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Security breaches
• AS a leaseholder on the Quaker Court estate in Finsbury, I have grown increasingly concerned about its new security system.
The key fob security system is no more secure than the previous key/lock system as there are multiple breaches of security weekly and reported faults.
Children and adults can simply jump over the gates and insert stones and sticks in the door to let more people in.
I have requested facts, figures and information in regard to this major work from my Tenant Management Organisation (TMO) and from Homes for Islington (HfI) over the past few months.
As a leaseholder, I was charged £1,004. The Quaker Court TMO received an independent estimate from a security firm for £28,446.
Since HfI is a partner with Kier, which did the work, our estate and many others like it are unable to receive value for money and fair competition.
I understand that as soon as an estate decides to go ahead with work, HfI project-manages the work under a framework agreement. This ensures HfI and its framework contractor exclusive rights to the projects, therefore passing the costs onto the leaseholders of Islington.
EC1 New Deal is a partner with HfI, which is a partner with Kier.
Any funding that comes from EC1 New Deal can only be used for major work under the framework agreement.
This is a quote from a HfI employee I requested information from: “In regard to using the £50k from EC1 New Deal for another tender, this would have been possible but Kier is our designated partner when undertaking door-entry schemes so they were employed to manage the scheme.” The final works bill came to £84,851.
My concern is that HfI has cut out fair competition, along with its partners EC1 New Deal and Kier. Leaseholders in Islington deserve value for money, especially in these times of economic crisis, and they should not be used primarily as a money-generating machine.
HAI HOANG
EC1
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