Project: Dispossessed

Paul Brian-Boys has stepped into an active leadership role for the remaining Croyde Bay week owners and has initiated a dual-track strategy: negotiation + legal readiness. He reports that trustees are now recognising their exposure and the likelihood of being sued for breach of fiduciary duty / negligence if a fair settlement is not reached. Paul has also made progress engaging a leading no-win-no-fee solicitor willing to act for the group, strengthening credibility of the litigation pathway.

On the negotiation track, Paul is pressing the trustees toward a settlement outcome that returns 8× the trustee-table values to each remaining member (per week held) upon sale of the land, on the basis that this is the trustees’ “least-worst” option to avoid personal/legal consequences. A key operational step is now underway: requesting each remaining owner to confirm they still hold weeks and to authorise Paul as group spokesperson so the solicitor and trustees accept his standing.

The immediate blocker is formal standing: both trustees and the no-win-no-fee solicitor are pushing for evidence that Paul is authorised to represent the remaining owners as spokesperson, even if only “for the time being.” Without quick confirmations from members, progress risks stalling and momentum may be lost.

There are also typical multi-party campaign risks: uncertainty over the current member list (who still owns weeks), inconsistent participation, delays in gathering documentation (ownership evidence, historic agreements/communications, trustees’ table values), and the possibility of trustees/Saltmarsh adopting a delay-and-deflect posture until they see a “real” claim threat. Finally, the settlement benchmark references a table not included in the message, so alignment on the baseline numbers (and what “8×” practically means per member) still needs to be locked down for clarity and group unity.

1. Confirm ownership: respond to Paul confirming that you still own your week(s) (if true), and ensure you have evidence ready (certificate/contract/maintenance records/any trustee correspondence).
2. Grant spokesperson authorisation: send Paul a short written authorisation confirming he may represent you as spokesperson in discussions with trustees and solicitors (explicitly not granting him powers beyond representation).
3. Create member register (PHC Port): build/refresh a list of confirmed remaining owners, week identifiers, contact points, and confirmation timestamps.
4. Document pack: request/compile the trustees’ value table and all key documents needed for solicitor onboarding (terms, trust documents if available, key correspondence, timeline, sale info, any prior settlement offers).
5. Governance trail: log every comms item + decision in PHC Port (timechunks + attachments + action owners) so the group has a credible, court-ready audit trail if needed.
6. Decision gates: define clear points where the group decides: (a) negotiate-only, (b) negotiate-with-claim-ready pressure, (c) formal sign-up to solicitor and claim launch.