Speeches by Curtis.

“We are now in an era where a lot of the people who would normally be expecting to buy their first homes are also repaying their Plan 2 loans, their student loans, and often at quite high rates. Has the Department looked at what impact the student loan system has on affordability for people buying their first homes in t…”

“The Waterways estate in Milton Keynes was handed over to Neil Douglas on 1 September 2025. As part of that takeover process, the new management company has described it as, “a shambles”. It says it was not given any information when it took over from FirstPort. FirstPort stated it could not release any money as account…”

“Mr King, you have seen suspension, do you think that you are now meeting good practice for that handover process?”

“Yes. Fairfields estate in Milton Keynes was also handed over from FirstPort. It went over to another estate management company in September 2023. That company has still not received accounts from 2021 and 2022. Is that an acceptable length of time?”

“The parent company has an insurance company, which you use. It would be good to know if it looks like FirstPort customers are more likely to get services from companies that are also owned by your parent company. If it is operating free market, then you would assume that it is the same across the industry, so FirstPort…”

“It would be an incentive in the sense that if this happened multiple times, then a new company would be more resistant to taking on a FirstPort property in future transactions because they would know that that is a faffy and difficult process and that leads to complications that could then upset the whole market.”

“The point is that KSI made £1.8 million in profit in 2024, for example.”

“Mr Bulmer, do you think those stories are acceptable? If they are still occurring, do you think that FirstPort is meeting its requirements to be a member of the TPI?”

“Your parent company also has an insurance company?”

“I am Chris Curtis. I am the Labour MP for Milton Keynes North.”

“I have a very specific question on that point. You will say that every project goes through a very specific bidding process, in which case you would assume that you use an insurance company. I think the parent company also has an insurance company.”

“I think the point that my committee colleague was getting at was that this is arguably an anti-competition policy. Ultimately, if residents have gone through that process of trying to move to another company and the former company is making it very difficult for that transition process to happen—intentionally or uninte…”

“Mr King, based on what we have all heard today, how likely do you think it is that your current performance would satisfy a statutory regulator? If the answer to that question is probably no, are you confident that you would be able to reach a point where you could?”

“I also declare that I live on an estate managed by Rendall and Rittner.”

“In one constituency.”

“Mr Bulmer, I think you have implied the answer to this already, but we have the draft Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Bill going through, the draft legislation of which this Committee will be looking at. Do you think that legislation should include measures for proper regulation of this industry and a statutory regulat…”

“Do you think a new organisation should be set up, or is it something that TPI or another current organisation should have the responsibility for taking on?”

“What punishments or disciplinary actions should be in place for companies that fail to meet the requirements that should be expected of the industry?”

“The monopoly thing is a bit of a sideshow. The problem, as we have just said, is the difficulty in sacking you when you are not doing a good enough job. Our residents cannot just move. There is always going to be more resistance than to just moving from Tesco to Sainsbury’s, because of all of the nuances in the industr…”

“I am Chris Curtis, the Labour MP for Milton Keynes North.”