Northumberland Council Arch consultant to be evicted

Graham Harper provided services to Northumberland County Council

An independent consultant paid no rent or mortgage on a house provided for him by a council, a court has heard.

Graham Harper, 52, provided "strategic public relations and news management" for Northumberland County Council's former development company Arch.

His contract included a £180,000 house in Blyth, an eviction hearing was told.

It heard Mr Harper had no "written agreement" regarding the property, although he said he had. He has been ordered to move out within 28 days.

Mr Harper was not in court but said he paid no rent because his agreed daily rate was £400 less than other consultants employed by Arch were paid.

He said he had a tenancy agreement and a right-to-buy arrangement for the house on Kershope Lane.

But the hearing at Newcastle Crown Court was told no documents had been produced to support these claims.

Unpaid rent

It heard Mr Harper was not asked to make any "contribution to the purchase price".

Making an eviction order, Judge Derek Morgan said there was no suggestion in any of the documents presented to him that Mr Harper made "any payments towards the property".

Mr Harper is liable for unpaid rent of £800 a month since November 2017, totalling £10,625.20, the court heard.

The Arch development organisation was scrapped by the Conservative Party who took over Northumberland Council in May 2017.

It has faced criticism over its use of public funds but has now been replaced by a new organisation, Advance Northumberland, which came into operation last month.