5 year ballot FAQs

Background

Bancroft Tenant Management Co Operative (BTMC) is a Tenant Management Organisation, we have been managing the estate since 1994 on behalf of Tower Hamlets Council.

What is TMO?

TMO is a democratic group of Tenants, Leaseholders and Owner Occupiers who have taken over the running of their properties under the Right to Manage legislation. BTMC employ professional staff to manage the Housing Management functions such as Repairs, Estate Services (Caretaking & Grounds Maintenance), all aspects of Tenancy Management, Voids & Lettings and low level Anti-Social Behaviour.

Our management agreement with the Council says that every five years we must ask all tenants and leaseholders registered at the property whether or not they are happy for BTMC to continue to manage the estate for another five years.

Why vote YES?

Here are some of the reasons you should ‘VOTE YES’ for BTMC to continue to manage your estate and provide housing management services.

Accessible

  • Local office, therefore accessible five days a week, Monday – Friday. You can visit in person or phone us. The office deals with an average of 500 personal visits each year. Tower Hamlets Council (LBTH) doesn’t provide local offices.
  • We answer phone calls quickly and you know who you are talking to whereas the Council has a call centre where often you have to wait a long time for the phone to be answered and will not know who you are talking to.

Local decision making

  • Decisions are made at a local level by the Board members who actually live here on Bancroft Estate! Resident Board Members who are residents like yourself set the priorities for the year ahead and set a budget tailored to local needs.

Excellent services

  • Providing an excellent housing management service to residents is BTMC’s priority.
  • We are a small but dedicated office team with five staff members (5 out of 6) Chartered institute of Housing qualified.
  • Four out of six staff speak Sylheti and are therefore able to communicate effectively with the largest ethnic group on our estate and provide information and advice in a format that meets their needs.
  • We are far more flexible on appointments and for tenants most emergency jobs such as leaks are completed within an hour or so of being reported. Maintenance Contractors are selected on the basis that they provide the best service for BTMC.
  • We have an in-house Estate Services Team with four Caretakers who are approachable, friendly and diligent in their approach to improving the cleanliness on the estate.
  • We are always looking at ways to provide value for money for our residents. In the past five years we have not stopped painting, the estate has changed colour from black to blue. The savings we make from using resources such the Community Payback is reinvested into the estate.
  • In our endeavours to ‘Designing out Crime’ we have improved the coverage of lighting on the estate and taken action such as replacing walls with bollards/installing railing on low level walls to stop youth loitering. Gallows gates have been added which has resulted in a noticeable decrease in youth related ASB and fly tipping.
  • Our safe and secure bike shelters are far cheaper and have more shelters than any other equivalent Council estate.

Fighting your corner & not giving up

  • Today we are one of the very few areas within LBTH estates who will retain and have upgraded CCTV. This is because when LBTH switched off our cameras and told us they were withdrawing our CCTV provision we disagreed and enlisted support from our Solicitors to prove that this decision was not in line with the agreement we had signed.
  • BTMC has successfully made planning appeals that were not in the interest of our community. Examples includes making sure our views are taken into account on developments such as Mantus Road that would have an impact on the lives of those living on our estate.
  • BTMC campaigned successfully for new fans to be installed during external major works program.

Bringing the community together

  • Our Community Garden is a huge success with over 30 families engaged in growing their own crops. We have bigger plots at a far cheaper cost than that levied on LBTH estates.
  • Other community activities and involvement includes a carom club for the elderly group, women’s coffee morning, annual events such as summer coach trips to various places (Zoo, seaside etc.) which are subsidised by BTMC and therefore provides residents excellent Value For Money.
  • In the past five years we have successfully secured funding from amongst others, National Lottery, Violia, Wakefield & Tetley Trust, City Bridge Trust. We continue to try to secure funding for projects where it benefits our residents.

Cheaper Service Charges than Equivalent LBTH Estates

BTMC is paid an allowance for the functions it manages which is the same as what it would cost LBTH to run the same services. We have consistently achieved a comfortable surplus each year and continue to achieve better Value for Money.

Yes. The council remains the landlord. BTMC simply continues managing the housing management functions on behalf of Tower Hamlets Council.

No. BTMC has nothing to do with the setting of rents. As the council remains the landlord, rent setting is still their responsibility.

No. You will still have the same rights you do now including the Right to Buy.

No. The confidentiality rules remain in place. No Board member is privy to information about individuals. Information such as rent payment are only available to paid relevant professional staff such as the Manager, Housing Officer who adhere to GDPR and Data Protection rules.

No. BTMC must adhere to the same systems that are used by Tower Hamlets Council. BTMC manages void works and the viewing of properties.

No. BTMC get a budget (allowance) for every housing management function it provides on behalf of the council. BTMC either contract out a specific service or employ someone direct.
These decisions are made by BTMC Board, which is resident led – ultimately the residents get to choose!

The day to day allowance comes from the Housing Department within Tower Hamlets Council. The Board of BTMC then set a budget for various housing management functions.

No. BTMC is obliged to be non-party political in all its activities and not associated with any political parties.

If the majority of secure tenants responding do not wish BTMC to continue managing, a second ballot can be held within three months. If the majority remain determined for the BTMC not to continue, the management of the properties will be transferred to London Borough of Tower Hamlets and you will lose your local services provided from the BTMC local office.

A continuation ballot of all residents living in a property managed by BTMC will be taking place in November 2024.
It is very important you vote YES. BTMC can only continue managing your estate and provide local services if you vote YES to keep the TMC.