Today both Housing Minister Grant Shapps and Siobhan McGrath, the senior barrister who presides over the Leasehold Valuation Tribunal system, face the cameras as part of the Channel Four Dispatches documentary into leasehold.
The programme will be shown on August 20. A second Dispatches programme on retirement leasehold is also nearing completition, although it has not been scheduled a date for broadcast. The following week, August 27, has been suggested, however.
Both Leasehold Knowledge Partnership and Campaign against retirement leasehold exploitation have assisted the programmes, as has the Charter Quay Residents’ Association.
Coinciding with the August 20 documentary is the publication of the liberal centre think tank CentreForum’s study of leasehold. It urges an independent regulator for leasehold property management and reform of the LVTs, which are weighted in favour of well resourced landlords and their lawyers.
It urges the more widespread promotion of the right to manage process, and commonhold as a substitute for leasehold property tenure.
After three years – and much fudging – the Office of Fair Trading investigation into exit fees will be announced between August 20-30. It is promised to be a “substantive announcement”.
Did anyone see the newspaper article written by Charles Clover in the Sunday Times on 28 Oct 2012? Headed “I see the white flat on the ministers housing bulldozer?” And “The Zombie Policy staggers on evicting old ladies from their homes”.
Referring to the Pathfinder Policy, Shapps admits the policy’s failure in the Commons on November 24 last year. Yet he did something ASTONISHING. He signed off a further £35 million of his department’s money for destruction of 5,000 additional homes.