Further to our last message, and subsequent to the Prime Minister’s announcement on 24th March (lockdown), events are having a profound impact and things are changing for all by the day. The Covid19 virus has changed things in the UK over just a few short weeks with little time to take stock and react. At SHW we are doing our utmost to make the best decisions in the interests of Newhall and its residents but this is a unique situation and there is no rule book to refer to.

We want to inform you of one significant change since our last message – D Honour & Son will no longer be attending to the landscaping requirements at Newhall on a daily basis. This response is not only in deference to best advice but many residents do not believe this to be an “essential service”. We are all cutting our cloth to match our resources, which in some homes has reduced significantly, down to £zero in others, so reducing or removing non-essential services is crucial.

Honours will send a single operative to site daily to empty litter bins/dog bins. This is considered essential as the open land is still being used for exercising and bins are filling up. We will review this over the coming weeks to determine the required frequency of this service.

We will defer as many of the services as is sensibly possible but some costs will continue to be incurred. As you know the Q2 service charge invoices have been issued and in some cases have already been paid. We do not yet have a handle on what savings there might be with, for example Honours not attending, particularly as we do not know how long this will be for. Our principle will be to pass on any savings made against the annual service charge budget and, over the coming weeks, we will try to quantify this. This saving may be passed on via a reduction in the Q3 charges (due 1st July) as, by then, we will have more clarity on how long the lockdown might continue.

We fully appreciate that homeowners will have been impacted by the economic shutdown and we will be as understanding and supportive as we can be, if you are in financial difficulties, we ask that you contact Michele Gallagher (mgallagher@shw.co.uk – 020 7389 1528 – 07711 132029) who will advise and assist you.

The full effect of the recent, unprecedented turn of events will take a while to emerge but we remain positive that if we work together and support each other, we will get through this successfully.

Many Thanks and Stay Safe