Waterways Management Company
The Waterways Management Company (WMC) was handed over from the developer to the property owners on the estate in November 2006. Since then, the Company has kept notes and minutes of meetings and other important documents about the Company and the Waterways. Some of these can be accessed here and in the Meeting notes section.
Please note that the WMC represents the property owners only (freehold houses and leasehold apartments) and manages the common private parts of the estate. You can see who is responsible for what areas on the map of the estate (link below). The Waterways Residents Associatiuon (WRA) represents all residents and organises events and activities, including publishing a newsletter. More information on the Waterways estate and how it is managed is given in the Welcome to the Waterways booklet (link below).
The best way to report faults, requests, etc to our management company FirstPort is to use our dedicated email address: The.Waterways@firstport.co.uk
General Meetings
Most General Meetings are held annually: at the Annual General Meeting (AGM). Members of the Company are invited to attend these meetings. They are an opportunity to hear about how the Company is doing, to learn about what has been done on behalf of all Members and what is planned for the future, and to participate in appointing Directors to run the Company on behalf of all the Members.
You can access minutes of the AGMs, via the Meeting notes section. The minutes from the last AGM remain draft until they can be formally approved at the next AGM.
Annual General Meeting no 15 1st November 2022
The most recent (15th) Annual General Meeting of the Waterways Management Company was held on 1st November 2022. We have changed the timing of the meeting from May to autumn after concern was expressed that a spring meeting left too long a gap after the annual accounts to be received. This was an opportunity for members of the company to learn from the Annual Report (a copy is included in the Meeting notes - AGM meeting notes section) what the Management Committee had been doing on their behalf. It was also an opportunity to get involved in deciding who represents the members and to influence key decisions.
The resolutions on the formal agenda were approved by the members present and this was followed by a Question and Answer session, where attendees could raise questions and express views. The points raised in this session were as folows:
1 Yvonne Pinner from Stone Meadow gave an update on her discussions with Network Rail which led to the move of idling trains from next to the Waterways to a different area, thus removing a considerable annoyance for those living close to the railway lines. She was thanked for her efforts.
2 A member made observations following the increased service charge level to ensure monies are available for the lift modernisation at 44-60 Frenchay Road, which was started to be for two years but has stretched to three. It was confirmed that the works are booked to begin in December. FirstPort stated that the service charge should reduce once the works are completed.
3 A member asked how long lifts last. It was advised that it is impossible to predict accurately but lifts are now approximately 20 years old and reliability is decreasing and breakdowns more frequent. We have employed a lift consultant (Hemsworth) to assess and manage our lifts and we are planning for modernisations of lifts across the estate. It was also advised that Hemsworth have negotiated on our behalf and they have reduced received quotes and found alternatives, thus saving money.
4 A member asked what is the logic for calculating the reserves. It was advised that this is based on the assets on site, their life span and anticipated costs to replace. It was also advised that we were looking at undertaking a new Asset Management Plan. He asked what the reserves were for his block and it was advised that this is detailed in the audited accounts. (However, FirstPort showed this to the member after the meeting).
5 A member asked to discuss catalytic converters thefts. It was explained what these thefts are and the Chair said he was aware of three or four such thefts on the estate in the last couple of years. Member were advised to park the back of their cars close to a wall or bush, if possible, so that the rear is difficult to get at.
6 A member asked if there was any progress of the estate freehold. The lead Director, H Sorensen, advised no progress at the moment as Berkeley Home had received legal advice that a company subsidiary to WMC had to be set up to enable the transfer. She had asked Berkeley Homes to pay our legal costs but was not optimistic about this. She will pursue the matter as and when appropriate.
A vote of thanks was given to the Chair and the committee for all their work.
The Management Committee
Those members of the Company who have been elected as Directors at the AGM and those temporarily co-opted until election at the next AGM sit on this committee. This is the principal committee of the Company, to which other sub-committees (Apartment Blocks, Gardening and Finance) report.
You can access minutes from the meetings of the Management Committee, via the Meeting notes section. Minutes from the last meeting are draft until approval at the following meeting and are marked as Draft. Minutes for meetings from previous years are held in an archive folder.
Could you be one of our directors?
If you care about the Waterways and want it to be a great place for everyone, if you enjoy taking responsibility and getting things done, are a good team player, (and perhaps a leader), and can spare a few hours a month, then there may be opportunities to get involved as a director of the Management Company.
The work of the Company is overseen by a team of up to 14 directors (the Management Committee) and at the moment all these p;ositikons are filled. There are always opportunities to contribute to the work of the Management Committee, either as a director or supporting the Committee in some specialist advisory or other capacity.
The principal task of the directors is to oversee the work of the managing agents, FirstPort. FirstPort handle the day to day management of the Waterways, in accordance with the management agreement and the instructions we give them. The directors review and scrutinise FirstPort's work. FirstPort work closely and positively with the directors, to deliver what we want. If members have a problem with the service provided by FirstPort then they can bring that to the Management Committee, so the directors can investigate.
The directors strive to ensure everything works properly, that members are getting good value for money and that everyone enjoys living here.
No qualifications or specialist knowledge are necessary to become a director. Should you have previous experience of a management company or experience in a relevant specialist area then we would be particularly interested to hear from you.
Everyone who wholly owns property on the Waterways (freehold houses or leasehold apartments) is a member of the Waterways Management Company and could become a director.
Vacancies for Directors may becomne available in the future so if you want to know more about what is involved then we would like to hear from you. You can find further details about what we do from the minutes, which you can access via the Meeting notes section. Alternatively, you are welcome to email the Chair of the Management Committee direct at chair.wmc@googlemail.com, or you can contact them via FirstPort Property Management at the.waterways@FirstPort.co.uk.
This page was last updated on 28th November 2022