Rogue trader robbed victims of cash, trust and confidence
Plus: Drug-ridden prison, OAP's plane crash, and support for devolution arguments
Hello and welcome to the 78th edition of The Lancashire Lead. Today’s edition is led by the tale of a rogue trader who has finally been locked up for ripping off victims across East Lancs - with a look at the impact that is left behind my such conmen.
I’m also grateful to Lead Editor (North) Ed Walker for sharing his thoughts on the latest round of devolution arguments - and why all the disagreement may not be such a thing after all.
You can also read on for details of a pensioner’s plane crash which remains unexplained several months on and for the regular ‘Lancashire Recommends’ section which is only available to paying subscribers.
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Dodgy roofer locked up and causing misery for victims
In 2022, months after the death of his beloved wife of 45 years, pensioner George Riley hired Leon Pate to carry out much needed repairs on his home in Burnley.
Among those tasks needed to make the family’s bungalow into a suitable retirement home for the then 72-year-old was replacing the roof. Pate, of Belgrave Road, Colne, answered a call on social media searching for a reliable roofer to complete the work.
However, all that happened was Pate removed the existing tiles, sold them on for money which would supposedly be knocked off the final bill, and then offered a string of lies about why he couldn’t yet return to complete the repairs. From injuries to a broken van, Pate reeled off excuse after excuse before eventually agreeing to a refund that he had no intention of paying back.
George’s daughter, Abby Thomas, told The Lancashire Lead that Pate’s crooked lies left him traumatised, unable to trust, and needing to live with her instead. On top of the £8,000 which had been paid to the crook, a further £10,000 had to be paid to a more reputable worker to actually complete the job. Abby said:
“My dad was grieving. We all were. My dad had had a quadruple bypass and when he was dealing with it all, he was having chest pains and that how I got involved. I’d just lot my mum and I wasn’t going to lose my dad as well”.
But the family’s pain wasn’t limited to just this property. After being accused of harassment, Abby was arrested in front of her family and had her work phone seized for six months. This, she estimates, led to the loss of around £30,000 of work, a temporary career change, and no further action from Lancashire Police.
As it transpired, George was not alone in being scammed by Pate. Others in Colne, Burnley and Padiham also fell foul of the rogue trader, who operated under names including ‘Driveway Designs and Landscapes’ and ‘Build Landscapes’. Messages received by Abby suggest there could be more who have not come forward with official complaints.
According to Lancashire Trading Standards, issues included consumers being left with incomplete roofing work and leaks; taking payments for building materials that never arrived; leaving piles of rubbish and earth for consumers to clear themselves; and in some cases, applying pressure to make further payments before they were due, by stating that work would stop.
He would obtain jobs by offering empty promises that work would be completed in weeks, but then would delay them for many months. In some cases, work was still ongoing, and the householders were still living in turmoil, more than a year after it was started.
On each occasion, the work carried out for the six victims was of poor quality, and unfinished. There was a pattern of starting jobs, leaving homes in a mess, and then refusing to come back to continue with the projects. Most of his work had to be re-done at a later date by other tradesmen.
Challenging such action and finding justice can prove extremely difficult but Pate’s crimes eventually caught up with him and he was this week handed an 11 month jail sentence after unfair commercial practices under Consumer Protection Regulations concerning his landscaping and building business.
Abby describes Pate as “arrogant”, saying he was always has an answer and an excuse. His convincing nature was enough that even after pleading guilty to offences of unfair commercial practices at Preston Crown Court, his sentencing was delayed for six months to give him time to pay back some of the £30,000 he owed.
Of course, no money was repaid by the time he was sent down this week. The 35-year-old will now face confiscation proceedings under the Proceeds of Crime Act in the hope of obtaining some compensation for the victims.
Councillor Michael Green, cabinet member for Health and Wellbeing at Lancashire County Council, said:
"I was appalled to hear how Lancashire residents were exploited by Mr Pate, but I'm pleased that he has been brought to justice. Our Trading Standards Officers will continue to take robust action to protect Lancashire householders from rogue tradesmen. The message is clear - if you target our residents with misleading claims or negligent work, we will prosecute you and take you off the streets.
"Rogue traders can appear to be very friendly and plausible at the start of jobs, until things go wrong, when they leave houses in chaos and turn on customers. Please therefore make detailed checks before you employ traders. Use the Lancashire Safe Trader Scheme, obtain recommendations from friends and family, and ensure you get multiple quotes for the work you want completing.
"Obtaining early assistance is vitally important. If you need help with a possible rogue trader, please call the Citizens Advice Consumer Helpline on 0808 223 1133."
Inmates unprepared for release at drug-ridden prison
Only recently, this newsletter reported on a damning inspection of HMP Garth - now another of Lancashire’s prisons has been found badly wanting by inspectors.
HM Inspectorate of Prisons found cannabis use at HMP Kirkham was among the highest in the country, while the drug could frequently be smelt as inspectors walked around the site. This was just one of a number of issues identified in the newly published report which concluded with 11 ‘key concerns’ which require immediate action from leaders.
Across open prisons, the release on temporary licence (ROTL) scheme is seen as a vital way to integrate prisoners back into open society and help set them up for a future that doesn’t involve a return to crime - but the Preston facility is badly failing in this regard.
Inspectors found that a lack of ROTL opportunities for eligible prisoners meant they were denied key incentives of accessing work opportunities or seeing family, along with ways of getting into good habits, earning money and transitioning back into the community. The proportion accessing ROTL was “far lower” than in other jails, contributed to by waits of at least four months for approval.
One factor which did influenced this was the number of prisoners who were moved to Kirkham to free up space elsewhere. In 2023, it had received an influx of around 400 category C prisoners, more than the number for all other open men’s prisons combined.
According to the inspection report, these men were not always prepared for open conditions and did not qualify for ROTL. There was poor preparation for the release of higher risk prisoners, and dysfunctionality between different departments in the jail meant that bureaucratic processes were slowing prisoners’ progression.
Meanwhile, it was also found that a newly built £10m gym was badly underused, with low attendance and sessions frequently cancelled. It was only being used to provide one qualification, while the outdoor football pitch had even less use. Inside the main building were broken showers, mouldy walls and ceilings, and little on offer to occupy inmates during the 12 hours a day outside their cells.
Despite all the problems which were uncovered during the visit, there remained cause for optimism that change could be coming. Charlie Taylor, HM Chief Inspector of Prisons, said:
“The new, acting governor had only been in post for a few weeks when we inspected Kirkham, but she already had a good grasp of the many challenges faced by the jail and was beginning to address some of the longstanding issues. The prison service should give this troubled prison some space to reset, address the cultural problems among staff, reduce the demand for drugs and provide many more opportunities for work and family ROTL.”
Cause of pensioner’s plane crash still not known
A 70-year-old man suffered serious leg injuries when crash landed his microlight plane on a Lancashire airfield.
The pensioner, who has more than 1,100 hours of flying experience, crashed at St Micheal’s Airfield - near Preston - earlier this year after experiences problems with the foot throttle.
The Air Accident Investigations Board (AAIB) has now completed its investigation but could not determine why the throttle jammed. It found the engine on the plane - an Exodus Deltajet 500 Stingray - became stuck at a high rpm so the pilot switched the engine down and prepared to return to the runway, believing he had enough height and speed to land safely. Its report explains:
“To reduce height, he carried out a turn which positioned him further away from the airfield than he intended. As he reached the boundary fence, the aircraft encountered a wind gradient, stalled and subsequently struck the ground.
“The pilot suffered serious leg injuries but commented that his injuries would have been much worse had he not been wearing his upper torso restraint and helmet. The cause of the throttle restriction could not be positively determined.”
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‘Don’t dismiss Devo devolution disquiet. Debate is healthy for finding new ways forward’
By Ed Walker, Lead (North) Editor
Devolution division may run deep in Lancashire, but it's a healthy debate.
As the county keeps a watchful eye on what the deputy Prime Minister will likely have to say this week on how local government may be structured in the future to business of getting on with the current deal for the Red Rose county has been front and centre.
What's clear to me is we shouldn't be too dismissive of challenges to the status quo even if that status quo is in a constant state of evolution.
The district council leaders, of the red persuasion, may be disenfranchised with the current deal and structure but they are still going to have to suck it up and work within that framework until something better comes along. Lancashire can't afford to not even be at the first step again - the larger metro areas are continuing to power ahead.
Whatever political colour holds power there needs to be an over-arching journey to the county starting to realise its potential as a collective of strong, resilient and proud towns and cities surrounded by stunning geographical and natural features. Lancashire, quite literally, has it all - apart from the political and economic motor it needs to really accelerate.
People shouldn't be too quick to dismiss new and different ideas, there's been plenty of side-swipes and slap-downs to those who are willing to put their head above the line and say 'what if it looked like this?'.
It's a healthy sign there's different views on how the county, the cities, the districts, may look. Some of those may better reflect how people currently live their lives and will do in future compared to say how life was in the mid-1970s when many of the current set ups date back to.
From my position, sitting in Preston, it is abundantly clear the constraints of a district council no longer tally with what should be a thriving city. You can recolour an Instagram video as many times as you like but there are deep scars and flawed reminders throughout the city that it needs significant investment (both public and private) to achieve what idealists think it is already achieving.
Devolution may be the means by which that starts to be unlocked.
Whether it needs a charismatic, swaggering, frontperson - in the ilk of Andy Burnham - to be achieved then I am not so sure. This piece from Chris Maguire in Business Leader is an interesting look at Burnham and the Manchester model of Devolution.
Lancashire, though, is far more likely to be a collective effort and the sum of all the parts will need to feel they are all getting good value to all put their shoulder to the wheel to drive forward in the same direction.
Debate is healthy, division is not. Let's hope the Devo debate can continue and help new ideas circulate - even if they come from elsewhere.
As Ed says, there are plenty of people willing to have their say on what should happen next and a Lancashire County Council cabinet member this week gave his view - with a somewhat different attitude than the one presented above.
Aidy Riggott, the authority’s portfolio holder for economic development and growth, argued the focus should be on delivering devolution rather than “navel-gazing” about the prospect of an overhaul of the county’s local authorities. He said:
“To do anything else – to waste time on playing stupid political games for perceived political benefit, to waste years navel-gazing, arguing over lines on maps – is irresponsible, reckless and ultimately fails the people and businesses we’re here to serve and deliver for.”
You can read Paul Faulkner’s full article here.
🚨 In yet another road tragedy, a teenager died and three were seriously injured in a crash in West Lancashire (LancsLive).
🚊 Transport bosses have been told they have some “serious questions” to answer about the reasons behind the shock decision to halt Blackpool’s heritage trams (Blackpool Lead).
🧑🌾 Rossendale and Darwen MP Andy McNae accused his Tory counterparts of “scaremongering” over changes to inheritance tax for farmers (LancsLive).
🔍 Additional checks have been carried out on Blackpool’s seafront Star Flyer ride after a similar machine “crashed to the ground” in Birmingham (Blackpool Lead).
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