Page 7 - 8_PBC to Begg OCR_8-4-16 (38pp)

site representative director doing all required, sending letters/Quarterly Demands etc [ie paper/toner/postage etc].
Due entirely to Mrs Hillgarth’s attitude, conniving and thoroughly devious behaviour it soon became obvious around September 2012 [9 months into our tenure] that the time I was spending on sorting out something as straightforward as Internals/Externals was exhausting and getting nowhere with our commitment to our Head Lease growing more serious by the day. Internal Budget now insisted upon being nearer £35,000 incl. vat and fees and rising weekly.
It was whilst writing this 25 September 2012 that my three co-directors agreed that due to the contrariness and upset caused by Mrs Hillgarth’s constant undermining of Management’s sensible and common sense approach to the running and maintenance, including the now well overdue Internals/Externals [putting us in serious jeopardy with our freeholder] we had no choice other than instigate recompense for the time spent on dealing with matters in hand.
Had Mrs Hillgarth stuck to the initial raison d’etre of the 2011 purchase of the Head Lease of running Mitre House sensibly, economically, indeed as cheaply as possible but with an improvement in services and maintenance and with 24/7 attendance, Internals could have been executed in September 2012 on schedule and on budget for approx. £27,000 (incl. vat and fees) followed by Externals in 2013 for approx. £65,000 (incl. vat and fees) using available funds.
A year later in 2013 and into 2014 Mrs Hillgarth is now arguing for a Wade quote in excess of £200,000 with again her supposed virtual majority in tow. By this time I am becoming, as you say, abusive, from frustration, exhaustion and stress with our freeholder possibly getting involved.
In a letter to all Lessees dated 25th September 2012, we stated:
Internal Decorations have caused considerable anxiety and fractious discourse amongst Lessees and are still, regretfully, in the process of being finalised as regards final cost. Originally budgeted for a total £27,000 (incl. 20% vat and fees), which then rose considerably to £35,000 (incl. vat and fees) when various [read: Mrs Hillgarth] requests to Management were included.
It gets worse as the letter goes on to state Mrs Hillgarth is insisting on a [Wade, being her well known preferred contractor] £60,000 (incl. vat but not fees) budget quoting a majority of lessees are in agreement with her. There was not a majority and there never has been a valid majority.
It was when Management assessed this revised budget and made clear any adoption of a budget such as this would entail either a massive increase in Quarterly Demands [which we did not have the benefit of more delay to recoup] or simply a one off contribution from each lessee. We also again reminded lessees of the looming Externals requiring sufficient funding. Mrs Hillgarth accused us of alarming lessees with guesstimates. How wrong she was.
It was around this time that Mrs Hillgarth began insisting we not progress the Internals and Externals concurrently so that Reserves had time to recoup funds to cover larger budgets.