With the charges coming out this morning, we wanted to share an update on behalf of the small group who have been working on the FirstPort (FP) issues so far.

First, thank you to everyone who has raised concerns and complaints directly with FP, with Tony Vaughan’s office, and through other routes. It all helps, and we really appreciate the time people have put in.

On 6 February we attended a meeting where FP and Taylor Wimpey (TW) were both present. The meeting notes are available in the Shorncliffe Heights residents’ group. In short, it was a disappointing meeting. FP were not able to answer key questions clearly (particularly around finances) and asked for more time to come back with proper information. We challenged this in the meeting, as residents have been asking for clarity for a long time.

TW’s position in the meeting was that queries relating to the BDTA should be directed to FP, and that TW did not instruct FP to collect funds previously. However, TW also stated the matter has now been handed over, and collection can begin. It was also raised that refunds should be issued. Tony Vaughan and residents asked that this is addressed urgently, and FP have taken this away to respond to.

Because of where we are now, it’s become clear we need to formalise a residents committee so we can progress things together, consistently, and with one voice.

Why do we need a residents committee?

A residents committee gives Shorncliffe Heights one clear, organised voice, whether you are a freeholder or a leaseholder. It means we can gather evidence in one place, keep a shared log of problems and billing queries (including that many of us still have not received fully signed off, itemised invoices since 2022), and make coordinated requests for clarity and action. It also makes it easier for FP, TW, the council and our MP to engage with us properly. Most importantly, it spreads the workload and ensures the whole development is represented, not just a few individuals.

Please bear with us as this is new for many of us. We have drafted a constitution (values, roles, dos and don’ts etc.) which is being finalised and will be shared on our socials shortly.

To get things moving quickly, the current working group will temporarily fill the required roles so we can set up the admin and formalise the committee.

Once membership is open, we will hold a wider development vote for roles, and anyone who joins and wants to put themselves forward will be able to do so.

Even if you do not want a formal role, we still need residents to join and engage where possible. We will be arranging a small number of meetings so residents can stay informed and vote on key actions.

Essentially – we are already doing a lot of this, but we need to formalise it now so we can progress.

Reminders

• Please keep sharing updates in the WhatsApp group, if you need the link to join, let me know.
• To log issues (this is for our use only) and continue to log via First Port as this will help us monitor their performance:
• Please register here
• If you speak to neighbours who are not in this group, please signpost them if they want to be involved.

We know this is time consuming and exhausting alongside everyday life, but we hope that a formal residents committee will give us more structure and more clout over the coming months.

Thanks again for your continued support, and we hope to work with many of you on the committee going forward.