Inadequate Door Security
As a provider of homes and collector of a service charge it shouldn’t be too much to request and expect GreenSquareAccord to provide adequate security to their buildings.
If a security issue was raised by the residents, local council officials and the police how long should it take for GreenSquareAccord to rectify this issue?
The issues that arise from GreenSquareAccord not providing adequate doors.
Here is a trail of emails and letters to and from GreenSquareAccord discussing this ongoing issue.
An email sent by a resident of Maureen Christian House dated 26th August 2016
There were no changes made to the fob system and to our knowledge nobody was ‘buzzing’ people in due to the reported offences, nor were residents allowing people to enter behind them.
Extract of email sent 17th April 2019
Response from Julianne Britton (Head of Customer Services) dated 18th April 2019
This ongoing issue also formed part of an official complaint and was acknowledged and a timeframe put in place by Ruth Cooke
Magnets to communal entrance doors too weak allowing door to be pulled open – target date for resolution Mid-September. - Ruth Cooke 19th September 2019
Door security I know there have been issues with non-residents entering the block of flats which has been ongoing for some time without a permanent fix being implemented. I understand this to be due to the magnets on the doors having weakened over time and can now be pushed open if enough force is used. Sharon is currently investigating some different options to overcome this and all residents will be updated about these by Zoe and Sharon the end of September 2020, so we can all agree a way forward. - Official complaint response 20th September 2020
An email to Anneliese Dodds regarding this issue
The only person who didn’t seem to think the weakened door magnets were an issue was Claire Cook (Interim Service charge and Leasehold Manager) who wrote on 17th November 2020:
I wanted to let you know that we sent a contactor out on Thursday last week to check the door following the youths getting in the building, but as it was not broken no repair was needed. Zoe also attended the block last week with our specialist contractor to review the security issues surrounding the external front door. They tested the security of the door by trying to force entry into the building, but weren’t able to do so as the door stayed latched. As you know we are considering options around the doors as part of the Section 20 Consultation.
We were subsequently able to obtain some footage of the youths entering the building. The CCTV footage seems to show that rather than forcing the door, they either had access to a fob or were let in by another resident. We will of course be passing this information to the Police so they can formally request the CCTV footage – we are not able to give them this without a formal request and this sometimes delays us being able to provide it. We will also be writing to residents to let them know about this and remind them not to allow people access to the building via a fob or by letting them in.
Now it is noteworthy to add that members of the senior management team have (in an internal email) shown concern for Ms Cook’s lack of empathy. Her response is worrying as not only did Ms Cook ignore all the previous recommendations, she also actively disagreed with the outcome of the official complaint.
When we look at the wage of a Leasehold Officer based in Chippenham (as advertised on the GreenSquareAccord website) they earn between £31,851 - £35,035 + £750 Car Allowance per annum (depending on skills and experience) we can safely assume that GreenSquareAccord (a not-for-profit organisation) pay Claire Cook in her role as an interim manager (who lacks empathy and hinders the outcome the progress of an official complaint) more than £35k per annum.
Additionally in the August 2021 Newsletter published by GreenSquareAccord they still acknowledged that this must ‘still be distressing’ for the residents of Maureen Christian House. This was five years after the issue was first raised, almost two years since Ruth Cook had agreed a timeframe of September 2019, and almost a year since the official complaint had been closed by GreenSquareAccord with an agreed action on 20th September 2020.
Back to our original question - If a security issue was raised by the residents, local council officials and the police how long should it take for GreenSquareAccord to rectify this issue?
At least five years.
We will update you once the residents of Maureen Christian House have doors that keep non-residents out.
