Mona moan

BROKEN fencing in the play park is among the concerns for (from left) Mike Kendrick, Councillor Colin McLaren and Paul Smith

Estate charges soar but no work done, say residents

ANGRY residents say they are forking out soaring maintenance charges for work that is not being done on their Chadderton estate.

And they have been slapped with legal costs for withholding their payments in protest.

Annual bills from the management company responsible for the Mona Road estate have risen from £50-£75 to £104-£130 in five years.

But residents have a catalogue of complaints about alleged “substandard” work.

They say the street lights are not working, litter bins are not emptied often enough and £700 was spent on two grit bins which were not refilled.

Other concerns include parking problems, dog dirt, grass cutting, drainage and the children’s park which has dangerous broken equipment and vandalised fencing.

The development was built five years ago and Shrewsbury-based HML is responsible for maintenance.

Local councillor Colin McLaren has helped to form a residents’ association because of concerns and said: “It appears that over a period of time HML has significantly failed to meet its contractual obligations to maintain the estate.”

HML set up Ramsay Mill Property Company and all residents are shareholders. But annual shareholders meetings have not taken place, directors have been replaced and residents have had no say in how the management fee is spent.

Residents’ group secretary Mike Kendrick refused to pay his £130 maintenance fee in full until he received assurances that work would be carried out.

He received no reply for two months, but the bill was subsequently increased to £379.07 to include legal fees, interest and other charges.

Mr Kendrick later paid the original charge — but his cheques were returned and he has been been threatened with legal action for the full £379.07.

He said: “It seems a little bit extreme the way it has been handled — bullying almost.

“When you buy a property you do not expect to be faced with these increases which are way above inflation, especially when there is no evidence of work being done.”

Home Watch chairman Paul Smith also withheld part of his £104 fee before paying on the same day as Mr Kendrick. But he has not had his cheques returned and has not been threatened with action to recover legal costs.

He said: “In the last four years we have hardly seen any work on the estate.”

A spokesman for Countrywide Estate Management, of which HML is a subsidiary, said the situation would be reviewed.