"You've not said sorry": Andrew Lewin MP questions the MD of FirstPort скачать в хорошем качестве

"You've not said sorry": Andrew Lewin MP questions the MD of FirstPort

The MD of Firstport was in front of our HCLG select committee this morning. All my experience tells me that when a company has let people down, it needs to start with a sincere apology. You can watch and judge for yourself if that is what we had today. Full Transcript: Andrew Lewin MP: Thank you, Martin, for being here. Look, I still feel new to this job, right? And as an MP, you have to be across local issues, national issues, and international issues as best as you possibly can. You can't be across everything. But some issues cut through, and FirstPort has cut through. I'm afraid I think it will be universally acknowledged amongst this committee that the reputation of FirstPort is not in a good place. There's an old saying: reputation is reality with a lag effect. But look, I want to recognise that you're here, you're fronting up and answering these questions. But there's a simple one, I think, which is: are you willing, on the record today, to apologise to everyone who's had an association with FirstPort over the last couple of years for what's happened? Martin King, MD of First Port: Certainly, as Managing Director of FirstPort, we have not got things right all the time. I'm addressing that both physically by changing the company, implementing the different changes that we have put in place. Going forward—with the training, the expertise, the onshoring, and the professionalisation of both FirstPort and the industry, I want to reduce to as little as I possibly can any distress that we have caused to anyone who is a resident of a property that we manage. Of course, if things have gone wrong in the past, and will go wrong in the future, as it's never going to be 100%, then I don’t want that. That is not a good place to be in. Andrew: Sorry, Martin, to cut across. That’s a qualified answer. And we've all watched these kinds of sessions before. I'm just going to give you one more opportunity to just say that you're sorry for where we've got to, to recognise, and then we’ll have the conversation and hand it over to a colleague. But this is an important moment. People are watching. This is on the record. Do you want to apologise? Martin: Of course. You know, for me, I do not want to cause any distress. I regret any distress that anyone has had if they have encountered poor performance from FirstPort, and I want to change that going forward. So, of course, we as FirstPort, I, as Managing Director, regret any distress that anyone has had in working with us. The important point, I think, also is how we then redress that, how we move forward, how we put in place a professional FirstPort, which we are on track to do. Certainly, as we've discussed now, with the regulatory reform profile that is coming down the track. Andrew: Do you feel that you should make those changes even if the regulatory reform takes time to come in? Martin: Absolutely. So, it's not out yet. We've read the White Paper. We are fully aware of Lord Best's endeavours over a number of years, which are excellent—all of which I agree with. So, what we're not doing is waiting for anything to come. We're not waiting for the final version. I recognise, referencing the questions that we've had today, that we—as both an industry and as FirstPort—need to be a lot better. And that is through qualifications, through the complex set of requirements for a property manager, which is getting more and more complex. They need to be ready for the future. Andrew: Just one last thing, because you regret the distress caused, but you've not said sorry. And look, from my experience—and professional experience before being elected—if you're a company in the private sector and things have gone wrong, you are more likely to be heard in the future if you are brave enough to just say: I am sorry. Martin: Absolutely. I'm sorry if I wasn't clear. I both regret—and it is unfortunate—and I am sorry for any distress in the past, for whatever reason, that people haven't understood. So, it is unfortunate. End. Have you signed up for my newsletter? https://andrewlewinmp.eo.page/newslet... If you live in Welwyn Hatfield, I am here to help. Get in touch with my office: 01707 912213 [email protected] Website: https://andrewlewin.co.uk/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AndrewLewinL... Instagram:   / andrewlewinmp   Youtube:    / @andrewlewinmp   LinkedIn:   / andrewlewin7   BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/andrewlewinm... X: https://x.com/Andrew_Lewin_ Linktree: https://linktr.ee/andrewlewinmp