South Lakeland Parks (SLP) Forum

Meeting with Kevin Walsh 13/5

I met Kevin this week, for the first time and we discussed how best to represent the interests of SLP owners.
Kevin is responsible for setting up the independent SLP Owners forum and with his members’ on Fallbarrow and White Cross Bay has been successful ly challenging the SLP management team on a number of contract issues.
It’s clear to me that Kevin and the forum are focused purely upon ensuring SLP demonstrate to Owners the ‘value for money’ with respect to annual site fees and charging for rates/utilities. Kevin has no commercial interests - he does not rent lodges as a business nor does he promote a commercial website/forum.
Kevin is keen to expand Owner members of the forum and ensure we have the widest possible representation amongst the SLP owner community. He like myself has read the Home Owners Act and believes in the need to establish an Owners Committee – the Act requires 50%+ Owner membership support for the Committee to be recognised.
Kevin and myself discussed how we can best encourage Owners to engage in the Southlakelandowners forum and listed below are our suggestions:
• The forum has to focus upon one key issue for the Owners which we believe is the ‘ to ensure SLP management team deliver according to the contract with Owners’ . I appreciate the fact that some of use ( me included ) don’t have a contract but essentially we need to work to the annual licence agreement’

• The forum should engage Owners by other means that an internet forum and ideally via email which is the favourite environment for the Lodgers members . I suggested a monthly newsletter which can be emailed to Owners and any feedback send back via email.

• The forum initiates a campaign to recruit more Owners by circulating an invitation letter to all Owners across the SLP parks

• The forum elects a Committee with ‘elected’ representatives from each SLP park

I must admit that this year I have become much more relaxed about the ownership issues partly out of being busy with other property investments and from suffering SLP fatigue! Following my conversation with Kevin I feel far more ‘concerned’ and energised! Why?

• SLP management team are now having to cover a monthly interest bill of £500k ...anybody who is a Man United fan will know this problem! The new owners are having to cover the interest charges on their £120m purchase cost
• SLP management team are being ‘stretched’ to deliver the new targets ( they are no longer Directors) and will be looking for ways to
o Reduce the cost of servicing the parks
o Increasing charges to Owners
• SLP management ability to generate additional income seems primarily from selling new lodges and not developing facilities on parks e.g. bar and restaurant income.

We have had some notably ‘owner’ successes on the Parks but together we need to share our various initiatives and challenges to SLP.

• Limefitt Owners now have a General Rates invoice with a breakdown of the costs. Fallbarrow this year have the old style invoice!
• A Fallbarrow Owners has successfully challenged SLP management infringements of Owners rights under the ‘contract’ in the Courts. Several Fallbarrow Owners are withholding part of last year’s Site Fees because of reduced service provision.

I admire the Fallbarrow Owners attempts to challenge SLP, because as we all know they have a cavalier attitude to Owners interests and are clearly aware that Owners who bought for purely leisure reasons are hardly likely to want a battle! The lack of apparent Owner rights in the is relatively new marketplace has been brought to attention of the Government and now the Courts.

In summary, your views on how we move forward are important. In short we need to you

1. Confirm by email that you would support an independent Owners committee
2. Agree to participate in the election of Limefitt Park representatives on the Committee
3. Support the idea of using Newsletters as a way of communicating with Owners backed up with regular annual or half yearly SLP Owners meetings