Latest news with #Conservative-run
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Labour councils accused of ‘double standards' in war on landlords
Labour councils have been accused of double standards for fining private landlords while leaving their own properties in poor condition. The Housing Ombudsman found that 11 housing providers, including four Labour-run councils, were guilty of failing to make emergency repairs in a review of 'severe maladministration decisions'. Tenants were found to have been left battling broken ceilings, mould and broken heating systems by councils, despite those same local authorities fining private landlords tens of thousands for similar reasons. It comes as the controversial Renters' Right Bill makes its way through Parliament towards Royal Assent. From October, landlords will be required to carry out essential repairs within fixed time periods, such as dealing with damp and mould, under an element of the Bill known as 'Awaab's Law'. Last year, the Ombudsman recorded a three-fold increase in complaints about mould and damp in council homes. Local authorities were ordered to pay out a record £1.7m in compensation to tenants as a result. At the same time, councils have raked in some £300m in fees from licensing schemes as cash-strapped local authorities look to private landlords to balance their books. Councils named in the more recent report included the Labour-run Brent, Hackney and Lambeth in London, as well as North Tyneside in the North East and Conservative-run Harlow. Lambeth Council was singled out for leaving a mould complaint unresolved for four months, and for neglecting to inspect the property until it was contacted by the tenant's MP. Nonetheless, in 2018, the council fined a landlord £10,000 for cramming nine tenants into a five-bedroom property with an 'unsatisfactory' fire alarm system. In 2023, the council was found to have paid out £120,615 in compensation to tenants, the highest amount out of any local authority in England. A Lambeth Council spokesman said: 'We have fully accepted and complied with the Ombudsman's findings; we have apologised to the tenant and paid them compensation – including for the cost of replacing her floor – in recognition of the inconvenience and frustration this had caused her.' Brent Council, meanwhile, was found by the Ombudsman to have left five children in a house with a broken ceiling for six weeks. Last year, a private landlord in the borough was fined £50,000 for charging a family of eight £3,500 a month to live in a 'house of horrors' that included a rat infestation, a leak and a broken toilet. The Ombudsman said landlords falsely claimed 'no access' to avoid making repairs, 'despite sometimes limited evidence that the landlord notified the resident it would be attending'. Other common failures highlighted by the Ombudsman included record-keeping, communication and the wrong trades being sent to do work. In one case, a plumber was sent to fix a roof leak. The report said: 'This matters because there is a power imbalance, with most residents having limited choice over their landlord. 'So, it is unfair for neighbours living in similar properties with similar problems to experience different service levels.' Richard Blakeway, the Housing Ombudsman, told trade publication The Negotiator that the law would mean 'the same local authorities that currently enforce housing standards against private landlords will themselves be accountable to their tenants, who will be able to take them to court'. The Local Government Association, which represents councils across England and Wales, was approached for comment. Brent, Hackney, North Tyneside and Harlow councils were approached for comment. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
New speed bumps are not too big, says highways
Speed bumps that a councillor complains are too high and are "scraping" vehicles will not be fixed, highways bosses have said. Essex Highways had said work to adjust the series of humps in Hawthorn Avenue, Colchester, and a discrepancy of 2cm (0.8in), were scheduled for April. But after a reinspection, the Conservative-run highways authority said there was "no intent to alter" as they met the "standard height". "They're clearly too high," local Labour councillor Tim Young said. "People who approach them a bit too quickly are scraping the underneath of their vehicle." Drivers were having to "crawl to almost a halt to get over them" to avoid damaging their vehicles, he continued. He said he would "get on to" the councillor responsible for highways and that the bumps had already damaged some vehicles. The speed cushions had replaced a previous set which had been in place for several years near a primary and secondary school, explained Young. Essex Highways said engineers visited the road last month to "inspect and accurately measure" the bumps. "The cushions were recorded as being to the design height of 75mm (3in), which is a standard height within the UK for this type of speed calming measure," a spokesperson said. "They have been positioned to help reduce speed for the adjacent school entrance. "As a consequence, there is no intent to alter the current height, although we will continue to monitor the effectiveness of the speed cushions at this location, as we do with all new installations of this nature." Follow Essex news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X. Potholes repaired after line painting mishap Work under way to fix 'nightmare' speed bumps More speed bumps set for village roads Essex Highways
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
New speed bumps are not too big, says highways
Speed bumps that a councillor complains are too high and are "scraping" vehicles will not be fixed, highways bosses have said. Essex Highways had said work to adjust the series of humps in Hawthorn Avenue, Colchester, and a discrepancy of 2cm (0.8in), were scheduled for April. But after a reinspection, the Conservative-run highways authority said there was "no intent to alter" as they met the "standard height". "They're clearly too high," local Labour councillor Tim Young said. "People who approach them a bit too quickly are scraping the underneath of their vehicle." Drivers were having to "crawl to almost a halt to get over them" to avoid damaging their vehicles, he continued. He said he would "get on to" the councillor responsible for highways and that the bumps had already damaged some vehicles. The speed cushions had replaced a previous set which had been in place for several years near a primary and secondary school, explained Young. Essex Highways said engineers visited the road last month to "inspect and accurately measure" the bumps. "The cushions were recorded as being to the design height of 75mm (3in), which is a standard height within the UK for this type of speed calming measure," a spokesperson said. "They have been positioned to help reduce speed for the adjacent school entrance. "As a consequence, there is no intent to alter the current height, although we will continue to monitor the effectiveness of the speed cushions at this location, as we do with all new installations of this nature." Follow Essex news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X. Potholes repaired after line painting mishap Work under way to fix 'nightmare' speed bumps More speed bumps set for village roads Essex Highways
ITV News
02-05-2025
- Politics
- ITV News
Local election 2025: Results across South West including Devon, Cornwall and Gloucestershire
Thousands of voters across the South West have cast their ballots in the latest round of local elections. Voters are electing councillors across council areas including Gloucestershire, Wiltshire, Devon and Cornwall. Here are the latest results for the West Country, with updates to follow: Devon The Liberal Democrats narrowly failed to take control of Devon County Council - a council which had been previously Conservative-run. The Lib Dems have however become the largest party on the county council, in what they have described as a "West Country wipe-out". Reform UK has taken seats for the first time on the county council - winning a total of 17. The Liberal Democrats have picked up 27 seats, the Green Party has picked up six, there were six for the Conservative Party and two independents. The Lib Dems previously had just 10 seats on the council, which was controlled by the Conservatives with 40. Gloucestershire Counting is still underway. Voter turnout in the 10 city electoral divisions in Gloucester was low, the figure predicted to be around 31.4%. Liberal Democrat leader of Gloucestershire Council, Jeremy Hilton, said: "The Conservatives in government were a disaster, everyone was right to kick them out last year. "I think the same the County Council, they've been in charge for twenty years. "The roads are falling apart, the services are inadequate and I think people need a change to the way the county council is run. "One hopes the Liberal Democrats will be forming the next administration", he added. Wiltshire Wiltshire has 98 council seats up for grabs, counts are still ongoing. Counting is taking place in three centres: Five Rivers Leisure Centre, Olympiad Leisure Centre and County hall. But this year voter turnout has fallen from the 2021 elections. The last unitary authority elections, which took place when Covid restrictions were still in place had a turnout of 40.53%, that figure has fallen to 36.19% this year. Cornwall Counting is still ongoing. There are three counts taking place across the county including at Bodmin Leisure Centre, Carn Brea Leisure Centre and Truro Cathedral. ITV News West Country spoke to residents in Truro who had just cast their ballot. One man said: "I voted Labour my whole life, but I changed to Conservatives, I think they're all the same." When asked about engagement, one woman said: "The local councillors in our village have been quite upright and have come round knocking on doors and posting leaflets." Another woman added: "You can't complain, if you haven't voted them in, so I always go and vote." Labour's Helen Godwin has been elected as the new Mayor of the West of England. She received 51,197 votes, equivalent of 24.97% of the ballots, beating Reform UK's Arron Banks by around 6,000 votes. The turnout was 205,028, equivalent to 30.02%. The Combined Authority area covers Bath and North East Somerset, Bristol, and South Gloucestershire. The mayor has a say over things like transport, housing, employment and skills, and could gain even more authority under the government's plans to devolve power out of Westminster. There were more votes cast in the West of England Combined Authority (WECA) areas outside of Bristol than in it, figures show. Bath and North East Somerset had 42,886 verified ballot papers, while South Gloucestershire had 64,847 – a combined total of 107,733. Bristol had 97,824 verified ballot papers, so 9,909 fewer than the two other areas combined. Across the region, out the 682,951 who were eligible to vote, only 205,557 votes were cast. That's a total turnout of 30%.
Leader Live
02-05-2025
- Politics
- Leader Live
Conservatives and Labour lose ground to Reform in local elections
Reform have taken Lincolnshire and Staffordshire councils out of Conservative control, with Nigel Farage's party sweeping hundreds of council seats across England, while Sir Ed Davey's party made gains at the Tories' expense in Devon. Labour have also been hit at the ballot box by Mr Farage as Sir Keir Starmer conceded his party's loss to Reform in the Runcorn and Helsby by-election was 'disappointing', with Reform also taking control of the council in Durham. Votes were continuing to be counted in council and mayoral contests on Friday afternoon. Mrs Badenoch insisted that the 'renewal' of the Conservatives has 'only just begun' as she thanked those who had campaigned. In a post on X, she said: 'These were always going to be a very difficult set of elections coming off the high of 2021, and our historic defeat last year – and so it's proving. 'The renewal of our party has only just begun and I'm determined to win back the trust of the public and the seats we've lost, in the years to come.' Reform took control in Lincolnshire on Friday, having won more than half of the 70 total seats. The Conservatives had previously led the council with 54 seats, but were down in single figures. There were similar stories in Staffordshire and Lancashire where Reform took control from the Conservatives. The Lib Dems narrowly failed to take control of Devon County Council, another council which had been previously Conservative-run. However amid the council losses the Tories took a mayoralty from Labour, with victory for ex-MP Paul Bristow in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough. The position had been Labour held since 2021, but their candidate Anna Smith came in third behind the Lib Dems. The picture on local councils has been emerging through Friday, after Reform's victory by just six votes in Runcorn and Helsby set a new record for the smallest majority at a parliamentary by-election since the Second World War. Th contest was triggered when former Labour MP Mike Amesbury quit after admitting to punching a constituent. Amesbury won 53% of the vote less than a year ago at the general election – and the defeat, along with Reform gains in other Labour heartlands, will cause unease in Downing Street. Speaking to reporters during a visit to Bedfordshire on Friday following the result, Sir Keir said: 'What I want to say is, my response is we get it. 'We were elected in last year to bring about change.' He said that his party has 'started that work', such as bringing in measures to cut NHS waiting lists, adding: 'I am determined that we will go further and faster on the change that people want to see.' Labour also lost their status as the biggest party on Durham County Council, as Reform took control of the patch in the North East. Labour MPs including Diane Abbott and Brian Leishman publicly called on the Government to change course following the Runcorn result, arguing that voters had wanted an end to austerity but faced further cuts. 'The first 10 months haven't been good enough or what the people want and if we don't improve people's living standards then the next government will be an extreme right-wing one,' Mr Leishman, who was first elected last year, said. Sir Keir was asked by reporters whether he would reconsider unpopular policy changes, such as means-testing the winter fuel payment, amid murmurs of backbench discontent in the wake of the results. 'The reason that we took the tough but right decisions in the budget was because we inherited a broken economy,' he told Sky News. 'Maybe other prime ministers would have walked past that, pretended it wasn't there… I took the choice to make sure our economy was stable.'
