Park Homes and the Government
Backbench business – Park Home debate
On December 16th last year, Annette Brooke, Lib Dem MP for Mid Dorset & Poole and tireless campaigner for reforms in Park Home legislation secured a back bench debate on Park Homes.
The debate was well attended with cross party support for reform and there were many well informed contributions from MP’s who clearly had first hand experience of some pretty unscrupulous park owners in their constituencies.
It can only be hoped that the growing campaign amongst park home owners and others within the industry including Towergate Bakers will bring forward the time when activities such as sale blocking and harassment will be a thing of the past confined to the history books of a long gone feudal system.
For a copy of the full debate which ran for over 2 hours please e-mail: paul.baker@towergate.co.uk. It is only available by e-mail.
The debate revolved around the following question which was put to the House by Annette Brooke and resolved and agreed to at the debate’s conclusion ;-
“ That this House notes that there are approximately 1800 park home sites in England and Wales; further notes that current legislation permits a minority of park home site owners to cause great distress, damage to property and danger to health of park home residents; welcomes the Government’s intention to lay before the House secondary legislation to transfer jurisdiction for park homes to the residential Property Tribunal Service; but calls on the Government to review the case for establishing a fit and proper person criterion for park home site owners and to bring forward relevant legislation at the earliest opportunity to prevent in particular park home site owners interfering with the sale of a park home without good reason.”
Join the PARK HOME OWNERS’ JUSTICE CAMPAIGN
Towergate Bakers are supporting the campaign for an amendment to the Mobile Homes Act 1983 to stop unscrupulous park operators from preventing the sale of homes at the ‘Approval of the Buyer’ stage.
Almost 10,000 park home owners from over 600 parks have signed the petition which is asking the Government to put a consultation process into action as soon as possible. Following the presentation of the petition it was reported that the Secretary of State would consider what changes were needed to the sales process and would consult on proposals in 2010. However to date nothing constructive has been received from Government and nothing specific about this aspect of the current Act was included in the recently issued paper on Park Homes Reforms.
As a result campaigner Sonia McColl has organised a Rally at Westminster on Wednesday 3rd November 2010 to lobby MP’s and has invited as many park home owners as possible to join her and fellow campaigners. Sonia has been ably supported in her campaign by Lord Graham of Edmonton and Liberal Democrat MP Annette Brooke as well as the leading Park Home Resident’s Associations IPHAS and NAPHR.
Speaking about the campaign to Park Home & Holiday Caravan Magazine Sonia said;
‘I must stress that not all park operators are unscrupulous. However rogue park owners are damaging the industry. I welcome positive input to our campaign from good park operators and cordially invite them to attend our rally. It would also be most helpful if the BH & HPA could assist by giving public assurance that no unscrupulous park operators will be tolerated in their organisation’
‘Our campaign can stop the malpractices of unscrupulous park operators but your help is needed. If you want the Government to make this amendment and you want to attend our rally or lobby your MP please get in touch’
Paul Baker, Sales Director at Towergate Bakers who are one of the leading Park Home insurers urged their policyholders and everyone involved in the industry to get behind the campaign, speaking in support he said :
‘Some years ago we launched the Park Owner of the Year award to recognise excellence within our industry and without doubt there are some fantastic park owners up and down the country. Unfortunately there are also a number of very unscrupulous owners who give the industry a bad name which is such a shame because park home living can be a delightful lifestyle. The sooner Government and the trade bodies act to tighten up the loop holes which currently exist the better for everyone, be it manufacturers or park owners but especially park home residents.’
If you want to attend the rally, lobby your MP in the Palace of Westminster, would be prepared to make a banner please contact Sonia McColl, Park Home Residents ‘Justice’ Campaign, 7 Silent Woman Park, Coldharbour, Wareham, Dorset, BH20 7PE. Telephone 01929 553110. e-mail: Sonia.mccoll@talktalk.net.
Take the right step to your Park Home
The Government has recently produced a number of excellent valuable publications highlighting Park Homes and the Park Home lifestyle which are sure to be of interest to all Park Home owners and indeed anyone interested in or thinking about purchasing a Park Home. A quartet of excellent fact sheets has been recently published in April this year (2009). These are:-
- Qualifying Residents’ Associations
- Residents Rights and Obligations
- Pitch Fees and other Payments to the Site Owner
- Selling a Park Home
These were all published in April 2009.
Licensing and Management
Also a month or so later on May 12th, two further consultation documents have been issued.
These are Park Home Site Licensing and Improving the Management of Residential Park Home Sites
and Dispute Resolution under the Mobile Homes Act 1983. This latest document has been based
on an earlier consultation paper entitled ‘A new approach for resolving disputes and to
proceedings relating to Park Homes’
There are also a number of other very informative publications available including the very
pertinent ‘Economics of the Park Homes industry’.
For more, visit publications
or e-mail us.
