee Officers | Mr. Grey asked if all were agreed that the election of a Working Committee be left in abeyance pending stronger membership of the Association. This was unanimously agreed by all present. | |
| There being no further business the meeting closed at 8.30 p.m. | ||
Financial note: £1-1-0 (or "a guinea") is now £1.05 (or about $US1.70): 4/9d is now about 24p (or about 42 US cents).
Considerable water has flowed under the bridge since then!
However, many of the problems that residents were forced to supper in the Sixties are still major areas of concern today. Back in 1967, there the minutes record problems with parking on the estate. Parking is still an issue!
Thirty years ago, the concerns were about lorries parking. Today, it is all about cars!
There are some 120 car parking spaces for the residents of 298 homes (mostly flats). But this is not a "normal" housing estate as recent research has shown that just under 10 per cent of homes here have cars – a very low percentage when compared with the Gloucester average, let alone the British or European Union averages.
Being virtually in the centre of town, all this spare car parking capacity has been "discovered" by motorists who drive into town to go to work or to go shopping. Yes, there is a plentiful supply of free car parking! This in turn brings problems like the supermarket shopping trolleys that are abandoned on the estate by these motorists.
Unfortunately, the Gloucester City Council Housing Department appears to be reluctant to tap into car parking charges as a source of income – we have estimated that there is £500 a week to be earned from "contract parking" on about half of the parking spaces. We even offered to assist is this respect (car parking was part of our Tenant Management Organisation development plan, which floundered, thanks to the City Council!).
Like most estates in this country, we are experiencing what is called "anti-social behaviour" – or "neighbours from hell", a the tabloid newspapers put it. Some 75 per cent of our residents are elderly (over 60). But there are a considerable number of young single people being housed on the estate. Talk about a potential for a clash in lifestyle!
Not all the young people who move in cause problems. In fact most fit into our community. It is the few who turn out to be the "neighbour from hell" – and the main reason is noise.
However, we work closely with the Noise Abatement Officer of the Gloucester City Council Environmental Services Department in a bid to stop the loud music, often played well into the night.
In 1998, a 20-years old tenant on the estate, Mark Green, was convicted in Gloucester Magistrates Court of three noise offences. He chose not to defend himself and was convicted in his absence. He was fined £1,000 for the first offence, £2,000 for the second and £4,000 for the third - a total of £7,000 plus over £1,000 costs.
Despite the conviction (the fines were subsequently reduced to £0!), Mark Green continued to play loud music and eventually he was evicted. The night before his eviction, he "trashed" his bed sit flat causing £1,000s of damage.
His case was the subject of a segment in the second series of Carlton's Television's "Neighbours From Hell", screened in January 1999.
The council continues to house "neighbours from hell" on the estate. The TCC is currently working closely with the Gloucestershire Police and the City Council in attempting to improve the standards of behaviour of a small minority of tenants.
In addition, the TCC is trying to get the City Council to invoke some of the powers that recent leglislation has given it to combat the "neighbour from hell".