Legionella and over 100 sewage leaks in government buildings in the past year

Published

1 year ago

August 17, 2023

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There have been over 100 sewage leaks in government buildings across the UK in the past 12 months, data obtained by the Liberal Democrats reveals.

Legionella was also discovered in water outlets in HMRC’s Liverpool offices, leading civil service unions to criticise the “unsafe and unsanitary environments” for civil servants.

But the government says it manages over 140,000 buildings across the country and has invested over £50m in maintenance and improvements.

Parliamentary questions tabled by the Liberal Democrats reveal there were a total of 138 sewage leaks in government buildings over the past 12 months.

The worst affected department was the Ministry of Defence which saw 102 leaks in the past 12 months at four sites: Culdrose; RAF Henlow; Lyneham; and Faslane.

There were also 25 sewage leaks at Department for Work and Pensions properties, which the department said were “generally relating to individual toilets and blocked pipes”.

Sewage leaks occurred in the following departments:

• Ministry of Defence – 102 leaks

• Department for Work and Pensions – 25 leaks

• Department for Transport – five leaks

• Cabinet Office – four leaks

• Department for Education – two leaks

The Cabinet Office said that across their 32 sites, four leaks occurred within the past 12 months. Two were in York and two were in London, which were blamed on “exceptionally heavy rainfall”.

The department added there were no sewage leaks in Downing Street, for which it is also responsible.

The Home Office, Scotland Office, Ministry of Justice, Treasury, and Attorney General’s Office declined to answer the question, either due to the “disproportionate cost” of gathering the data or because their properties are managed by another department.

Legionella bacteria was also discovered in a “small number of water outlets” in HMRC’s Liverpool office, which was identified during “routine sampling”.

Legionella bacteria can cause a potentially deadly lung infection known as Legionnaires’ disease. It is contracted by people breathing in droplets of water containing the bacteria.

An HMRC spokesperson said the health of safety of employees is “of paramount importance” and said the issue has been rectified.

“A water quality issue was identified, immediate treatment and measures were put in place, and we continue to mitigate risks, as advised by water hygiene specialists and legislation,” they added.

Amy Leversidge, assistant general secretary of the FDA union, which represents civil servants, said in a statement: “It is clearly unacceptable for civil servants to be working in unsafe and unsanitary environments, and these incidents could cause serious harm or sickness. Nobody should have to work in these conditions.

“Fortunately many civil servants will be able to work hybridly, so can continue to work at home, but that simply isn’t an option for some roles in the civil service, and the fact that there is an alternative option of working from home does not release the government from its responsibilities under health and safety regulations.

“The Government Property Agency must take responsibility and control of this, clear the maintenance backlog, and guarantee the very basic right of a safe working environment for all civil servants.”

A government spokesman said: “We manage a large, complex property estate which has over 140,000 buildings, many of which are of historical importance. As is always the case with managing any large property portfolio, issues do arise with maintenance.

“That’s why we have invested £56m in improving and maintaining buildings, including fitting new and greener boilers and windows, and making health and safety improvements.”

Politics

‘There is a global race underway for Bitcoin’ — Anthony Pompliano

Published

3 hours ago

November 16, 2024

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<div>'There is a global race underway for Bitcoin' — Anthony Pompliano</div>

The election of a pro-crypto President in the United States and growing macroeconomic turmoil will continue to drive investors to Bitcoin.

Politics

Sir Keir Starmer vows to defend budget decisions ‘all day long’ as farmers slam ‘disrespectful’ PM

Published

5 hours ago

November 16, 2024

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Sir Keir Starmer vows to defend budget decisions 'all day long' as farmers slam 'disrespectful' PM

Sir Keir Starmer has said he will defend the decisions made in the budget “all day long” amid anger from farmers over inheritance tax changes.

Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced last month in her key speech that from April 2026, farms worth more than £1m will face an inheritance tax rate of 20%, rather than the standard 40% applied to other land and property.

The announcement has sparked anger among farmers who argue this will mean higher food prices, lower food production and having to sell off land to pay for the tax.

Sir Keir defended the budget as he gave his first speech as prime minister at the Welsh Labour conference in Llandudno, North Wales, where farmers have been holding a tractor protest outside.

Sir Keir admitted: “We’ve taken some extremely tough decisions on tax.”

He said: “I will defend facing up to the harsh light of fiscal reality. I will defend the tough decisions that were necessary to stabilise our economy.

“And I will defend protecting the payslips of working people, fixing the foundations of our economy, and investing in the future of Britain and the future of Wales. Finally, turning the page on austerity once and for all.”

He also said the budget allocation for Wales was a “record figure” – some £21bn for next year – an extra £1.7bn through the Barnett Formula, as he hailed a “path of change” with Labour governments in Wales and Westminster.

And he confirmed a £160m investment zone in Wrexham and Flintshire will be going live in 2025.

‘PM should have addressed the protesters’

Among the hundreds of farmers demonstrating was Gareth Wyn Jones, who told Sky News it was “disrespectful” that the prime minister did not mention farmers in his speech.

He said “so many people have come here to air their frustrations. He (Starmer) had an opportunity to address the crowd. Even if he was booed he should have been man enough to come out and talk to the people”.

He said farmers planned to deliver Sir Keir a letter which begins with “‘don’t bite the hand that feeds you”.

Mr Wyn Jones told Sky News the government was “destroying” an industry that was already struggling.

“They’re destroying an industry that’s already on its knees and struggling, absolutely struggling, mentally, emotionally and physically. We need government support not more hindrance so we can produce food to feed the nation.”

He said inheritance tax changes will result in farmers increasing the price of food: “The poorer people in society aren’t going to be able to afford good, healthy, nutritious British food, so we have to push this to government for them to understand that enough is enough, the farmers can’t take any more of what they’re throwing at us.”

Mr Wyn Jones disputed the government’s estimation that only 500 farming estates in the UK will be affected by the inheritance tax changes.

“Look, a lot of farmers in this country are in their 70s and 80s, they haven’t handed their farms down because that’s the way it’s always been, they’ve always known there was never going to be inheritance tax.”

On Friday, Sir Keir addressed farmers’ concerns, saying: “I know some farmers are anxious about the inheritance tax rules that we brought in two weeks ago.

“What I would say about that is, once you add the £1m for the farmland to the £1m that is exempt for your spouse, for most couples with a farm wanting to hand on to their children, it’s £3m before anybody pays a penny in inheritance tax.”

Ministers said the move will not affect small farms and is aimed at targeting wealthy landowners who buy up farmland to avoid paying inheritance tax.

But analysis this week said a typical family farm would have to put 159% of annual profits into paying the new inheritance tax every year for a decade and could have to sell 20% of their land.

The Country and Land Business Association (CLA), which represents owners of rural land, property and businesses in England and Wales, found a typical 200-acre farm owned by one person with an expected profit of £27,300 would face a £435,000 inheritance tax bill.

The plan says families can spread the inheritance tax payments over 10 years, but the CLA found this would require an average farm to allocate 159% of its profits each year for a decade.

To pay that, successors could be forced to sell 20% of their land, the analysis found.