Latest news with #Kirkby
Sky News
3 days ago
- General
- Sky News
Hundreds face imminent eviction as Merseyside tower blocks condemned by firefighters
Hundreds of people are facing imminent homelessness after their Merseyside flat blocks were condemned by the fire service as being unsafe. Residents of Beech Rise and Willow Rise in Kirkby, Merseyside - consisting of 160 flats in total - have been told they need to find somewhere else to live "immediately". Sky News understands a meeting took place this morning involving the government to discuss the situation, although one source described the circumstances as a "waiting game" to see what other parties do next. Due to the worsening condition of the buildings, Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service issued a notice saying a round-the-clock "waking watch" - a fire safety system where trained personnel continuously patrol a building - was required as a safety measure. However, the money to pay for the waking watch has run out, and with no money for repairs, the fire service has told inhabitants to leave using a rarely employed power known as a prohibition notice. Among the issues are broken lifts, poorly fitted doors and malfunctioning fire alarms. Knowsley Council says it is funding a short-term extension to the watch - understood to cost thousands of pounds per day - while people search for accommodation, but only has the money to do this "for a short period". Anneliese Midgley, the MP for Knowsley, says she is working with the council and government to support the impacted families. She said the situation is "nothing short of a scandal". But there remains the prospect of an "emergency evacuation" if a watch is not in place. There are allegations of mismanagement against previous owners and management firms, including around finances, made by the buildings' current managers, the Parklands Management, in which residents are shareholders. Dempster Management, the most recent firm appointed to run and maintain the buildings, is understood to be continuing to help with operations as Parklands has run out of money. Graham Morgan, the leader of Knowsley Council, said the residents have been "let down and neglected for years" by private owners of the blocks. 3:10 Vulnerable residents have been contacted by the council, and some could receive emergency rehousing if necessary. Mr Morgan added that the council has asked the government for help with funding - and help potentially going after the private companies "to recover costs". The buildings were previously council properties but were taken over by the private sector in the mid-2000s. Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service said: "MFRS officers have worked tirelessly alongside Knowsley Council for several years to engage with successive management agents to ensure responsible persons fulfil their obligations under fire safety law, including issuing enforcement notices requiring remediation work to be carried out. "A waking watch has been in place in both Beech Rise and Willow Rise to ensure the safety of residents while works are carried out, however, it has become evident that the work required has not progressed and is unlikely to be carried out. "The management company would not fund the waking watch beyond 21 May 2025. The funding of the waking watch has been extended by Knowsley Council for a short period at their cost, despite them not owning the buildings, but this is not sustainable. "This means the buildings will no longer be safe for residents to live in after the current waking watch ends, and MFRS will have no choice but to issue a prohibition notice. When the prohibition notice is served, residents must leave immediately, and they will need to be rehoused. "We understand that this is disruptive and unpleasant for residents, however, all other options have been exhausted and the safety of residents is of paramount importance." Parklands Management told Sky News: "The situation at Parklands has become appalling for all involved. Residents and leaseholders are facing an unprecedented and deeply distressing crisis that stems from years of systemic neglect and mismanagement." They added: "The scale of investment now required to bring Parklands up to standard is in the multi-millions, and yet those bearing the burden are ordinary leaseholders, many with no financial capacity to contribute further." Dempster, who took over the management of the towers in late 2023, told Sky News: "Upon our appointment, we inherited a development that had suffered from years of serious neglect. The scale of disrepair was significant, requiring substantial investment that could only be funded through service charges payable by leaseholders" The statement added: "Despite our brief tenure, we have faced exceptionally difficult circumstances, largely due to the dire financial position and structural issues left behind by previous directors and managing agents." The decision of Dempster to resign in April 2025 was a "commercial" one because conditions were "impossible". "We remain hopeful that the residents and leaseholders of Parklands will find justice and a lasting resolution. In today's society, no one should be left to face the threat of homelessness, especially due to failures beyond their control," the company added. A spokesperson for the head lessor, the Virgin Island registered company Rockwell FC100, said the requirement to keep the buildings safe rested with Parklands Management, and said it was "extremely disappointing that due to a combination of factors including their non-collection of significant essential funding, the buildings have been allowed to deteriorate to the extent which they have". They added they were "investigating how best to move forward". Parklands said they have spent more than £170,000 on safety works and service charge arrears are at more than £700,000, with £250,000 also owed to creditors. They claim that, because post-Grenfell cladding work has not been completed, recovering service charges is "virtually impossible" and, due to disrepair, flats can be worth as little as £10,000.
BBC News
3 days ago
- General
- BBC News
Hundreds homeless after Kirkby flats ruled unsafe
Hundreds of people in flats in Kirkby are being made homeless after two tower blocks were declared unsafe by the fire Council has told 160 households at Willow Rise and Beech Rise, in Roughwood Drive, they will have to permanently leave their homes within weeks. One resident, Christopher Penfold-Ivany, 53, said it was a "catastrophic situation".The council said a failure by the building's management companies and agents to carry out required works had led to Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service (MFRS) issuing an enforcement notice against the buildings' Responsible Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) has contacted all relevant parties for comment. A letter from Knowsley Council sent to 160 households at Willow Rise and Beech Rise, seen by the LDRS, confirmed they would have to permanently vacate their homes in a matter of tower blocks home hundreds of residents, both tenants and leaseholders, and are owned by TR Marketing Ltd. The headlessor of both Willow Rise and Beech Rise is Rockwell (FC100) Kirkby Management Company Ltd is the board elected by leaseholders to contract a management company to take care of health and safety issues, general maintenance and service Management Services Ltd took on this contract in 2023 but at the start of this month informed all tenants and leaseholders it had decided to immediately terminate its contract with Beech Rise and Willow has left residents without a contracted management company. Resident Mr Penfold-Ivany, who lives on floor 13 of Willow Rise and is currently undergoing treatment for a serious health issue, said it was a "catastrophic situation" and "should never have been allowed to happen"."We've been plunged into uncertainty and we're all effectively being made homeless."Arunee Leerasiri, who owns a flat and has lived in Willow Rise for the past two-and-a-half years said it had been "very stressful" and that residents had been "living with an increasing sense of fear with no solutions or answers to questions".Resident Denny Walton, 83, described the news as a "bombshell" and said he did not know where he and his wife would go."We would've died here, we love it," he said."Now this bombshell - 'out'. I don't know what we can do". Rockwell (FC100) Ltd, the flats' headlessor or primary landlord, said responsibility for managing the buildings and ensuring they were safe rested with the resident management company, Parklands Kirkby Management Company Ltd.A Rockwell representative said it was "extremely disappointing that the buildings have been allowed to deteriorate to the extent which they have".Adding: "We are now, as a matter of urgency, investigating how best to move forward." A Parklands Kirkby Management Company Ltd representative said the board had been "left with an impossible situation and amounting legacy issues"."We volunteered to be directors of the management company in late 2023, following years' worth of neglect and repeated failings," a representative said."When we became directors there was unfortunately no funds left and a substantial amount of money (£700,000) owed by way of service charges and hundreds of thousands of pounds owed to creditors." 'Emergency housing' Dempster Management Services Ltd has been contacted by the LDRS for LDRS has also made attempts to contact building owners TR Marketing of Knowsley Council Graham Morgan said the local authority was in the process of contacting all residents to ensure they received urgent support, which could include emergency for Knowsley Anneliese Midgley said she had been contacted by concerned residents and was calling for a long-term plan to address the issues. Listen to the best of BBC Radio Merseyside on Sounds and follow BBC Merseyside on Facebook, X, and Instagram. You can also send story ideas via Whatsapp to 0808 100 2230.
BBC News
3 days ago
- General
- BBC News
Two arrested after girl, 7, and woman hurt in Kirkby dog attack
A seven year-old girl has had emergency surgery after being bitten by a dog as she played outside on girl suffered injuries to her arm and leg on Dulas Green, Kirkby, just before 18:00 BST on Thursday, police said.A 22-year-old woman was also bitten on her leg, arm and hand as she tried to remove the dog from the child before it was contained by neighbours. Both remain in hospital in a stable men have been arrested and the dog, believed to be a Staffordshire Bull Terrier, has been seized. Insp Louie Lyons said it was "a horrific attack which has left a young child requiring emergency surgery for a number of serious injuries"."We have seized the dog and extensive efforts are under way to establish exactly what happened," she said."I want to appeal to anyone who was in the area at the time of the incident, who may have information, to come forward as soon as possible."Officers also seized cannabis plants from a nearby house, the force said. A 54-year-old man, from Southdene, Kirkby has been arrested on suspicion of being the owner or person in charge of a dog dangerously out of control causing injury, and production of a Class B drug cannabis.A 23-year-old man, also from Southdene, Kirkby has been arrested on suspicion of being the owner or person in charge of a dog dangerously out of control causing injury. They remain in custody for questioning. Listen to the best of BBC Radio Merseyside on Sounds and follow BBC Merseyside on Facebook, X, and Instagram. You can also send story ideas via Whatsapp to 0808 100 2230.
Powys County Times
22-05-2025
- Business
- Powys County Times
BT sees earnings holding firm amid mammoth cost-cutting drive
Telecoms giant BT has said it expects earnings to remain largely flat over the year ahead as it presses ahead with a major cost-cutting overhaul and plans to refocus on its UK business. The group reported underlying earnings up 1% to £8.21 billion in the year to March 31, as cost savings helped offset a 2% fall in revenues. BT said it ended its financial year with 3% fewer staff, at 116,000 in total including contractors, while its directly employed workforce was slashed by 8%. The firm has previously announced plans to cut up to 55,000 jobs worldwide by 2030 as it looks to shave billions of pounds off its cost base. It said it was on track to deliver on the plans, with more than £900 million of annual cost savings delivered so far. As revenues remain under pressure, the group is forecasting little change to underlying earnings over the new financial year, with guidance for between £8.2 billion and £8.3 billion. Underlying revenues will remain at around £20 billion, having delivered £20.4 billion in 2024-25. But the group said UK service revenues returned to growth in the second half of its last financial year, up 1% in the final quarter, limiting the overall annual decline to 0.4%. Its networks division, called Openreach, was the only part of the business that saw both revenue and earnings growth over the year as it continued to roll out fibre across Britain. The firm said it saw growth in its consumer broadband customer base during the final quarter for the first time since December 2021. Chief executive Allison Kirkby said: 'The momentum in, and impact of, our full fibre programme is such that we are now raising our build target by 20% to up to five million UK premises in 2025-26, keeping us comfortably on track to reach 25 million by the end of 2026.' Ms Kirkby is leading a revamp of the company after taking on the top job last year and is considering selling off or breaking up its international arm, which the group has carved out from the rest of the business as it looks to refocus on its UK operations. BT has been gradually reducing its overseas business as part of wider cost-cutting plans, recently selling off its troubled Italian business and previously agreeing the sale of its Irish wholesale and enterprise business unit. Ms Kirkby said the group had 'accelerated the pace of simplification and transformation' over the past year.
Glasgow Times
22-05-2025
- Business
- Glasgow Times
BT sees earnings holding firm amid mammoth cost-cutting drive
The group reported underlying earnings up 1% to £8.21 billion in the year to March 31, as cost savings helped offset a 2% fall in revenues. BT said it ended its financial year with 3% fewer staff, at 116,000 in total including contractors, while its directly employed workforce was slashed by 8%. The firm has previously announced plans to cut up to 55,000 jobs worldwide by 2030 as it looks to shave billions of pounds off its cost base. It said it was on track to deliver on the plans, with more than £900 million of annual cost savings delivered so far. As revenues remain under pressure, the group is forecasting little change to underlying earnings over the new financial year, with guidance for between £8.2 billion and £8.3 billion. Underlying revenues will remain at around £20 billion, having delivered £20.4 billion in 2024-25. But the group said UK service revenues returned to growth in the second half of its last financial year, up 1% in the final quarter, limiting the overall annual decline to 0.4%. Its networks division, called Openreach, was the only part of the business that saw both revenue and earnings growth over the year as it continued to roll out fibre across Britain. Openreach was the only part of the business that saw both revenue and earnings growth over the year (Joe Giddens/PA) The firm said it saw growth in its consumer broadband customer base during the final quarter for the first time since December 2021. Chief executive Allison Kirkby said: 'The momentum in, and impact of, our full fibre programme is such that we are now raising our build target by 20% to up to five million UK premises in 2025-26, keeping us comfortably on track to reach 25 million by the end of 2026.' Ms Kirkby is leading a revamp of the company after taking on the top job last year and is considering selling off or breaking up its international arm, which the group has carved out from the rest of the business as it looks to refocus on its UK operations. BT has been gradually reducing its overseas business as part of wider cost-cutting plans, recently selling off its troubled Italian business and previously agreeing the sale of its Irish wholesale and enterprise business unit. Ms Kirkby said the group had 'accelerated the pace of simplification and transformation' over the past year.
