Justice for James Ronayne

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The Issue

STOP MILL HOUSE

Justice for James Ronayne

Punky Jimm’s Punch for Justice

Property Concerned:

Mill House
Salters Lane
Faversham, Kent
ME13 8ND

 


Why This Petition Matters

On 10 August 2024, James Leon Ronayne tragically lost his life following a fire at Mill House, Salters Lane, Faversham, Kent, ME13 8ND.

James was a much-loved son, brother and musician, affectionately known as Punky Jimm. His death has left a lasting impact on his family and those who knew him.

Since the fire, serious questions have arisen concerning the property’s historical HMO licensing arrangements, management responsibilities and fire-safety provisions.

According to Swale Borough Council’s Freedom of Information response FOI 247, dated 10 September 2025, the previous HMO licence holder had formally resigned before the fatal fire of 10 August 2024. The council expressly confirmed that “No one held the HMO licence at that time.”

The council further confirmed that a valid application had been made, that the application had not yet been determined, and that an inspection had not yet been undertaken during the licensing transition.

These documented circumstances warrant independent examination of the council’s historical licensing oversight, the arrangements for managing the property during the transition, and whether all relevant statutory responsibilities were properly discharged. They do not, in themselves, establish unlawful operation, regulatory failure or any causal connection to the fatal fire.

We believe these outstanding questions deserve thorough, impartial examination, with any conclusions determined by evidence and applicable law.

With proposals to rebuild and potentially reopen Mill House as HMO accommodation, we are calling for appropriate safeguards to ensure that relevant licensing and safety concerns are properly addressed before future residents occupy the property.

We also believe that Swale Borough Council’s relevant historical licensing, inspection and oversight arrangements concerning Mill House should be referred for a genuinely independent investigation.

This petition is about seeking answers, ensuring accountability where failures are established, and protecting lives.

 


Our Petition Demands

1. Independent Review of All Relevant HMO Licences and Lawful Consideration of New Applications

We call for a comprehensive review of all relevant existing HMO licences held by individuals and companies directly connected with the ownership, licensing or management of Mill House, including present and former owners, licence holders, managers and associated companies with demonstrable direct involvement.
These demands extend to identifiable HMO properties, existing licences and new or pending licence applications associated with those directly connected individuals and companies, including properties outside Swale, where there are legitimate statutory or evidential grounds for review.
For the purposes of this petition, references to connected individuals, companies and associated parties mean those with a demonstrable direct connection to the ownership, licensing or management of Mill House. They do not include individuals or organisations solely because of a remote, incidental or unsubstantiated association.
Our requests concerning other HMO properties relate to properties owned, licensed or managed by those directly connected parties, where there is a legitimate basis for examining licensing arrangements, management responsibilities or safety compliance.
We do not suggest that any other property is unsafe, or that any individual or company has committed wrongdoing, merely because of their connection to Mill House. Each property, licence and application must be assessed individually on its own evidence.
The review must examine relevant historical licences, applications, management arrangements, inspections and enforcement decisions connected with Mill House.
All relevant existing licences and new or pending applications must be assessed against statutory licensing requirements, including the fit-and-proper-person test where applicable.
We request that the responsible licensing authorities consider all relevant evidence, ongoing investigations and any available findings when determining licence applications, and exercise any lawful powers to defer, refuse, condition, vary or revoke licences where the statutory grounds are satisfied.
Swale Borough Council must undertake appropriate reviews within its jurisdiction and refer relevant concerns involving properties elsewhere to the responsible licensing authorities, requesting equivalent consideration where justified by the evidence.
We call for Swale Borough Council’s relevant licensing decisions concerning Mill House to be subject to independent external scrutiny, with findings published wherever legally appropriate.
2. No New HMO Licence or Residential Reoccupation of Mill House Without Full Statutory Compliance

Any application to license the rebuilt Mill House must be subject to a comprehensive assessment of its licensing history, proposed management arrangements and compliance with statutory safety requirements.
We request that Swale Borough Council consider all relevant evidence, ongoing investigations and available findings when determining any new HMO licence application for Mill House, including whether there are lawful grounds to defer or refuse approval.
We call for any outstanding licensing and safety concerns to be properly assessed and addressed before future HMO occupation, using the statutory powers available to the responsible authorities.
No HMO licence should be granted unless all applicable statutory licensing requirements are satisfied.
Swale Borough Council must assess and exercise any applicable lawful enforcement powers necessary to prevent unsafe or unlawful occupation.

We further request that Swale Borough Council consider deferring the determination or granting of any new HMO licence for Mill House until the relevant investigations and legal proceedings have concluded, wherever such deferral is legally permissible and justified by the available evidence and applicable statutory requirements.
3. Thorough Licensing Reviews and Safety Inspections of All Associated Properties

Swale Borough Council must identify, so far as reasonably practicable and within its lawful powers, other HMO properties owned, licensed or managed by individuals or companies directly connected with Mill House, where relevant grounds for regulatory examination exist.
Properties within Swale: The council must review relevant existing licences and pending applications, assess the need for thorough inspections, and examine fire safety, escape routes, alarm systems, management arrangements and licensing compliance.
Properties outside Swale: Where relevant properties or concerns are identified, Swale Borough Council must refer the information to the appropriate local authority or regulatory body, requesting reviews of existing licences, consideration of pending applications and appropriate safety inspections.
Where hazards or breaches are identified, the responsible authority must consider and take enforcement action in accordance with its statutory duties and powers.
We request that Swale Borough Council maintain a record of referrals and seek confirmation that the concerns have been received and considered, wherever legally appropriate.
Each property must be assessed on its own circumstances and evidence, without presuming that a connection to Mill House establishes any safety breach or wrongdoing.
4. No Unsafe or Unlawful Reoccupation While Relevant Matters Remain Unresolved

We call for Mill House not to reopen for residential occupation until all applicable licensing, planning, building and fire-safety requirements have been satisfied and any necessary remedial or enforcement action has been completed.
We request that Swale Borough Council assess whether lawful licensing, housing safety or enforcement powers can be exercised to restrict occupation while relevant investigations or legal proceedings remain unresolved, where justified by the evidence and applicable statutory requirements.
Before any future HMO occupation, the council must consider relevant available findings from investigations or legal proceedings, complete the necessary safety and licensing assessments, and take any enforcement action justified by the evidence.
We recognise that ongoing legal proceedings do not automatically establish grounds to prevent occupation. Any restriction must be supported by the applicable statutory powers and the circumstances of the property.
Any decision to permit residential occupation must comply with applicable licensing, planning, building and fire-safety requirements.
5. Referral to Appropriate Authorities Where Swale Borough Council Lacks Jurisdiction

Where Swale Borough Council does not have the statutory authority or jurisdiction to address any of the demands outlined in this petition, we request that the relevant concerns and supporting evidence be referred to the appropriate local authority, government department, regulatory body or other competent agency, wherever legally permissible.
We request that Swale Borough Council identify the authority responsible for each matter referred and provide written confirmation of the referral.
Where a referral cannot lawfully or appropriately be made, we request a written explanation identifying the relevant authority and the reasons for not referring the matter.
We request that Swale Borough Council maintain a record of referrals and seek acknowledgement from the receiving authorities, wherever reasonably practicable.
We request a written response explaining what action Swale Borough Council can take directly, what has been referred elsewhere, and what further action remains under consideration.
6. Independent Investigation into Swale Borough Council’s Historical Licensing and Oversight of Mill House

We formally call upon Swale Borough Council to arrange or seek referral for a genuinely independent external investigation into its relevant historical involvement in the HMO licensing, inspection, management oversight, fire-safety oversight and enforcement of Mill House, Salters Lane, Faversham.
This investigation should examine the relevant history of HMO licensing decisions, licence-holder transitions, applications, inspections, management arrangements, reported safety concerns and enforcement decisions, including whether opportunities existed for earlier regulatory intervention.
We specifically request examination of the circumstances identified in Swale Borough Council’s Freedom of Information response FOI 247, dated 10 September 2025.
That response confirmed that the previous licence holder had formally resigned before the fatal fire of 10 August 2024, that no one held the HMO licence at that time, that a valid application had been made, that the application remained undetermined, and that an inspection had not yet been undertaken during the licensing transition.
We request independent examination of the legal status and effect of the valid application, the licensing arrangements during the transition, the council’s knowledge of the proposed management arrangements, and whether the relevant statutory requirements were properly applied.
The investigation should assess whether Swale Borough Council properly discharged its statutory responsibilities, complied with applicable legislation and procedures, and responded appropriately to information available to it at the relevant times.
We request that the investigation be conducted by an appropriately authorised and genuinely independent body, with no involvement in the original decisions under examination, wherever legally and practically possible.
The scope should include relevant historical records and decisions, rather than being limited solely to the period immediately preceding the fatal fire.
We further request that Swale Borough Council formally acknowledge this petition, STOP MILL HOUSE – Justice for James Ronayne, as evidence of public concern and consider its demands when determining the appropriate scope of independent scrutiny. The petition and its signatures should not be treated as proof of wrongdoing.
Any findings, recommendations and proposed corrective measures should be made publicly available wherever legally permissible, without prejudicing ongoing investigations or legal proceedings.
Where potential failures are identified, we request that the appropriate authorities consider proportionate remedial, regulatory or other lawful action.
Should Swale Borough Council decline to commission or refer these matters for a genuinely independent investigation, we request a formal written explanation setting out the reasons for that decision, the legal and procedural considerations relied upon, and any alternative mechanisms available for independent scrutiny.
Where an independent investigation requires action by an external authority, we request that Swale Borough Council identify that authority, consider making an appropriate formal referral and provide written confirmation of the action taken.

 

Our Overall Objective

To ensure that the circumstances surrounding the fatal fire of 10 August 2024 at Mill House, Salters Lane, Faversham, Kent, ME13 8ND, in which James Leon Ronayne lost his life, are properly examined; that Swale Borough Council’s relevant historical licensing, inspection, management oversight, fire-safety oversight and enforcement arrangements receive genuinely independent scrutiny; and that current and future HMO residents are protected through the lawful exercise of housing safety and licensing powers.

We seek comprehensive reviews of all relevant existing HMO licences associated with Mill House’s present and former owners, licence holders, managers and companies with demonstrable direct involvement, across their HMO properties where there are legitimate grounds for review, regardless of location, with concerns outside Swale referred to the appropriate authorities.

We further seek appropriate consideration of relevant evidence in new and pending HMO licence applications, thorough safety assessments of associated properties where warranted, and no unsafe or unlawful residential reoccupation of Mill House.

We formally request that Swale Borough Council arrange or seek referral for an independent investigation into its relevant historical licensing and regulatory oversight of Mill House, including examination of whether statutory responsibilities were properly discharged and whether opportunities for earlier intervention were appropriately considered.

We request that the council acknowledge this petition as evidence of public concern, provide written responses to the demands raised, and explain any decision not to pursue an independent investigation.

Where responsibility falls outside Swale Borough Council’s jurisdiction, we request appropriate referrals, written explanations and clear identification of the authorities responsible for considering those concerns.

Our objective is not to predetermine the outcome of any investigation, but to establish the facts, identify any failures supported by evidence, secure appropriate action where warranted and help prevent future tragedies.

 


Important Statement — Purpose of This Petition

This petition does not allege or presume criminal guilt, negligence or wrongdoing by any individual, company or public authority.

We recognise that relevant investigations and legal proceedings may remain ongoing and that any findings of criminal responsibility must be determined through the appropriate legal processes.

However, serious questions and concerns remain regarding the historical licensing, management, regulatory oversight and safety arrangements at Mill House.

Our request for an independent investigation into Swale Borough Council is not an allegation that the council has been found negligent or responsible for James’s death. It is a request for impartial examination of its relevant decisions, actions and statutory responsibilities.

Likewise, our requests concerning individuals, companies and other HMO properties directly connected with Mill House do not presume that any other property is unsafe or that any party has committed wrongdoing.

The signatures collected through this petition represent public support for independent scrutiny, transparency and appropriate safety measures. They are not presented as evidence establishing criminal, civil or regulatory liability.

The sole purpose of this petition is to request that these concerns are independently examined, that any identified failures are appropriately addressed, and that all necessary lawful measures are taken to protect current and future residents.

The factual information referenced in this petition from Swale Borough Council’s Freedom of Information response FOI 247, dated 10 September 2025, was obtained directly from the council.

This petition does not seek to influence, interfere with or prejudge any ongoing proceedings, investigations or their outcomes. Any findings of responsibility must be determined through the appropriate legal processes.

This petition seeks transparency, accountability and public safety, without prejudging the outcome of any investigation or legal proceedings.

Justice for James Ronayne.

Punky Jimm’s Punch for Justice.

The Decision Makers

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (UK)
Local Government & Social Care

Supporter Voices

Petition Updates