A London council has been forcing residents into silence as a condition of them receiving money owed to them for building work and services they had been overcharged for – in some cases by tens of thousands of pounds.
Lambeth Council was asked by the BBC how many leaseholders it had asked to sign confidentiality clauses or non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) over a period of five years. It said 136 residents had entered into confidentiality agreements.
The Labour-run council has paid out nearly £1.6m in building works refunds to these residents, at an average of more than £11,500 per case. Leaseholders have told the BBC how they were refunded after being charged for shoddy work to their homes – and sometimes for work that never took place at all. They had to make a legally binding commitment not to tell anyone – including their neighbours – about this.
Source: BBC
In other news – Sir Ed Davey denies Lib Dems leading opposition to new homes
Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey has denied his party is leading efforts to oppose new homes being built. In an interview with the BBC’s Nick Robinson, Sir Ed was challenged with examples where Lib Dem councillors or MPs had argued against housebuilding plans in their areas.
In response, he gave his own examples of where he said the party was building more homes or being criticised for building too many. Read more
