Thomas Bridge 29 April 2014

Apologise to Pickles over incorrect clean-up notice, council told

Nottingham City Council has been asked to apologies to Eric Pickles, after wrongly serving the communities secretary with an enforcement notice over a derelict building.

Before Easter, Nottingham served Pickles with a Section 215 notice to clean up local site Lancaster House, an ‘eyesore’ which the council claims is attracting vermin.

However a formal response to the local authority from Baroness Stowell said the Government had ‘absolutely no legal responsibility’ for the building.

‘It is owned by private landlords. DCLG has never occupied this property as such, but the secretary of state is the legal title holder for a large amount of the civil estate,’ Stowell wrote.

‘Had the council bothered to undertake proper research and check the facts, this expense to local and national taxpayers could have been avoided.

‘I can only reasonably conclude that this was a political stunt by the council – but one which has backfired given the council’s claims are demonstrably untrue and given taxpayers’ money has been wasted as a result.

‘I would suggest it would be gentlemanly for the council to offer an apology to the secretary of state, given the unjustified and unfounded personal attack. If the council declines to give one, the public will be able to draw their own conclusions on how your councillors conduct themselves in public life,’ Stowell concluded.

A Nottingham City Council spokesman said: ‘Our primary concern with Lancaster House is that it is a property where action is urgently needed to deal with a significant problem with rubbish and vermin, and it is this and nothing else which motivated us to tackle it.

‘We have of course carried out all the necessary checks in the usual way and the Land Registry records from last month show the DCLG as current proprietors of the property.

‘We contacted civil servants at the DCLG on a number of occasions and at no point did they inform us it was not their property. We therefore had no reason to believe the property was not theirs.’

SIGN UP
For your free daily news bulletin
Highways jobs

Rehabilitation Officer Vision Impairment

London Borough of Richmond upon Thames and London Borough of Wandsworth
£38,976 - £52,767
Rehabilitation Officer Vision Impairmen... Twickenham, London
Recuriter: London Borough of Richmond upon Thames and London Borough of Wandsworth

Residential Worker

Wakefield Council
£32,061.00 to £34,434.00, Grade 7.
We are looking for a Full-Time Children's Residential Worker to join our team at Clarence Children's Home in Wakefield Wakefield, West Yorkshire
Recuriter: Wakefield Council

Community Development Officer

The Royal Borough of Windsor & Maidenhead
£32,962 - £36,791 per annum
We have an exciting opportunity for a Community Development Officer to join us! Maidenhead, Berkshire / Multiple
Recuriter: The Royal Borough of Windsor & Maidenhead

Telecare Responder

Durham County Council
Grade 6 £28,142 to £31,022 per annum
Could you respond to emergency calls, gain access and administer first aid if necessary? Could you assist in the provision of an equitable Countywide Durham
Recuriter: Durham County Council

Social Worker - Assessment & Intervention, Mid Team

Essex County Council
£34902.0000 - £50081.0000 per annum
Social Worker - Assessment & Intervention, Mid TeamPermanent, Full Time£34,902 to £50,081 per annum Location
Recuriter: Essex County Council
Linkedin Banner