Reform UK council chair resigns after ‘illegally renting out unsafe properties’ | Warwickshire
The leader of Reform UK’s council has resigned after he was found to be operating two unsafe rental properties illegally, according to a neighboring local authority.
Warwickshire county council leader Edward Harris owned two unlicensed multi-occupation (HMO) homes in Staffordshire that had “multiple serious safety issues”, according to Labour-led Tamworth county council.
In a statement announcing her resignation as chair and member of Reform UK in a statement on Thursday, Harris said she “took full responsibility” for the condition of the homes and had “publicly expressed my regret at the situation and my willingness to put things right within the scope of my responsibilities as the owner of these two properties.”
“Recent news has caused the great work of our council to be unjustly disrupted. While this matter is being investigated, I feel it is my noble duty not to allow my shackles to be inserted into a process.”
Tamworth council described Harris as a “rogue landlord” and said he and managing agent Touchstone had ignored repeated warnings about “dangerous conditions” at the properties.
The council found the properties had no access to heating or hot water, no working fire alarms, inadequate cooking facilities and no safe access to outdoor areas.
“Six-bedroom properties housing multiple tenants failed to meet even the most basic living standards and legal requirements,” Tamworth said.
The news will be embarrassing for Reform UK as Matt Goodwin, a candidate in the Gorton and Denton by-election in Greater Manchester, has announced that tackling HMOs will be one of his priorities. The party’s chief deputy, Lee Anderson, had previously expressed concern to the government about “a sharp increase in the number of HMOs, many of which are poorly run”.
The council’s Reform leader, George Finch, accepted the resignation and thanked Harris for her service as president. “It would be inappropriate to comment on specifics while the appropriate process is ongoing, and I urge others not to speculate,” he said.
A 75-year-old man who lives on the same street as Harris’s HMOs, who asked not to be named, said both properties were “slowly falling into disrepair” and Harris “refused to do anything with them”.
“What we didn’t realize was what the condition of the houses inside was and the deplorable situation the residents were in. [in]he said.
Another resident, a 73-year-old, said he spoke to someone living in one of the properties who said he had not had hot water for two years. “I said: ‘So how do you achieve this?’ “We boil the resources, there is also an electric shower,” he said.
He described his surprise when he discovered his landlord was the leader of the Reform party on Warwickshire council. “Someone like this holds a high position,” he said. “We asked him to fix the problem and he completely ignored us.”
Tamworth council’s Ben Clarke said the condition of the properties left the local authority “with no option but to take action and issue two urgent prohibition notices”.
The council said residents had been offered support and advice, adding that it was considering further enforcement action regarding properties owned by Harris.
Touchstone has been contacted for comment.
