Philippa
Turner is our longest standing Committee member who was connected
with FPRA before it existed! In the early 1970s, the organisation
which campaigned for lessees' rights was the Federation of London
County Residents' Associations. In about 1974, this changed
its name to FPRA and it was at this time that Philippa became
involved with it when she attended an ad hoc meeting organised
by COPRA (The Conference of Private Residents' Associations),
out which FPRA was born.
This was when lessees had far fewer rights than they have now.
Until the late '60s the vast majority of flats had been rented,
but from this time when landlords began to sell long leases,
there was little incentive for the more responsible to remain
freeholders and they sold on, often to those whose only motive
was to make a quick profit by whatever means offered, and not
to manage the building in the best interests of the residents.
When lessees began to complain about their treatment, FPRA realised
what an important role it could play and Philippa - then a barrister
living in a mansion block - found herself answering numerous
questions from aggrieved residents. Later she sat on the Nugee
Committee, responsible for drafting the 1987 Landlord and Tenant
Act which, although it has been much criticised, was responsible
for giving leaseholders, for the first-time, the opportunity
of purchasing the freehold of their blocks.
Philippa took early retirement, having spent her working life
in the legal field. As a youngster she was determined not to
have anything to do with the law, in spite of having a father
who was a solicitor in Liverpool, so she went up to St. Andrews
University to read history. Having obtained her degree, she
changed her mind about law and decided to become a barrister.
But having spent six years arguing in court, often about landlord
and tenant cases, she felt that being a solicitor would be more
varied and lucrative, so she set about studying once again and
was admitted in 1980.
She then worked mostly in small legal firms where she gained
a wide range of experience, mainly in litigation work. In 1991
she joined the Legal Aid Board where her job was to grant or
refuse legal aid. She found this work rewarding because it covered
a wide range of legal problems, many very complex, and gave
a unique insight into the different types of solicitors with
widely varying standards of competence. She also clerked the
Board's Appeals Committee to which people appeal if legal aid
is refused.
Philippa serves FPRA by providing the Legal Jottings for the
Newsletter, a task she has diligently undertaken for
several years. She answers members' queries and is one of the
most experienced committee members dealing with landlord/tenant
problems.
Her non-legal interests include horse-riding and sailing, art,
theatre and the history of London. For the Millennium Year,
she organised a fund-raising horse ride from Winchester to Canterbury. |
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