Labour Research October 2006

Health & Safety Matters

Legionnaires' council chief should go

Safety campaigners and victims' families are seeking justice after an outbreak of legionnaires' disease killed seven people.

Earlier this year, Barrow Borough Council and its architect Gillian Beckingham were found guilty of health and safety offences over the outbreak at a council-run arts centre in August 2002. But corporate manslaughter cases against both failed.

Now Bill Merewood, whose wife Christine died as a result of the outbreak, is circulating a petition calling for council chief Tom Campbell to admit overall responsibility and step down.