Successful Annual General Meeting for empowered Locking Moor community

Thursday 26th July 2018

Nineteen homeowners from the Weston-super-Mare development, Locking Parklands recently gathered to help mould the future of their community.

Bringing together Locking Moor residents, the Residents’ Company meeting provided residents with the opportunity to discuss everything from the maintenance of amenities through to future development plans.

On the face of it, the meeting may have appeared to be a simple, community-wide update. But this meeting actually revealed intricacies of how the Residents’ Management Company model is successfully working at Locking Moor and how it can be used as a vehicle to help residents influence the wider community’s future…

A working example of an empowered community

The Residents’ Management Company (RMC) model revolves around the principle that the ownership of key amenities is transferred from landowners and developers to the community that benefits directly from them. The RMC is a registered company that guides maintenance and community initiatives.

The annual general meeting for the RMC provides an opportunity for shareholders (homeowners in the development) to learn more about the initiatives taking place within their community.

The Locking Moor meeting proved to be the perfect example of just that.

A look into a Residents’ Management Company annual general meeting

Welcoming all who wished to attend, the first part of the Locking Moor meeting discussed community projects from health and safety initiatives to plans for educational facilities. Topics covered included:

  • the introduction of a defibrillator into the community;
  • a progress update for the new primary school, including the opening of a temporary school in September 2018;
  • future plans for a permanent school,
  • and a discussion about street lighting and changes to its management.

To discuss these topics, the meeting welcomed several members of the wider community including representatives from Heart Safe, North Somerset Council, Educate Together and Prime One Maintenance.

The goal of the Residents’ Management Company

Once these key topics were discussed, the meeting moved on to focus solely on shareholders of the RMC.

For the RMC to be successful it needs to be understood by the whole community – to ensure residents benefit from the model and feel their voice is heard. The Locking Moor meeting discussed just that – explaining how the model works, roles and responsibilities.

The meeting discussed how the role of the RMC stretches far beyond visible service and includes key responsibilities from acting as the RMC’s company secretary through to estate works, such as tree surveys and pumping station maintenance.

Giuseppe Bernardis customer account manager at Preim, was on hand to guide the meeting. Explaining the purpose of the RMC as facilitating the communal ownership, maintenance, and repair of amenity land and unadopted infrastructure, Giuseppe led the way for the shareholders to discuss key points such as the appointment of directors, finances and data protection.

Giuseppe explained: “Shareholders often find it hugely beneficial to have representatives from Preim present at their annual l meetings. We’re able to answer any questions residents may have regarding our role in the community, but we’re also there to offer our expertise.

“A huge part of Preim’s work involves working with Residents’ Management Companies and, as a result, we’ve seen lots of successes and learning curves. We’re able to share that knowledge with all the RMCs we work with, just like at Locking Moor.”

The meeting also provided residents with the opportunity to raise questions to the RMC, offering a forum for their concerns and updates to be heard.

What’s next for the Locking Moor Residents’ Management Company?

The meeting saw the RMC successfully appoint directors, whilst also looking forward to plans for the coming year.

Preim will be on hand to guide the RMC over the next 12 months. We are all looking forward to seeing how the continued empowerment of residents unfolds as they guide the direction of their community.

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