An elderly Swansea woman battling cancer had the service charge for her home raised by almost £1,000 in just two years, an MP has claimed in a meeting in Parliament. Swansea West MP Torsten Bell raised the case of 74-year-old Elen Pierce and those of other people in Swansea when he addressed Martin King, managing director of FirstPort, one of the UK’s leading housing management firms, about what the MP described as the “shoddy” behaviour of his company
Citing multiple complaints from constituents, including that of the elderly woman who he claimed suffered her rise in fees without warning or full explanation, he claimed other common grievances included a “lack of transparency, poor quality work, and a lack of responsiveness”. Following the meeting, a spokesman from The FirstPort Group said the company was “committed to responding to the requests raised in the meeting”.
Mr King agreed to the meeting after more than 30 Labour MPs across England and Wales signed a joint letter calling on him to account for the performance of his company in Parliament. By the end of the meeting, Mr Bell claimed Mr King agreed that FirstPort’s performance “had not been satisfactory”, and promised that residents would see improvements within six months. For the latest Swansea news, sign up to our newsletter here.
Swansea MP Torsten Bell
(Image: Labour Party)
Mr Bell claimed Mr King further committed to attending a public meeting with aggrieved constituents in Swansea. FirstPort manages buildings such as Maxime Court retirement housing and Morgan Court in areas including Sketty and Swansea Marina. Mr Bell urged those affected to get in touch with his office by e-mailing torsten.bell.mp@parliament.uk.
Mr Bell claimed: “At a time when everyone’s living standards are being squeezed, too many leaseholders in Swansea have seen service charges skyrocket at the hands of mis-management agents like FirstPort. They deserve a better deal – which is why I’ve told FirstPort’s MD directly that we’ve had enough of the firm’s shoddy behaviour.
“FirstPort have said they’ll clean up their act, but let’s judge them on what they do, not say. The firm will attend a meeting with all affected residents in Swansea and I urge constituents who have suffered from FirstPort’s shoddy service to get in touch with my office to attend the meeting with FirstPort and make your voice heard.”
Elen Pierce is a leaseholder in a development managed by FirstPort in Swansea. She claimed: “It was very upsetting for us when our insurance charge shot up without notice or being given any proper explanation. FirstPort’s practices don’t look after our interest, so it’s great that we might finally hold them to account. People in Swansea deserve better.”
A spokesman from The FirstPort Group said in response to a request for comment from WalesOnline: “The meeting with MPs allowed for meaningful discussions about the changes and challenges affecting our industry. It also provided an opportunity to highlight the improvements we are making to better serve our customers.
“We listened to the concerns raised by MPs and we are committed to responding to the requests raised in the meeting, as well as working with the MPs on a longer term basis to demonstrate how the changes we are making at FirstPort will improve services. We would like to thank all the MPs who attended for their time and valuable contributions.” Join our WhatsApp news community here for the latest breaking news. You will receive updates from us daily.