Is this fake news?

Well, if the council are as on the ball there about money owing as they are here, a bill will be in the post already.

I too read this article today; one possibility is that the building next to Cummings's parents' farmhouse is a building housing a swimming pool. The photograph of it shows a building that doesn"t really look like a dwelling. Until the Planning Authority or Council Tax/Valuation Office investigate, who knows? I also wonder from the aeriel map where the other cottage that his sister and nieces live in is situated. The local Council need to investigate the site to establish just what dwellings are there and if all have the correct planning permissions and are registered for Council Tax.

I don't think that the lack of planning permission is really the main issue. As you say, you can apply for retrospective permission. It's the evasion of Council tax that seems to me to be more serious.

By Cummings account there seems to be three separate dwellings on the site. Only one is paying Council Tax.

Durham had a notorious planning 'incident' some 30 years ago. A local built himself a dwelling on greenbelt land without planning permission and ended up shooting and killing the planning officer who was supervising the demolition of his unauthorised building; local TV was filming for the news programme at the time.

He was regarded as a 'bit of a nutter' for some time before he did the deed...

Planning law is notoriously complex and disputes can go on for years. They also vary from one authority to another.

My guess would be that the information on the website is correct, but it's irrelevant unless the local authority decides to take action or a neighbour complains.

I've known a few people who have found themselves in breach of planning laws, who have then been able to arrange retrospective permission. Meanwhile, others have had to pull down unauthorised structures.

There's a man who lives near me, who's been in dispute with the council for decades about an unauthorised shed/annexe. He has a blog and the story is never-ending. Personally, I think he's a bit of a nutter, but his run ins with the council are quite amusing.

There's a server error on that page now, varian. I think too many tweeters might have overwhelmed it...

The article says that planning applications on the DCC website only go back to 2002.

The building believed to be the one Cummings was in has been on site since the 1980s. The family bought the property in 1983.

It is believed that the building housed a swimming pool; application to re-roof it in 2002. (I'm surprised the planners allowed that dreadful bright green )

In the Downing Street Rose Garden, Cummings informed us that there were three dwellings at North Lodge - his parents home, the home of his sister and nieces and an empty cottage where he stayed with his wife and child.

There is no evidence of planning permission having been sought or obtained for more than one dwelling at North Lodge DH1 3SU.

publicaccess.durham.gov.uk/online-applications/simpleSearchResults.do?action=firstPage

Planning application information is publicly accessible on the LPA's website.

publicaccess.durham.gov.uk/online-applications/simpleSearchResults.do?action=firstPage

I've been out for a few hours. When I looked on twitter after I came back I see that there are some doubts about the planning permission, the dates on the Land Registry documents, the actual status of the building in question and some people trying to suggest that the family don't actually live where they do!

I think the article was written in good faith and the guy had done his best with the research but loose ends need to be clarified.

There seem to be no thoughts about the council tax apart from the fact that it is only paid on one dwelling at North Lodge, the family home.

Anniebach I think a few little brown envelopes get passed around planning authorities this reporting is very well investigated imo.

Does that local planning authority take backhanders ?

Nah! A backhander to the local planning authority to grant planning permission will sort it

Alex Tiffin editor of ‘universialcreditsuffer’ ? mmmmm

www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/politics/man-who-admitted-assaulting-pregnant-20764645

I agree. I wonder whether this will be followed up by the msm?

A very good independent news site
Well written researched artical

It is very convincing.

Do all those shots of documentation from the Land Registry, Council tax and the Planning portal look as though they've been faked?

What do you think?