MP back on at Parliament about Cockermouth's fallen-in courthouse Cockermouth's collapsed Old Courthouse raised in the Commons again as MP questions owner's £248,000 asset claim

The Old Courthouse is still half in the River Cocker three years on. The MP says it cost £51,000 but the owner's accounts say £248,000, and he wants answers.

This one's for Cockermouth folk who walk past the Old Courthouse on Main Street every day, the one that partly fell into the River Cocker after the floods in October 2023.

On Thursday 29 October, Penrith and Solway MP Markus Campbell-Savours brought it up in the Commons again.

He told MPs: "Purchased for £51,000 in 2022, Cockermouth's Old Courthouse later collapsed and still partially sits in the River Cocker."

Then: "However, the accounts of owner Halal Group Ltd state that it has fixed assets of £248,000, and the company has not responded to calls for transparency or action."

He asked: "Will the Leader of the House agree to a debate on micro-company accounts, their use by property investment businesses and the lack of transparency about asset valuations?"

Leader of the House Sir Alan Campbell said: "I hope that the owners of the building concerned have heard what he has said today and take urgent steps to address the situation."

And: "If they do not, I have a feeling that my honourable friend will seek an Adjournment or Westminster Hall debate on the subject, in which he will give the issue an even greater voice."

So in plain terms: bought for £51,000, still half in the river, but on paper the owner's company says it's sitting on £248,000. The MP wants to know how that adds up.

The building's Grade II listed and went up in 1829. It was sold in 2022 already needing big repairs.

If you want to read it word for word, it's in Hansard under Business of the House for 29 October. Safety worries about the building go to Cumberland Council.

Penrith and Solway MP Markus Campbell-Savours told MPs the building was bought for £51,000 in 2022 but its owner's accounts list £248,000 of fixed assets, and asked for a debate on how small companies value property.

This is for people in Cockermouth who walk past the Old Courthouse on Main Street, which partly collapsed into the River Cocker after flooding in October 2023.

On Thursday 29 October, Penrith and Solway MP Markus Campbell-Savours raised the building at Business Questions in the House of Commons.

He told MPs: "Purchased for £51,000 in 2022, Cockermouth's Old Courthouse later collapsed and still partially sits in the River Cocker."

He went on: "However, the accounts of owner Halal Group Ltd state that it has fixed assets of £248,000, and the company has not responded to calls for transparency or action."

He asked: "Will the Leader of the House agree to a debate on micro-company accounts, their use by property investment businesses and the lack of transparency about asset valuations?"

Leader of the House Sir Alan Campbell said: "I hope that the owners of the building concerned have heard what he has said today and take urgent steps to address the situation."

He added: "If they do not, I have a feeling that my honourable friend will seek an Adjournment or Westminster Hall debate on the subject, in which he will give the issue an even greater voice."

The Grade II listed building dates from 1829. It was sold in 2022 needing major structural repair, and the MP has previously raised it in Parliament and called for the owner to hand it over.

What you can do: the exchange is in the official Hansard record of Business of the House for 29 October. Concerns about the building's safety can be reported to Cumberland Council, and residents can contact their MP through the Parliament website.