Industry News Unregistered plumber handed A


suspended prison sentence HSE inspector Adam Johnson said: “Anthony Rice undertook gas work which he was not registered to do. All gas work must be conducted by registered Gas Safe engineers to ensure the highest standards are met to prevent injury and loss of life.”


n unregistered plumber has received a suspended prison sentence aſter he carried out illegal gas work at a house


in Peterborough. Anthony Rice, trading as Rice Plumbing and


Oil Heating, attended the property on Edwalton Avenue on 31 January 2023 where he replaced a gas boiler and altered gas pipe work. However, Rice accidentally connected the gas supply with water, meaning the property’s gas pipes and gas meter were flooded. Gas engineers from Cadent later attended the


property and were required to pump water from the emergency control valve and replace the gas meter. Te engineers classed the gas boiler Rice had installed as immediately dangerous, capped off the gas supply before notifying the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). A HSE investigation found that Rice has never


been registered with the Gas Safe Register, which is a legal requirement for carrying out this type of


work. He also held no qualifications, nor had he completed any training in gas work. HSE has guidance for gas consumers and


what they need to know in order to manage gas appliances and equipment safety as well as what you need to do in an emergency. Anthony Rice, of Fullbridge Road, Werrington,


Peterborough, pleaded guilty to contravening Regulations 3(1) and 3(3) of the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998, contrary to Section 33(1)(c) of the Health and Safety at


Work etc. Act 1974. He was sentenced to six months in prison, suspended for six months, and ordered to pay £3,000 in costs at Peterborough Magistrates’ Court. HSE inspector Adam Johnson said: “Anthony


Rice undertook gas work which he was not registered to do. All gas work must be conducted by registered Gas Safe engineers to ensure the highest standards are met to prevent injury and loss of life.” Tis HSE prosecution was led by HSE enforcement lawyer Matthew Reynolds.


Over half of councils face bankruptcy within next parliament


More than half (51%) of senior council figures warn their councils are likely to go bust in the next parliament unless local government funding is reformed, reveals a new report from the Local Government Information Unit (LGIU), with 9% of council respondents saying they were likely to declare effective bankruptcy in the next financial year – representing 14 unique councils. A mere 4% of respondents had confidence in the sustainability of local government finance and only 6% are happy with the central government’s performance on understanding the scale of the problem facing council finances. Te 2024 ‘State of Local Government Finance’


report, which anonymously surveyed council leaders, chief executives, chief finance officers and cabinet members for finance, found nine in 10 plan to increase fees on areas such as parking and environmental waste, and the same proportion plan to raise council tax, with one fiſth (21%) continuing to sell publicly-owned assets. Worryingly, more than half of respondents drew on their reserves this financial year and plan to draw on them again in the upcoming year. Published annually since 2012, this year’s survey


found nearly one third of council respondents (31.9%) plan on cutting parks and leisure, with another third (30.6%) cutting arts and culture and a similar proportion slashing business support (30%). One in 10 will cut SEND services, 11.9% will cut children’s care services and 16.2% will slash adult social care.


Even for councils that manage to balance the books, there are concerns that some services they provide may fall below legal standards, which will continue unabated without costly legal challenges


For councils with responsibility for social care,


children’s social care is by far the most urgent short term pressure, and adults and children’s social care together make up the most serious long-term pressure. Among councils without these responsibilities, housing and homelessness is the most serious short-term and long-term pressure, with environment and waste a close second place for long-term pressure. High inflation alongside rising need for council


services, has compounded the impact of central government funding cuts. Even for councils that manage to balance the books, there are concerns that some services they provide may fall below legal standards, which will continue unabated without costly legal challenges. Te LGIU believes there are several solutions to


the local government funding crisis that, crucially, don’t add more pressure on the taxpayer. Sharing surplus funds between wealthier and more deprived


20 | HMMApril/May 2024 | www.housingmmonline.co.uk


councils while allocating central government funding to areas based on need rather than bidding are two of four low-cost solutions to the local government funding crisis, proposed in the ‘Learning from local government finance across the world’ report. Tese are popular options for reform: multi-


year financial settlements were favoured by 97% of respondents, ending competitive bids for funding and 100% business rates retention by three-quarters. Yearly finance settlements incentivise short- term financial planning, such as the reduction in preventative services to make ends meet annually, even if these end up costing more in the long term. Te 2024 State of Local Government Finance


report is part of the wider work of the LGIU’s Local Democracy Research Centre, which was set up by the LGIU to investigate the things that matter to our members and to local governments around the world.


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