Phil Waite

Proud dad & grandad. Footie fan. Long career in the chemical industry, consultant & management coach (retired)

[Phil Waite @philwaite]

@EOCS_Official @NLC_2019 @mhclg @AngelaRayner 💯

[Phil Waite @philwaite]

@LostInSW19 @SteveReedMP 💯

[Matt Lismore @MattLismore]

It is worth noting, that one of the main beneficiaries of @MayorofLondon’s GLA housing grants are @lbbdcouncil

The funding is contingent on the adherence to the service charges charter mentioned by the mayor here.

@lbbdcouncil have been found at first tier tribunal to be overcharging shared owners in “affordable housing” funded by the GLA, by 20% on their service charges, in a clear violation of their service charge charter.

There has been absolutely no consequence for @lbbdcouncil - The GLA are aware of this, but have done nothing to hold the council to account.

@tomcopley - you and I have spoken about this on numerous occasions extensively at city hall, is there anything you can do about this?

[Matt Lismore @MattLismore]

If we can’t resolve this issue for @dannybster then we have no business building any more homes.

It simply wouldn’t be responsible.

[Welsh Cladiators @WelshCladiators]

Please don’t forget that Dan is a constituent of PM @Keir_Starmer. Yes, the PM who we understand has done very little to help Dan in his life altering horror situation. Dan is a decent upstanding citizen whose life is trashed by the toxic 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿building ecosphere. SOS @ukcag

[meena @meena77531087]

@SteveReedMP So why is my mortgage interest on an un remediated flat 8.9%? Lenders don’t like a failed EWS1. @EOCS_Official @AskNationwide Have you spoken to lenders? Why is my insurance sky high? Have you spoken to insurers? Can you do the real work instead of spouting headlines? @UKLabour

[Phil Waite @philwaite]

@HarryScoffin @justinmadders @UKLabour https://t.co/Itpnwb9yGw

[Phil Waite @philwaite]

@HarryScoffin @philip_chapman1 @justinmadders @UKLabour Currently 13,400 signatures with 100,000 the target to hopefully trigger a full debate. July ‘26 deadline but the sooner the better. With millions of people affected it really should be reachable. Share the link with everyone you know who will help deliver the promised reforms.

[Phil Waite @philwaite]

@HarryScoffin @philip_chapman1 @justinmadders @UKLabour Harry, your tireless work on this topic is very much appreciated. We desperately need ALL leaseholders (+ their friends & families) to get actively involved & at least sign this petition that would force a debate in parliament.

https://t.co/dudC2ucf2X

[Harry Scoffin @HarryScoffin]

DON’T WAVE THE WHITE FLAG ON PEPPERCORN GROUND RENTS 🏳️

I find it baffling that one of Labour’s rebel leaders, @justinmadders, is already surrendering on peppercorn ground rents while the fight is ongoing with this @UKLabour government.

Labour rightly condemned the last Tory government for calling a snap election to avoid peppercorning existing residential ground rents, caving to deep-pocketed vested interests who understood that peppercorns destroy the leasehold asset class in other people’s homes.

On ground rents, go big or go home!

You are going to get sued anyway if you impose a £250 per annum cap.

If ground rents are truly money-for-nothing, as the Competition and Markets Authority determined in 2024, then leaseholders should pay nothing.

We elect politicians to govern for the common good, not to worry about how lobbyists might weaponise lawfare against government.

At the election, Labour promised in its manifesto to END leasehold.

But that means striking at the heart of the racket: ground rents.

These are charges levied on captive leaseholders that deliver no service, no benefit, just pure profit for freeholders.

Service charges are different. They are meant for the insuring and upkeep of a block of flats.

Labour should be taking on these modern serfdom contracts, not falling for sector lobbyists and their privity of contract nonsense.

There is a reason why leaseholds have been excluded from unfair contract terms legislation and consumer rights law more generally.

These money-for-nothing ground rents were imposed by powerful players exploiting the huge asymmetry of information against far weaker parties, homebuyers, who are not active in this market every week like developers and their outriders, such as recommended panel solicitors.

Strasbourg or the ECHR should not be a concern for a government that believes in doing right by the people.

Reducing ground rents to a peppercorn regulates property use, it does not deprive freeholders of ownership. The freeholds remain theirs, they are just worth less than yesterday.

When Margaret Thatcher defended Labour’s 1967 leasehold legislation against the freeholders, her government won at Strasbourg.

Ground rent grazers should have invested in something productive, not socially toxic, literally snapping up the ground beneath homeowners’ feet and monetising it under a coercive legal structure they arrogantly thought Parliament would leave alone.

Remember, in October the government won at the High Court against the freeholder lobby, who tried to weaponise the ECHR against the 2024 Act.

The High Court confirmed that Parliament has a wide margin of appreciation in social and economic policy, including the power to interfere with leases even when doing so reduces the value of freeholders’ so-called assets.

Madders should stop the hand-wringing about peppercorns and return to his previous stance, as leaseholders need maximalism against a multibillion-pound industry that will be jumping on any remarks about legal risks.

Never accept your opponents’ framing.

[Phil Waite @philwaite]

@mtpennycook Honestly, you either truly don’t know how deeply this matter impacts LH’s & therefore need to get yourself informed or you do have the full facts & are shamefully damaging tens of thousands of people’s futures. Which?

@HarryScoffin @hilarybennmp @michaelgove

[Phil Waite @philwaite]

@HarryScoffin Should LH’s occupying flats with crippling fire-safety issues prioritise ‘remediation’ or ‘LH reform’?

I’m concerned that prioritising ‘LH reform’ might well add complexity & delay for the management & financing of remediation. I don’t want to own a worthless home.

[Phil Waite @philwaite]

@Victoria_Spratt Build-baby-build!
Thousands trapped in flats they can’t sell due to fundamental fire-safety defects. Innocent victims of a conspiracy between developers, building inspectors, regulators & parliament.

Invigorate the mkt by freeing this layer of the ladder. Remove fear & risk.

[Phil Waite @philwaite]

@BMancunia @mhclg 💯

[Phil Waite @philwaite]

@10DowningStreet How can you justify using gov time & energy for this side-show when literally thousands of citizens are, every single day, living in unsafe, unsalable buildings? Compel developers to immediately remediate unsafe buildings & free up the first rungs of the ladder. @EOCS_Official

[Phil Waite @philwaite]

@mtpennycook Seriously, please resolve the life draining backlog of cladding remediation for all those who innocently bought apartments from ‘reputable’ developers that are now re-tested & are considered dangerous. How do you sleep? We don’t!!!

[Phil Waite @philwaite]

@RebeccaEm78 @SteveReedMP @EOCS_Official Disgusting that Labour boots fire safety remediation into the long grass.

Thousands of trapped LH’s paying hugely increased charges. Many can’t pay but also can’t sell until remediation completed.

‘Build Baby Build’ puts gov ‘in hock’ to the developers responsible for the mess

[Rebecca @RebeccaEm78]

Morning @SteveReedMP.

Have you / will you be meeting @EOCS_Official?

How is remediation going nationally for all heights?

#endourcladdingscandal
#justiceforleaseholders #lifebehindscaffold

[Dominic Ahern @dominicahern]

@dannybster Or Pennywise maybe?

[Dan Bruce @dannybster]

Pound store seems a bit rich, more like a penny sweet.