As a flat owner and resident of Commercial Wharf, I’m deeply committed to making a meaningful and lasting difference in our community.

With a background in IT and working from home most days, I bring a strong local presence and a practical, solutions-focused mindset that I believe will benefit our group.

Like many of you, I’ve grown increasingly frustrated by L&Q’s ongoing failure to address key concerns—missing important meetings, offering little transparency, and presiding over service charges that have risen by more than 80% in the past decade. These issues have motivated me to step forward as an interim director of the new Right to Manage (RTM) company.

I truly believe that if enough of us support this RTM initiative, we can reclaim some control, improve how our building is managed, and ensure we’re getting real value for the money we pay.

I’ve lived in the De Beauvoir area since the Nineties, and for years I thought how lovely it would be to live by the canal, but never thought I actually would. Then one day I saw the basin development going up, and I enquired, and I was in the sales office on the morning they went on sale and was lucky to find a property that I could just about afford. I had 10 very happy years living in Canal Wharf, until life circumstances took me overseas, but I still feel a strong connection to the place.

I am committed to being on the interim board to see through the change of management because I feel we can all get a much better deal from an agent that we choose, and we can all be more in control. Like many of us, I’m sick and tired of the lack of transparency and accountability from L&Q.  I want to make sure that we all have a say in how the buildings are maintained, and all feel a sense of ownership.

I’m very grateful to everyone who has served on the residents’ association committee over the last 13 years, particularly the two Chairs (you know who you are!). I feel that, now the cladding is finally done, it’s a good time to start afresh and manage the buildings in the way that we want.

Hi, I’m Mike and I’m stepping up as a director to help set up our Right to Manage (RTM) company—because I believe we deserve better.

After working for a decade as a designer and then spending 20 years as a practising artist, I’ve now embarked on a PhD journey. Originally from East London I currently live in St Leonards on the South Coast, but Hackney  is still very much in my heart. 

Like many of you, I’ve grown increasingly frustrated with the state of our building’s upkeep and the escalating service charges that too often come with no clear explanation or reasonable results. I know I’m not alone in this. One of the most troubling issues for me was when my own flat was damaged due to a leak in the communal hallway. Despite my urgency to resolve it, I couldn’t act independently—it was in the communal hallway, and I had to rely on the managing agents. It took four days for them to respond, and the resulting damage required nine months of drying out and restoration without adequate Insurance. No resident should have to go through that.

This experience—and hearing so many similar stories through the group chats—made it clear to me: we need change. A long time ago I worked within a social housing context, and, to my surprise, I’ve seen the systemic issues and the layers of corruption and inefficiency that often sit behind facades of social responsibility. These patterns seem to be repeating themselves even in private buildings like ours, where large sums are spent on contracts, repairs, and services—but with little oversight or evidence that the money is being spent wisely or with our best interests at heart.

What’s missing is accountability, transparency, and a real sense of community ownership. That’s why I’ve taken on the challenge of forming our RTM company—not because I think I should do it forever (in fact, I hope someone who lives in the building and feels just as passionately as I do will eventually take over), but because we need to start somewhere.

We’re not just tenants or owners—we're residents who care about where we live. We have a stake in this building. We want it maintained well, managed responsibly, and governed by people who live here, know the issues first hand, and are committed to improving things for everyone.

Through this RTM process, we can take back control. We can have direct influence and make our own decisions and most importantly hire and fire the managing agents if necessary. Above all, we can ensure that every pound we spend delivers real value, and that decisions are made openly, with input from the people who actually live here.

I believe in building a better future for our home—one that reflects our shared values of transparency, collaboration, and care. If you believe the same, let’s come together and take this step forward. Together, we can make not just a place we live—but a place we’re proud to call our own.

Together we CAN draw a line and take a Stand for Resident-Led Change