Latest news with #NottinghamCityHomes
Yahoo
30-01-2025
- Yahoo
Pubs hit by crime wave of smashed toilets, broken windows and graffiti
Pubs and a takeaway have been plagued by a spate of time wasters and vandals, leaving them out of pocket and inconvenienced by damage to repair. In one incident a hoaxer placed a £60 fake food order at a small family-run restaurant and takeaway. The man ordered four brunches from SuRano, an Indian vegan business in Lilac Crescent, Beeston Rylands. The order, placed through the Foodhub website, was for four brunches, consisting of two aloo paratha, yogurt, homemade carrot pickle and a cup of masala chai plus four parathas, yogurt and pickle. Owner Rano Samra said: "It was to pay on delivery, which we do many times a week. But this time when I arrived at the address it was for a Chinese takeaway. Something didn't seem right so I phoned the number on the order. READ MORE: Ambulance took 1hr 45min as woman left lying on Nottingham tram track READ MORE: Nine people made homeless after being evicted by Nottingham City Homes "He answered the phone and when I said I had a delivery for him he hung up on me. From then on I tried a few more times but he refused to answer. At this point I realised it was a prank." Rano said she had no idea why her business was targeted. The unwanted food was distributed to a family in need and staff. "The order was to the value of £60. For a small business like ours this is a big financial loss for us. In addition there is the cost of driving ten miles there and back. "In future I will have to take payment upfront before preparing the food. Until now this has never happened and it had not occurred to me to insist on payment in advance," she said. The incident is one of a number of time and money-wasting setbacks suffered by hospitality businesses over the last few days. The Fox & Crown in Old Basford was targeted by vandals in the early hours on January 22. The front of the pub in Church Street was sprayed in different colours, while a mural at the side was ruined by graffiti and will need to be repainted. The owner said they were "sad and angry" and have reported the damage to the police. A thief used a boulder to smash a window at micropub Mist Rolling Inn, in Derby Road, Nottingham. The pub was broken into at around 4.30am on Tuesday, January 21. Mobile phones and bottles of spirits were stolen. Owner David Hawyes said replacement glass was an "expense I can't afford". He added: "I feel sorry for them [whoever broke in] that they need to steal to make money for whatever purposes in the first place. "But have they really considered the ongoing effects? Because not only does it put a hole in my window but it could potentially destroy a business and people's jobs." In another incident, over the border in Derbyshire, both the ladies and gents toilets were smashed at the White Lion pub in Derby Road, Sandiacre. Photos of the damage were posted on the pub's Facebook page with the message: "And why do we bother? Seven weeks after the refurb! To keep a nice pub, to offer all that we do for the community for mindless idiots to come in to trash both the ladies and men's toilets."
Yahoo
29-01-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Nine people made homeless after being evicted by Nottingham City Homes
Nottingham City Council has been accused of "double standards" for confirming that at least nine people were made homeless after being evicted by a company connected to the authority. The Labour government says it will ban Section 21 no-fault eviction notices, which allow landlords to kick out tenants without providing any reason as long as they give two months of notice. The ban is set to be implemented by the summer and it is a ban which Nottingham's Labour councillors repeatedly called for under the previous Conservative government. Despite this, a housing company closely connected to the city council was handing out Section 21 notices last year and it has now emerged that as a result, at least nine people ended up homeless. It was first revealed in February that the Nottingham City Homes Group was selling 44 properties as part of efforts to repay £18 million of ringfenced money that should have been used on its housing stock, but that was unlawfully spent elsewhere. Of the properties being sold, 40 of them were still occupied at the time and tenants were therefore served Section 21 notices. READ MORE: Plans revealed for cheap Nottingham supermarket to expand with new takeaway READ MORE: Pub, restaurant, offices and flats put up for sale for £1.1m by Nottingham City Council The homes were the responsibility of Nottingham City Homes Enterprises Ltd, a subsidiary company of Nottingham City Homes (NCH). NCH itself was a company completely owned by Nottingham City Council but operating at arm's length from the authority, which was folded back into the council last year. At a Council House meeting on Monday (January 27), independent councillor Andrew Rule asked: "Can the executive member for housing and planning confirm how many former tenants of Nottingham City Homes Enterprises Ltd have presented as homeless to the council, following the service of a Section 21 eviction notice, and the cost that this has placed on the council." Councillor Jay Hayes, the executive member for housing and planning at the city council, said: "Nottingham City Homes Enterprises is the private rented sector arm of Nottingham City Homes. Nine people presented to housing solutions. One person required emergency accommodation at a cost of £11,600." Nottinghamshire Live reported for much of 2024 on the case of Dean Allan's family, one of several who were served with an eviction notice. That case ended up at Nottingham County Court, where NCH agreed a settlement with Mr Allan's family which saw them take possession of their home. Mr Allan said afterwards that he expected he and his family would have to present as homeless. By the end of last year, Mr Allan had secured accommodation but was seeking alternative housing after issues including black mould in the home that the city council first placed him in. Since Nottingham City Homes was folded back into the council, the city council now has complete control again over housing. Labour's Councillor Linda Woodings, executive member for finance, followed up the issue by asking Councillor Hayes on Monday: "I just wanted to ask a supplementary question about how unusual it is for our opposition to be asking about evictions that have been in place for the last 14 years [under the Conservative government]. "I don't ever recall a question being asked about that. Does he think that's unusual?" Councillor Hayes replied: "We've seen the cost of rent skyrocket due to Liz Truss and her economic plan. I'd like to take this opportunity to thank our housing solutions team for the work they've done supporting people who are facing difficult hardship in securing accommodation." Councillor Rule said after the meeting that Labour councillors were simply "trying to deflect" from the issue at hand. He added: "Given the criticism that had been levelled at the fact that it took a long time to legislate around banning Section 21 notices, it seems to smack more than a little of double standards. "A company connected to the council has been engaged in a practice that I would suggest the Labour group would decry if it was anybody else."
