Salford council denies 'cover up' over controversial plans
Salford council has been accused of trying to hide information used to support a controversial landlord licensing scheme.
Last summer, the authority shared proposals which would see private residential landlords with properties in Broughton and Kersal made to purchase a licence worth £609. The council said the plan is aimed at helping tenants in areas where there is low housing demand or issues with anti-social behaviour, and that a landlord licensing scheme had also run in the areas from from 2016 to 2021.
It would give the town hall better insight into the numbers of private landlords and housing conditions within the areas, covering more than 1,300 properties in Broughton and Kersal and bringing in £800,000 for the council if approved.
READ MORE: Woman suffers broken chest and man 'covered in blood' as mystery duo 'flee' horror smash
READ MORE: "There was smoke... I started banging on the bus windows telling everyone to get out"
Salford council has stressed its "consultation followed correct council processes". But councillor Andrew Walters said it was 'disgraceful' that a scrutiny committee was refused access to information about housing needs in the areas.
During a meeting at Salford Civic Centre in September, council officers said Kersal and Broughton were areas with low housing demand.
Coun Walters questioned this, saying there is huge competition for properties and asked to see evidence - but he was told it could not be shared due to data protection concerns in light of General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) laws.
The council's interim city solicitor later advised in a briefing note that where relevant information is held by a council officer or cabinet/cabinet member and that information is requested by a scrutiny committee member, the information should be provided.
They added: "The fact that the information is confidential or personal information in data protection terms does not make it exempt from disclosure."
The town hall also said its view on low housing demand in Kersal and Broughton was 'based on local intelligence' and 'informal conversations' which are not routinely recorded. Despite the concerns, the scrutiny panel voted to push the landlord licensing plans forward with the launch of a public consultation.
Salford council said "further clarity was provided" to councillors about housing demand during a meeting in October, and that "the consultation followed correct council processes."
But Coun Walters says the issue has cast doubt over the scrutiny panel's support of landlord licensing, which he says was made 'under the false belief that information could not be shared".
He added: 'This was a blatant attempt to cover up information and avoid scrutiny. Fortunately, I challenged their misrepresentation, and the city solicitor has now confirmed that their refusal was entirely improper.
'The purpose of scrutiny is to hold decision-makers to account. When they refuse to cooperate and mislead scrutiny members, it undermines democracy and erodes public trust in our institutions.'
Coun Walters added: 'I expect an apology and assurances that such obstruction will never happen again. Elected members must be able to do their job without being stonewalled by misleading legal excuses.'
A public consultation on Salford's landlord licensing plans closed on January 20, and the council said the proposals will soon be discussed by its cabinet team.
A Salford council spokesperson said its officers are meeting with Coun Walters to discuss his concerns about what happened.
They added: 'The public consultation has now formally closed and all the comments received are being reviewed and considered.
'We are aware of Coun Walters' concerns and further clarity was provided on the consultation at a second scrutiny panel meeting on October 21, 2024.
'It was clarified that all the information that formed the basis of the cabinet decision to go to consultation was contained in the substantive and detailed 70-page consultation document, which was fully published. As such, the consultation followed correct council processes.'

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Business Wire
an hour ago
- Business Wire
Postbot Launches Pay-As-You-Go AI Receptionist to Simplify Small Business Communications
BUSINESS WIRE)--Postbot, an innovative AI startup, today announced the launch of its groundbreaking AI receptionist service, designed to transform how small businesses manage customer calls. "Never miss a call again — Postbot's 24/7 AI Receptionist answers every customer with a friendly, intelligent voice for just $0.25 a minute. No setup. No commitment. Just results." With no setup fees, no monthly subscriptions, and a straightforward pay-as-you-go model at just $0.25 per call minute, Postbot offers an accessible solution for businesses seeking to enhance customer engagement without the overhead of traditional staffing. Postbot's AI receptionist provides each business with a dedicated inbound phone number, ensuring that every call is answered promptly and professionally. Leveraging advanced natural language processing, the AI system reads and understands information directly from a business's website, enabling it to answer frequently asked questions, provide essential information, and even send appointment booking links via text message—all without human intervention. "In an era where customer expectations are higher than ever, small businesses can't afford to miss calls," said J. Douchet, CEO of Postbot. "Our AI receptionist ensures that every customer interaction is handled efficiently, professionally, and cost-effectively." Key Features of Postbot: Instant Setup: Businesses can get started in seconds, with the AI system automatically configuring itself by analyzing the company's website content. 24/7 Availability: Postbot operates around the clock, ensuring that no call goes unanswered, even outside of regular business hours. Natural Language Interaction: The AI communicates with callers in a natural, conversational manner, providing a seamless customer experience. Multilingual Support: Postbot supports multiple languages, catering to a diverse customer base. Compliance Ready: Designed with HIPAA and GDPR compliance in mind, Postbot is suitable for businesses in regulated industries. Since its soft launch, Postbot has been adopted by clients across various sectors, including healthcare, legal, wellness, and home services. The service has garnered praise for its ease of use, reliability, and the immediate value it provides to small business owners. Postbot has been selected as an upcoming startup by Goldman Sach's 10,000 Small Business, Nvidia's Inception Program, Nasdaq's Connection Circle and as an AI vendor of University of Florida's Mentor Protege Program. To learn more about Postbot and to activate your AI receptionist today, visit To open your FREE Postbot AI Receptionist, visit


Business Wire
15 hours ago
- Business Wire
Thales Launches File Activity Monitoring (FAM) to Strengthen Real-Time Visibility and Control Over Unstructured Data
MEUDON, France--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Thales today announced the launch of Thales File Activity Monitoring, a powerful new capability within the Thales CipherTrust Data Security Platform that enhances enterprise visibility and control over unstructured data, enabling organizations to monitor file activity in real time, detect misuse, and ensure regulatory compliance across their entire data estate. As the only integrated platform provider that secures structured and unstructured data, Thales provides comprehensive monitoring and auditability for data types that were previously difficult to track. 'As unstructured data grows rapidly across distributed environments, organizations need more integrated ways to track and safeguard their most sensitive information,' Todd Moore, Vice President of Data Security Products at Thales, said. In today's evolving threat landscape, organizations must gain tighter control over unauthorized access and misuse of unstructured data, which according to IDC represents 90% of all worldwide data. File Activity Monitoring enables security teams to analyze and monitor the activity of unstructured data, including unexpected copying, downloading, and sharing of files such as emails, chat logs, media files, and application logs that can contain sensitive data. Real-time alerts, analytics, and encryption tracking further accelerate threat insights and protect sensitive data across the enterprise. This reduces exposure risks, supports compliance with standards like GDPR, HIPAA, and PCI DSS, and strengthens organizations' overall data security posture. 'Thales' innovative approach to File Activity Monitoring tackles key challenges like blind spots in hybrid environments, offering real-time visibility and smart anomaly detection — a potential game-changer for teams overwhelmed by false positives. By striking the right balance of depth and simplicity, FAM shows promise in helping us strengthen the SOC without added complexity. With tighter SIEM integration, it can sharpen response and let teams focus on what matters most. We're excited to see how FAM evolves and enhances our data security,' Leila KUNTAR, Principal Information Security Engineer, Amadeus, said. 'As unstructured data grows rapidly across distributed environments, organizations need more integrated ways to track and safeguard their most sensitive information,' Todd Moore, Vice President of Data Security Products at Thales, said. 'With File Activity Monitoring, Thales reinforces its leadership in enterprise data security by delivering real-time insight, intelligent automation, and unified visibility through a single, powerful platform.' Thales has been a leader in digital security for decades in structured database activity. Building on this extensive expertise, customers can expect the same world-class experience that they've had with Thales, now extended to encompass unstructured data protection. File Activity Monitoring strengthens DSPM by enabling security teams to: Discover, classify, observe, and control sensitive data across on-premises, hybrid, and multicloud environments Pinpoint where sensitive data resides, who has access, and whether it's properly secured, in real time, allowing detection of suspicious behavior including unauthorized copying, downloading, or sharing Transform static classification into dynamic risk intelligence through behavioral context Apply strong encryption and other remediation techniques, including reconstruction of incidents quickly with audit logs in the event of a breach or policy violation and enabling strong encryption, to protect compromised or at-risk data Built-in GenAI tools simplify audits, boost response, and cut complexity To further simplify compliance and security operations, File Activity Monitoring includes a Generative AI-powered Data Security Assistant. This integrated chatbot helps teams query audit data, generate custom reports, and streamline compliance workflows, reducing the burden on IT and security professionals and making it easier to meet regulatory obligations. 'As technology evolves rapidly, our controls must be flexible enough to keep pace without adding complexity,' Moore said. 'Automation and intelligence help overwhelmed security teams scale operations and focus on what matters most. With tools like our chatbot, they can ask natural language questions and get instant, actionable answers, accelerating response times and improving operational efficiency.' About Thales Thales (Euronext Paris: HO) is a global leader in advanced technologies for the Defence, Aerospace, and Cyber & Digital sectors. Its portfolio of innovative products and services addresses several major challenges: sovereignty, security, sustainability and inclusion. The Group invests more than €4 billion per year in Research & Development in key areas, particularly for critical environments, such as Artificial Intelligence, cybersecurity, quantum and cloud technologies. Thales has more than 83,000 employees in 68 countries. In 2024, the Group generated sales of €20.6 billion. Thales Group Cybersecurity Solutions | Thales Group
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
iDox.ai Launches Redaction Engine That Learns You: Personalized AI Now Available
AI-powered redaction software now adapts to document types, user behavior, and organization-specific needs with ongoing learning and customization features Fremont, California, June 09, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- has launched a significant enhancement to its document redaction tool platform, Redact, with the introduction of Personalized AI, a suite of features that allows redaction tools to intelligently adjust based on document type, redaction history, and user Logo The Personalized AI update addresses the growing demand for smarter and more adaptable document processing in industries handling sensitive information, including legal, healthcare, finance, and law enforcement. Rather than relying on static rules, Redact now learns over time, providing users with redaction tools that become increasingly accurate and tailored to their workflows. Key components of the release include: Document Type Recognition: The AI automatically identifies document categories—such as contracts, medical records, or police reports—and adjusts its logic to match relevant redaction standards. This includes context-aware entity detection, like patient identifiers in medical files or license numbers in law enforcement records. Adaptive Entity Recognition: The system identifies and redacts sensitive content based on prior user actions, learning from ongoing redaction behavior to improve future performance. Regulation-Aware Data Profiles: Now supports a broad range of sensitive information types—including PII, PHI, racial covenants, and key business and financial data—with built-in awareness of compliance standards like HIPAA, GDPR, and FOIA. Manual Edits and Overrides: Users retain full control with the ability to fine-tune or override AI suggestions through a real-time editing interface. Whitelisting Functionality: Organizations can preserve specific terms or phrases from redaction, such as job titles or internal codes, improving accuracy and consistency. User and Team Learning: The system evolves with each user and team's redaction patterns, allowing it to provide more precise, context-appropriate suggestions as it accumulates insights. 'Our mission with Personalized AI is to deliver smarter, more human-aware redaction,' said Jeremy Wei, Founder of 'It's about context, control, and continuously improving performance tailored to each organization's needs.' The Personalized AI capabilities are now available to all current users of Redact. This release strengthens position at the forefront of AI-driven redaction by uniting adaptive personalization with deep regulatory awareness, enabling organizations to safeguard sensitive data while keeping pace with changing compliance requirements. About Designed for compliance-intensive environments, leverages artificial intelligence to automate and optimize document workflows across industries, with a primary focus on protecting sensitive data through features like PDF redaction, data security, and extraction. CONTACT: Gregory Sallis media@ while retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data