🔴 SOUTH MOOR & CRAGHEAD — NOT JUST PROMISES. A PLAN OF ACTION, BACKED BY RESEARCH. A message from Jean: I’m Jean Thomson, Restore Britain’s candidate for South Moor & Craghead. Everyone promises fewer potholes, safer streets and better services. But what happens when those promises aren’t delivered? I want to go further than identifying problems. I want to establish who is responsible, what powers can be used, and what happens when those responsible fail to act. I won’t be doing this alone. Restore Britain North Durham has spent months investigating property ownership, HMOs, supported accommodation, licensing records, mortgages and the companies operating across our constituency. We already have evidence. We already have ongoing cases. And we already know many of the questions that need answering. Here’s how I intend to put that work into practice. 🚨 1️⃣ PROBLEM PROPERTIES — ENFORCEMENT, NOT EXCUSES. Where properties are repeatedly linked to serious nuisance, criminal activity or antisocial behaviour, I want the council to examine the evidence and hold the responsible landlords accountable. The plan: - Identify properties with documented recurring problems. - Refer evidence to housing enforcement and the relevant council departments. - Request inspections, licence-compliance checks and appropriate enforcement. - Pursue licence revocation or other statutory measures where the legal grounds exist. If that fails: Seek written reasons, escalate cases to senior officers and use formal complaints, scrutiny procedures or ASB Case Reviews where applicable. The aim is to resolve the problem, not simply record another complaint. 👮 2️⃣ POLICING — PROVE THE APPROACH IS WORKING. I want neighbourhood policing assessed against actual results. The plan: - Examine local crime figures, repeat incidents and identified hotspots. - Question whether existing interventions have reduced offending. - Press for better coordination between police, council enforcement teams and landlords. - Seek measurable targets and follow-up reviews. If that fails: Escalate documented concerns through senior policing representatives and the Police and Crime Commissioner’s office, using formal review and complaint routes where appropriate. Residents deserve evidence of improvement, not endless assurances. 🛡️ 3️⃣ SAFEGUARDING — CHECK THE DECISIONS BEFORE SOMETHING GOES WRONG. Our investigation has identified different accommodation providers operating in the same residential streets, including adjoining properties in South Moor. Some support vulnerable young people. Others are linked to major government asylum-seeker housing contractors. We need to establish whether placement decisions properly consider neighbouring accommodation, local risks and the suitability of the wider environment. The plan: - Seek reviews of relevant safeguarding and location assessments. - Establish which organisations are responsible for placement decisions. - Examine how local crime information, emergency cover and neighbouring accommodation are considered. - Refer documented concerns to the appropriate safeguarding authorities. If that fails: Escalate unresolved evidence to senior children’s services officers, safeguarding partners or regulators, depending on their responsibilities. Protecting vulnerable people requires proper assessments, clear responsibility and action when failings are identified. 🏚️ 4️⃣ HMOs, MEARS AND PROPERTY INVESTORS — FOLLOW THE EVIDENCE. Our North Durham property investigation identified: 📍 46 Mears properties that are owned/licensed or both 📍 17 Mears-linked properties with documented connections through a wider business and ownership network 📍 Properties purchased for as little as £30,000–£40,000 before appearing in Mears-linked licensing records 📍 Different accommodation providers operating in close proximity in parts of South Moor and New Kyo, including vulnerable people being housed beside undocumented asylum seekers ✅ We are already taking action. In Annfield Plain, our North Durham team has submitted multiple objections and further representations concerning a proposed five-bedroom HMO on Front Street. We examined nearby licensing records, challenged the information provided about surrounding HMOs and raised concerns about parking, amenity, management arrangements and community safety. We continued examining the application when revised documents were submitted. The case is now scheduled for consideration by Durham County Council’s North Area Planning Committee on 29 October. Our representations will be put before councillors. That is the practical approach I want to continue. The plan: - Monitor new HMO applications and changes of property ownership. - Examine applications against planning policies and existing local housing concentrations. - Submit evidence-based objections where there are valid planning grounds. - Request enforcement investigations where there is evidence of unauthorised use. - Follow applications through to committee decisions where appropriate. If an objection is unsuccessful: Examine the decision, scrutinise any conditions imposed, monitor compliance and report suspected breaches for enforcement. Where an application is refused and appealed, submit relevant evidence through the appeal process. The objective is proper scrutiny before decisions are made, not simply complaints after the consequences are felt. 💷 5️⃣ PUBLIC MONEY — FOLLOW THE CONTRACTS AND CHALLENGE POOR PERFORMANCE. I want to know what public money is being spent on, what services are being delivered and what happens when contractors repeatedly fail. The plan: - Examine relevant council contracts and published spending information. - Request performance data and explanations for poor delivery. - Challenge unsupported spending and questionable contract renewals. - Seek formal scrutiny or audit consideration where the evidence warrants it. If that fails: Escalate unresolved questions to senior officers, scrutiny committees and the appropriate audit or complaint procedures. Public money must come with measurable responsibility. --- 📋 MY FIRST 90 DAYS — THREE COMMITMENTS RESIDENTS CAN MEASURE. I won’t promise that one councillor can solve every problem in three months. But I can promise work that residents can check, question and hold me accountable for. 🔴 FIRST 30 DAYS — OPEN THE BOOKS. I will establish a dedicated resident casework process and publish our first public action register. Using our existing research, I’ll prepare the first formal evidence packs on priority housing, enforcement and safeguarding concerns and submit them to the relevant authorities. Residents will know what has been raised, with whom, and what answers we’re seeking. Sensitive addresses and personal information will remain confidential. 🔴 BY DAY 60 — DEMAND ANSWERS AND ESCALATE UNRESOLVED CASES. I will have formally requested a coordinated response to our documented housing and safeguarding concerns from the relevant council services and other responsible agencies. Outstanding issues will be followed up with written requests for decisions, reasons and next steps. Where the evidence and procedures justify it, I’ll initiate formal complaints, review requests or scrutiny referrals. No issue will be recorded as resolved simply because somebody has sent an acknowledgement. 🔴 BY DAY 90 — PUBLISH THE RESULTS. I will publish my first South Moor & Craghead Accountability Report, setting out: ✅ What issues were investigated. ✅ Which authorities were contacted. ✅ What answers were received. ✅ What action has actually been taken. ✅ What remains unresolved and what the next escalation will be. If progress has been made, residents will see the evidence. If it hasn’t, residents will know why and what I intend to do next. --- 💷 WHO PAYS FOR THIS? The initial work will use the existing councillor role, established council procedures, publicly available records and support from our research team. I am not proposing a new taxpayer-funded department or an uncosted spending programme. Any proposals requiring additional public expenditure would need to identify the funding source, the expected benefit and the impact on existing services. 🔎 WHO HOLDS ME ACCOUNTABLE? You do. Through published action reports, transparent casework updates, public meetings and clear explanations of what has — and hasn’t — been achieved. Accountability must apply to everybody — including me. --- SOUTH MOOR & CRAGHEAD DESERVES MORE THAN ANOTHER LIST OF ELECTION PROMISES. Our research work started before this by-election was called. The Annfield Plain objections demonstrate that the team is already using the available procedures to challenge decisions. My commitment is to carry that evidence-led approach into Durham County Council, pursue the available powers and report the results. RESEARCH. EVIDENCE. ACTION. ACCOUNTABILITY. JEAN THOMSON Restore Britain Candidate South Moor & Craghead 📅 Thursday 19 November 2026