How the Barbican is run
Barbican Residential Committee
The landlord of the estate is the Corporation of London. It has delegated responsibility to a committee of the Corporation called the Barbican Residential Committee – ‘BRC’ for short. Some members of the Committee happen to be Barbican residents. But ironically any member who happens to live here can only speak, not vote, on the BRC because of local government rules against councilors voting on issues where they have a personal interest.
The BRC is mainly involved at the level of policy, budgets and strategy. Day to day issues are the province of the Barbican Estate Office. But the BRC has the final word on any issue.
Resident Consultation Committee
The Resident Consultation Committee (an irritating name suggesting the Committee is in residence, not of residents) is purely an organisation of Barbican flat owners.
Although all power in the strict sense still lies with the BRC, the RCC has an influential role. The Estate Director (the head of the Barbican Estate Office) must report first to the RCC. So residents’ legitimate concerns are taken into account in the planning stages. The RCC can request reports on issues from the Estate Director. This means inefficiencies cannot be hidden.
When anything is to be considered by the BRC, the RCC will receive papers in advance so they can comment and make recommendations. Since the BRC doesn’t have the time to go into everything in huge detail, the RCC's recommendations can be decisive.
The RCC have a major role in determining the services we receive and ensuring they are value for money. They monitor service level agreements. This is the real substance of our every day lives.
House Groups
Each house or block has a House Group. If it contains a sufficient proportion of residents then it is the representative body that the Corporation of London must consult on some important issues relating to building works and services. So it is beneficial to be a member even if you don't attend meetings..
Barbican Association
This is the estate-wide residents' association, but it has really ceased to have any purpose now that the RCC - a faster, more efficient vehicle for protecting residents' interests - exists; and the House Groups are more approprate representatives at grassroots level.
