Curo and the 4,000% Shock: Who Protects Weston Residents

by Paul Howe

Right now, in Weston-super-Mare, something is happening that should stop every reader in their tracks.

“A small group of residents are being forced into a fight they never chose—a fight that exposes just how vulnerable ordinary people can be when faced with overwhelming institutional power.

At Coombe Lodge, leaseholders have been hit with what is being described as a staggering 4,000% increase in service charges. Let that figure sink in.

This is not just an increase—it is an explosion in costs. What was once a modest monthly payment has been transformed into a demand approaching £10,000 per household, a level that many residents simply cannot meet without severe financial strain.

This is not a marginal rise. It is not a routine adjustment. It is a financial shock imposed at a level that most ordinary people simply cannot absorb—and should never be expected to absorb.

And at the centre of this is Curo Places Ltd—a large, well-resourced housing organisation now facing a

First-tier Tribunal challenge brought by local

residents.

This is where the issue becomes bigger than one building.

Because this is not just about numbers. It is about power.

On one side, you have an organisation with legal teams, financial backing, and institutional authority.

On the other, a handful of residents—people without deep pockets, without legal departments, without the ability to absorb prolonged financial pressure.

And yet they are the ones being asked to carry the burden.

The residents argue that they were given a written assurance in 2025 that they would not be charged for fire safety works. They also point to lease protections designed to prevent extreme fluctuations in costs.

Now, they say, both have effectively been brushed aside.

That is why they have taken the extraordinary step of going to Tribunal.

But here is the critical point: this cannot be viewed as an isolated dispute.

If a 4,000% increase can be attempted here, in Weston, it can be attempted elsewhere in Weston.

Other leaseholders, other residents, other developments—none of them are immune if this approach is allowed to stand unchallenged.

And it does not stop at Weston.

If this becomes accepted practice, if it passes without strong resistance or scrutiny, it sends a signal across the country. It tells other organisations that such increases can be pursued, that written assurances can be tested, and that the responsibility for fighting back rests with individuals who are least equipped to do so.

That is how a precedent is set—not in theory, but in practice.

And that is why this matters now.

Because what we are seeing is not just a legal case. It is a test of whether ordinary residents can rely on fairness when dealing with large organisations.

It is also a test of whether those with influence are prepared to step in.

From what I understand, our local MP, Dan Aldridge, is already beginning to look closely at this case. He has a strong reputation locally for taking his responsibilities to constituents seriously and for approaching issues with fairness and care. If that is the case here, it is encouraging. This is exactly the kind of situation where thoughtful, balanced scrutiny is needed—ensuring that residents are properly heard, that commitments are examined, and that the outcome reflects fairness rather than power.

When constituents are forced into legal action simply to challenge what they believe to be unjust demands, that is the moment for political leadership—not

silence.

Housing associations play an important role. That is not in question. But that role carries with it a duty—one rooted in trust, fairness, and accountability.

When charges escalate to this level, when assurances are called into doubt, and when residents are left with no option but to fight, those principles must be examined.

Because if they are not, we risk normalising a system where the scale of an organisation determines the outcome—not the strength of the case.

The residents at Coombe Lodge have drawn a line.

They have said: this is not acceptable.

Now the question is whether the rest of us—locally and nationally—are prepared to stand with them.

Because if we do not, the message is unmistakable.

That a 4,000% increase can be attempted—and endured. That written assurances can be set aside when it suits. And that ordinary residents are expected to absorb the consequences.

This is the moment that decides what comes next.

Either this is challenged—publicly, firmly, and without hesitation—or it becomes the new normal.

If it becomes the new normal, then Coombe Lodge will not be the exception. It will be the template.

And when that happens, it will not just be five households affected. It will be streets, developments, and communities—here in Weston and beyond—facing the same shock, the same pressure, and the same fight.

That is why this matters now.

Not tomorrow. Not after the outcome. Now.”