Time to map out a plan for Villa's future
- Says blogger Matthew Turvey
Council U-turn on the gnomes
Tuesday 1st December 2009, 11:30AM GMT.
A woman who was banned from displaying a pair of gnomes outside her home under strict health and safety rules will be allowed to keep them after council chiefs admitted they got it wrong.
Sandwell Homes staff “slightly misinterpreted” health and safety rules, according to borough housing chief councillor Mahboob Hussain, after 57-year-old Linda Langford was ordered to get rid of the two smiling gnomes and other ornaments from her doorstep over fears they were a fire hazard.
Housing chiefs have now issued an apology and insisted there is no blanket ban on gnomes or other ornaments left in communal areas outside flats.
Councillor Hussain said today: “Miss Langford’s gnomes can stay and should have never been banned.
“A Sandwell Homes officer visited Miss Langford to discuss items in communal areas because we were reviewing our fire regulations in flats.
“Miss Langford wasn’t in and the officer left a note, which incorrectly asked Miss Langford to remove the items from outside her flat.
“Sandwell Homes had slightly misinterpreted the policy on items in communal areas. It seems in this case that there has been a misunderstanding.”Miss Langford, an assembler for Tipton manufacturer Simonswerk who lives in a flat in Sedgley Road West in the town said: “They are going straight back out.
“It was such a shame when they went because the little girl from downstairs used to love them. I think she thought it was some sort of fairy paradise. It was very sad when they went but this news is marvellous.”
Miss Langford had also been told to remove her ‘welcome’ plaque and an ornamental tortoise on her window sill, but they have now been returned.
Councillor Hussain added that as long as there was not an excessive number, gnomes were welcome outside any Sandwell home.
He said: “Our aim here is to be using common sense.
“We also cannot allow an excessive number of items to clutter communal areas. If everyone had 25 gnomes outside their front door, we would have a problem.”
Sponsored Links
Business Awards
Read the full story here
Full coverage of awards celebrating the region's best businesses.
Lifestyle
Interactive Dining Out map
Hundreds of reviews by the Express & Star and Shropshire Star's teams to help you decide where to eat.
LIVE traffic updates
Road, rail and airport - latest
Our new, live traffic and travel updates service - check before you set out.
OUR NEW APP
Get the new E&S app
Download the Express & Star’s new app to your iPad or iPhone to get one week of access to our digital newspapers absolutely FREE.
expressandstar.com
Popular sections
Useful links
They must have read our comments on this site. Still at least they have seen the error of their ways.
Report abuse
How about 24 gnomes? and since when, when the answer is either yes (you can have them) or no (you cant) is it possible to get the answer “slightly” wrong? its a 50/50 question!!!!
Report abuse
My God, does the propaganda ever stop? Even after people have realised what’s going on – thanks for this paper – we seem to have Hussain dealing in hypothetical arguments; she had a PAIR of gnomes, not 25, and I have never seen anyone in this area with that number either. Why not Just admit any wrong doing (like with the duck issue) and let it drop, for heaven’s sake? Now that to me is common sense, not continuing nonsensical arguments..
Report abuse
“A SANDWELL HOMES OFFICER VISITED MISS LANGFORD TO DISCUSS ITEMS IN COMMUNAL AREAS BECAUSE WE WERE REVIEWING OUR FIRE REGULATIONS IN FLATS.
“MISS LANGFORD WASN’T IN AND THE OFFICER LEFT A NOTE, WHICH INCORRECTLY ASKED MISS LANGFORD TO REMOVE THE ITEMS FROM OUTSIDE HER FLAT”
What happened did he accidently kick the gnome with his JACK BOOT???????
“COUNCILLOR HUSSAIN ADDED THAT AS LONG AS THERE WAS NOT AN EXCESSIVE NUMBER, GNOMES WERE WELCOME OUTSIDE ANY SANDWELL HOME.
HE SAID: “OUR AIM HERE IS TO BE USING COMMON SENSE” I think councillor mahboob hussain just likes apologising, how namy times has he done it recently??????
So COUNCILLOR MAHBOOB HUSSAIN will you be using the same COMMON SENSE about the girl who was fined £75 for littering after her tissue was blown into the road, it will after all save you saying you got it wrong again later!!!!!!!
Jim Gull, Bearwood
Report abuse
Do these people have any common sense? People these days are supposedly better qualified than ever. GNVQ this NVQ that. Sadly no-one seems to be capable of using initiative or their own opinions, they have to stick to the letter of the law. (Either that or they want to make a name for themselves) Glad I live in Dudley.
Report abuse
Why bother having these councillors at all? Firstly they drop a duck feeding fine and now they let the gnomes back home.If they can’t make a decision and stick to it,why do we need them?
Report abuse
Why do some people like WRITING IN CAPITALS?
Do they feel it HELPS TO EMPHASISE THEIR POINT?
I think it’s the equivalent of SHOUTING and personally i find SHOUTING to be RATHER RUDE
Lorraine of Lichfield
Report abuse
This is just so ludicrous I really wish I lived in a flat in Sandwell; I would go to the nearest Poundland and buy 25 gnomes to put outside my front door!
Report abuse
Well, I have never seen such a pair of vicious gnomes in my life. They should be put down before they kill somebody !
Report abuse
Get a Job, buy your own house and you can put pretty much what you like in your own garden. Workshy layabouts and and council officials have far too much time on their hands to worry about such pap.
Report abuse
Reminder : European regulations re health and safety are not applied in Venice (life-jackets on gondolas).Sorry to hear Sandwell wanted to have a go at two tiny defenceless gnomes ! In some areas they are the only colour in the whole street.Re Dudley : careful you could be on dangerous ground there too.I sometimes feel they want to cut down all the trees so they can’t get sued if they do come down cf in a storm.It’s logical but a treeless Dudley just think of
it ! Streets and gardens like skinheads .And you can find lots more in all the towns! What town tried to ban tree-houses ? Etc.
Report abuse
Dudlian…….. Yes there are a lot of people with NVQs these days… but do you know what it actually stands for?….. Not Very Qualified! ;) I’ve heard NVQ assessors using this term! lol
Personally i can’t imagine anything more tacky than gnomes but each to their own eh! Good luck to her, she’s not doing anyone any harm!
Report abuse
In terms of fire hazards I’ve never been put at risk by a gnome. I’ve kicked a few of my Nan’s to pieces with a football in my early days, however. I think this whole affair is a waste of time and undermines the good work the council does do (especially considering the high population). And after all, where does this end..gnomes, sleeping cats, crosses. I find it silly and unprofessional to pursue it, quite frankly. No fire chief to my knowledge has sad much if anything to support the case for ‘gnome-gate’.
Report abuse
10 mick b have you got a stutter (and and)you on your dinner or a night shift
Report abuse
We have a free Press for which we should be duly grateful. E&S have done a grand job here in not only printing this ‘story’ (fairy story with gnomes?), but giving us the space to comment and remind these elected Hitlers that, at the moment anyway, we can still un-elect them. As from today we are in the EU. Let’s hope the Press stays free because we DIDN’T elect to be in the EU did we ?
Report abuse
Lorraine I didn’t think I would need to explain why I used capitals but obviously even I can’t be right all the time.
Lorraine the text in capitals were the comments made by the council; I would hate people to think that those comments were made by me that’s why they were meant to stand out and that’s why they were submitted in capital letters, oh Lorraine i as in a person is a capital I.
Jim of Bearwood.
Report abuse
It is my understanding that the officer left a note saying the Knomes have to be removed. NVQ qualified? Certainly not English spelling qualified.
Report abuse
Council bosses are far too arrogant and little dicators, totally unemployable in the corporate world. Time they were cleaned out like corporations. Unfortunately, most of these idiots have jobs for life, with wonderful gold plated pensions, at the cost of Joe Public, the employers of these people.
Report abuse
I HAVE JUST PURCHASED 7 GNOMES AND PLACED THEM OUTSIDE MY FLAT. IF ANY JACK BOOTED COUNCIL OFFICIAL TELLS ME TO MOVE THEM I WILL INSERT ONE OF THEM INTO THEIR RECTUM
Report abuse