Warwickshire’s four Labour MPs have written to the Leader of Warwickshire County Council, Cllr George Finch, demanding a transparent investigation into the conduct of the former Warwickshire Council Chair. Their letter follows revelations that Cllr Edward Harris was ordered to close two unlicensed and unsafe Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs) by Tamworth Borough Council and ignored repeated demands to rectify safety issues at the properties.
In their letter, Rachel and Warwickshire’s three other Labour MPs said the appalling conditions tenants were forced to endure meant the public deserved full transparency from the Council about how the matter would be investigated.
The MPs accuse Council Leader Finch of failing to show sympathy for tenants and of prioritising political damage control over accountability and justice. They said to Cllr Finch: “you have offered no sympathy to the affected tenants, nor any condemnation of Cllr Harris’ conduct. Instead, you have declined to comment, even though Cllr Harris has admitted ownership, accepted responsibility, and acknowledged that the properties were substandard. This creates the impression that protecting your party’s reputation has been prioritised over addressing the serious impact the squalid conditions at these properties will have had on Cllr Harris’ tenants.”
They also challenge the lack of transparency surrounding the promised investigation into Cllr Harris’ conduct, warning that public confidence will be undermined unless the process is demonstrably independent, thorough, and meaningful. When approached by the Local Democracy Reporting Service, Cllr Finch is reported to have declined to provide any details of the investigation and said, “he’s resigned, it is done”.
But Warwickshire’s Labour MP’s have told Cllr Finch this response is inadequate. In their letter, they demanded clarity on who will lead the investigation, its scope and terms of reference, and whether it will examine potential breaches of the council’s code of conduct, failures to declare interests, and shortcomings in Reform UK’s candidate vetting processes.
Rachel said:
“The conditions Cllr Harris’ tenants were forced to live in were completely unacceptable. Yet instead of condemning this behaviour and standing up for tenants, Reform UK’s Warwickshire Leader has shown no sympathy to the victims in this case and is refusing to provide even basic details of the investigation he claims to be launching.
“Nothing short of a full, transparent and independent investigation will be acceptable to my constituents in North Warwickshire and Bedworth. Residents in Baddesley and Dordon — and across Warwickshire — deserve clear answers, real accountability, and firm action to ensure nothing like this can ever happen again.”
The full letter can be read on Rachel’s Facebook page.