Reform councillor's property firms owe customers £140,000

Barry Elliott was elected in May to represent the Newsham ward in Blyth

Property developer and Reform UK councillor Barry Elliott is, in his words, "very rarely wrong". But building companies owned or run by him have been ordered to pay tens of thousands of pounds to three customers, and his own council is taking him to court over what it claims is an unpaid debt.

Peter and Katie McCombe dreamt of living near their grandchildren to "spoil them" and take them on holiday, but say this is something they can no longer do.

They had paid Mr Elliott all their spare money and he had "ruined that part of our lives", they say.

The BBC has approached Mr Elliott on a number of occasions but he has refused to provide answers.

In September 2023, the McCombes looked into moving from Yorkshire to Northumberland and found a "beautiful" housing estate in Blyth, being built by a company run by Mr Elliott, Windsorken Ltd.

They handed over £16,738 to reserve a bungalow and pay for above specification appliances.

But, in the November, as their completion date approached and with their family home in Yorkshire already sold, progress on their bungalow "seemed to falter", Mr McCombe says.

The purchase could not legally progress, their solicitor informed them, because there was an issue with the land for the plot, they say.

"We then instructed our solicitor to inform his solicitor that we were no longer carrying on and we wanted our money back," Mr McCombe says.

Documents show Katie and Peter McCombe are owed more than £42,000

The couple, who are in their 70s, say Mr Elliott pledged to solve the problem and suggested they rent the property short-term. Faced with the prospect of being homeless, the "desperate" McCombes agreed and transferred £20,000 to Windsorken for what they say was "advanced rental".

But, when they saw the bungalow, believing it was almost ready, Mr McCombe says his legs went "from under him". The property had only one radiator and "no sink in either the kitchen or the bathroom".

The McCombes claim Mr Elliott then asked for £120,000 to finish the bungalow, which was the "final straw". They pulled out of the purchase.

This was prior to Mr Elliott becoming a councillor, though the couple say they are still owed money.

Mr Elliott was elected in the Newsham ward in his hometown of Blyth, Northumberland, in May. But his victory angered the McCombes and two other retired couples who say they have lost tens of thousands of pounds after agreeing to buy bungalows built by firms he owns or runs.

The McCombes say they pulled out of an agreement to purchase a bungalow because of severe delays

County court judgements show Mr Elliott's building companies have been ordered to pay the couples a combined total of £140,000. They had all agreed to buy bungalows but pulled out following major complications, broken promises and delays, they say.

One of his companies - Nashville Homes Ltd - voluntarily entered liquidation in October 2024. It owed its creditors more than £1m, including approximately £500,000 to Mr Elliott himself, according to documents on Companies House.

The McCombes say his election win prompted them to share their story.

"I feel so stupid," Mrs McCombe says.

"When I go to bed at night, one of the last things I think about is Barry Elliott and what he's done to us.

"It does take its toll.

"I feel disgusted that somebody like that can represent the people of Blyth."

The BBC wrote to Mr Elliott outlining the allegations and he initially agreed to be interviewed, but would not set a date.

In a series of emails with us he questioned the accuracy of the claims but did not provide any evidence to support his position.

Four weeks after sending the allegations, and having not had an official response, the BBC approached him in person, but he refused to answer any questions.

Barry Elliott refused to answer questions when approached by the BBC.

A county court judgement ordered Windsorken Ltd to pay the McCombes £42,831.84, which covered the money they had handed over, plus extra costs.

But this has not been paid.

Mr Elliott had argued the £20,000 payment was a "commitment fee" to continue the building work but their bank statement showed the transfer was for "advanced rental", the McCombes say.

An emotional Mr McCombe says he felt "ashamed" and relieved his father was no longer alive to witness their turmoil.

One of the couples said they pulled out of their purchase because they were unimpressed with the building work

A response to a Freedom of Information (FOI) request seen by the BBC shows, as of 27 October this year, Mr Elliott owed Northumberland County Council £28,359 in unpaid business rates.

Another FOI reply seen by the BBC says, as of 12 August, he also owed £10,800 in council tax.

Separately, the authority, on which Mr Elliott sits a councillor, has begun legal action against him to recoup a debt.

Mr Elliott has been granted a hearing scheduled to take place later this month in order to formally dispute the debt.

The BBC has been unable to officially confirm the amount in question but a council can apply to make an individual bankrupt if it believes it is owed £5,000 or more.

A council spokesperson said the hearing would "consider setting aside a statutory demand served against" Mr Elliott by the authority and "as there is an ongoing legal process" it would not be commenting further.