Councillor who charged customers for building work that wasn’t done ‘should be in jail’

Martin Shipton

A councillor who charged multiple customers tens of thousands of pounds for building work he failed to carry out deserves to be in jail, according to his victims.

Nation.Cymru has spoken to three of Neal Scorer’s devastated customers and seen documentation relating to others.

Complaints have been made to the police and trading standards about the Garw Valley community councillor, but both have refused to launch criminal investigations, claiming that the customers’ grievances amount to no more than civil disputes.

An informal support group for Cllr Scorer’s victims has been trying to secure justice, so far without success.

The group’s driving force is Jeff Harvey, who told us: “I own a house with my friend Mike Harrison, who went onto a Facebook ad where Mr Scorer advertised himself as Pink Builders. We wanted an extension built to our house in Sketty, Swansea, Mr Scorer came down to see us and recommended we go to an architect first. We got the drawings from the architect he recommended, who is very good. He had already done two others for Scorer before. At that stage, we didn’t know that neither of these had been built.

“Mr Scorer then ran us through everything he was going to do on the site, and it all seemed very convincing. Then he sent us a very lengthy letter particularising all of the construction plans and everything that would be happening. Everything looked great. However, we got caught because on the last page of the contract he wanted 40% up front, which was about £22k. We paid that directly into his account. At that stage, we didn’t realise we were paying into a personal account. We thought everything was genuine and we just paid it. We didn’t know that that money was gone.

“Scorer produced texts saying he could go building shopping now. His whole line was that he needed the money up front to buy materials for the extension. He was going to deliver all the materials to the site here in Swansea and then commence the build within four weeks. But then nothing happened for five months.

“He came up with 10 million excuses. They were all basically personal tragedies where you’re supposed to feel sorry for some terrible thing that’s befallen him and then give him more time, or just give up and realise the money’s gone. The first excuse was that his neighbours were a problem family with a sole parent who had died leaving their son unattended in the property for days. So Neil and his civil partner took on the care of the child until things were sorted out. I didn’t know that all of this was just lies.

“At first we bought the story. And then there was a string of more excuses – and for one reason or another, he was never able to actually get here. My favourite excuse of his was that he was caught up in Lampeter on an insurance-related building job. This was trotted out about 50 times. We later found out there was no such job. It was all complete hokum.

“When we pressed him on the fact that we’d paid him £22k and he hadn’t done a thing, he said: ‘Don’t worry. I’m coming down and we’re going to get started.’ Only for us to then get a phone call saying his truck had broken down on the M4 near Pyle. The next story was that the truck had blown up. He said it was because he didn’t realise that after he bought the truck, the guy he bought it off gave him back a £10 note. I asked him what that meant and he said it was the sign of a gypsy. And I thought: ‘Oh my God, what are you talking about?’

“There was another excuse when he supposedly had to turn back up the M4 because he’d had a phone call from his civil partner who had been stopped by the police on the way to a dog show – he was involved with the Welsh Corgi Club – concerning an issue with his car. For this reason, Scorer had to do a U-turn and go all the way back to Bridgend or wherever it was to rescue his partner from the situation.

“And then we thought, what are we going to do? He’s got more than 20 grand of our money and we’ve got no way of getting it back. After getting the money he told us he was going off to buy materials from different suppliers. So I decided to quiz him on where all these materials were that he’d bought five months before. We set him up on a phone call, which we recorded. We said we’d got nothing for our money but a bunch of excuses.

“We asked him to tell us who the suppliers were that he’d paid the money to for the materials. And if he couldn’t supply that information, we wanted a refund. We recorded all this and he said he couldn’t refund the money because it had all been paid to different suppliers who were holding the goods. We asked him for the receipts and he claimed his accountant was away. I knew this was a lie because suppliers of building materials do not hold materials once they’re paid for. They’d be dispatched.

“Later Scorer said his business partner had stolen money from him, but that was a lie too.”

Another of Cllr Scorer’s victims, Joanna Davis, a nurse, is still paying off a loan at the rate of £800 per month she had taken out for building work that was never done.

She said: “Back in 2018 I purchased my Nan’s lifelong home after she passed away. We lived there for a few years but decided it needed modernising and some extensive renovation. In 2020 we looked local for some reputable builders. Initially I contacted Drew Joyce who I knew and was local. However in that same week, Drew featured on an episode of Rogue Traders. Needless to say I abandoned that idea and looked for more companies. APMS [Scorer’s company] came up. I could see some good reviews so I gave them a call.

“Neal came out with Jamie Davies the next day. When we told them the work that we were looking for they seemed very keen, but also they spoke quite competently and confidently about how they would achieve our goals. We had no reason to doubt anything. We sent over plans, he sent us a quote. We agreed and signed – over the course of a few weeks – and after deposit payment was made, work commenced quickly!

“They went in VERY quickly and pretty much knocked down walls and demolished a lot, making it look like progress was being made. Bear in mind this was during Covid, so messages and calls began very early on then regarding the need to secure materials, payment plans needed to be changed. I was busy working on the wards but also found myself in a situation where my marriage was crumbling. I was desperate to do anything to make my home habitable because we were all living at my then husband’s sister’s. Jamie was the main man who was communicating the most with me. More money was sent (naively) as pressure was made on me. Then work stopped, communication stopped and I panicked.

“I contacted Neal on several occasions and he would reply inconsistently. But he reassured me when he did that he would ensure he completes my home. He made a call to me requesting a further £10,000 because without this he wouldn’t be able to fund what he needed to do. And again I naively paid it. And then again communication stopped. It was then that he met with me and my dad and disclosed that Jamie had stolen all my money but said he was going to try his best to sort it all out. I never saw him again after that.

“He was meant to build a double extension at the back of the property and completely gut and renovate the whole house internally. All he did was knock down the old extension, put a few new doors in and poorly plastered a few walls. I paid him a total of £64,000.

“I initially hounded Neal and begged him to do what I paid him for, and asked him to refund me money. But he either ignored me or continued to tell me that he had been stolen from and he was trying to find a solution and that he would be in touch. I contacted Citizens’ Advice, trading standards, the police, a solicitor, and the MP. I desperately pleaded with anyone who would listen to help me. But no one would. I was continuously told that it was a ‘civil’ matter because Neal had completed ‘some work’. That completely destroyed me because my husband had left. I moved into my parents’ home with my two children.I’d lost my home, all that money, my whole life. But worse than that, all those people I sought help from just closed the door in my face. And since then I have absolutely no faith in anyone.”

Written contract

Tomos Roberts-Young told us: “Regrettably, in 2022 I entered into a signed written contract with Neal Scorer’s ‘APMS Builders Ltd’, knowing nothing about building myself, on the basis of advance bank transferred sums of money – very large sums – that Mr Scorer requested us to pay in advance, on the basis that he said he needed the money “up front to order materials”, upon which – based on the verbatim wording of the contract – he then promised to deliver in respect of a substantial building works project at our home. Sadly I was swept away with his ‘in person’ presentations, and did not check to see that the verbatim wording only said ‘to order materials’, it did not say ‘deliver’. I think this is how he got me. .

“The project involved works he formally quoted for in writing on the three page ‘APMS Builders Limited’ contract to the value of £49,500. But I ended up with very low grade works clearly involving minimum possible outlay, and ended up in excess of £29k out of pocket, and with little of those works actually even done – and in some cases seemingly by casual labourers that Mr Scorer was paying cash in hand .

“The contract on its face looked genuine, and ‘in person’ he presented as a straightforward no fuss man in his early 60s. However I now realise the contract was full of traps that he had set, designed to ensure he essentially got away with a whole lot of money – and that he is a con man “He took £38,650 in bank transfers then absconded, having delivered only some poor quality works to possibly less than the value of £10k.

“I later found out – from Mr Harvey in August 2023 – that he had done it already many times before .

“Also that he had effectively no staff (a one man band) except one fellow Mike (and another young fellow by the name of Dan who was a gym trainer and ex nightclub bouncer but with no background in building at all) and yet had also run out of two other similar contracts at the same time, leaving those customers significantly out of pocket also, and in some cases taking large ‘up front’ deposits and delivering zero – in effect robbing people of what is sometimes their life savings.

“Mr Scorer had a very charming and convincing introductory spiel, but I now realise he is in fact a fraudster – that he targeted me precisely because I knew nothing about building and he knew that he could fool me. He entirely failed to disclose to me all kinds of things concerning his past plus others he was connected with, which I now know. I now believe he is experienced at this – almost to the point that it has become routine, that he predicted he could get the money he wanted out of me without ever delivering what was promised on the contract – and this is indeed exactly what he did.

“It very much saddens me to have to be making this statement, particularly because it seems that this man targets the most vulnerable and ‘trusting’ types of people in the Vale of Glamorgan region, of which sadly I was one.

“But as I have since learned after seeing a range of documents acquired by Mr Harvey throughout 2022 and 2023 , there are many others not unlike myself whose bank accounts he has robbed and whose lives he has ruined – leaving them living in what amounts to a building site – and who are far less likely than myself to be able to cope with the horrendous impact that this has. It is for those that I hope to be able to do some kind of good.”

We contacted Cllr Scorer and asked him to respond. He sent us a written statement.

In relation to Mr Harvey, he said: “Yes, they did pay by personal account, due to APMS corporate issues.

“Customer said they understood.

“The delays were in part poor weather; they told me storms had blown one of their windows off.

“I arranged for an architect and visited the house at least six times to discuss and alter plans.

“They were to apply and pay for building regulations which they did not.

“We have communicated twice with the customer requesting a convenient start date. None has been forthcoming.

“We did have someone stay with us but nothing to do with next door.

“Lampeter was a genuine job. We did part of [it]via Build Zone Ltd and insurance. We were paid

for what we did, the owner then decided to take a cash settlement. The project was no longer with Build Zone Ltd, and the owners chose another contractor.

“ I did buy a van. I did not know straight away it was from a gypsy. it did break down and then blew up. Gypsies often give you small token cash back for luck when you buy from them.

“They ordered gates then changed their mind what type they wanted “I had already told them all about the Jamie situation.

“This customer has made serious, inaccurate and repeated remarks to the council about me rather than engaging with me in a professional manner. I have concerns about the true motive of this attack on me.”

Business partner

In relation to Joanna Davis, Cllr Scorer said: “This was in the days when I had a business partner who caused issues with customers without my knowledge. Yes, we were asked to price the job which we did.

“We did not get the job initially but then we were contacted and asked if we were still able to do it. We agreed.

“The job was to renovate the house and build a rear extension.

“Mrs Davis wanted us to build the extension on top of the existing retaining wall. I made it clear that we could not build on top of a garden retaining wall.

“We gave a price and stated on the contract that all building jobs had to comply with building control and engineers’ reports AND that as this rear wall situation and drainage could be an issue we could NOT price the job exactly until we had building control approval and that any further costs for works required by building control would have to be agreed before we went ahead with the extension.

“Basically, we could not price the extension accurately until we had excavated the ground and had the retaining wall inspected. It may have required a new retaining wall costing several thousand pounds.

“Jamie did indeed run this job. I had very little to do with it. I did not request more money, Jamie may have.

“Ordinarily we would have built the extension first, but Mrs Davis was pushing us to start the renovation work first and building control were not visiting sites during Covid.

“The renovation works were 90% complete. I was aware that Jamie said there was a problem with damp and that Mrs Davis had agreed to pay extra on the renovation work.

“I did not at any time ask Mrs Davis for £10,000 or indeed any money at all. Jamie may have?

“When Jamie (my former partner) left, I was then left with the jobs to finish etc. I visited Mrs Davis and could see that the renovation work was almost complete. I did visit the job; my carpenter was there working on the staircase.

“I explained the Jamie situation and assured her I would complete the project, but I needed some time to sort things out.

“The extension had not been started which surprised me as it would normally be done first as materials etc would have to be carried away through the house. She said she asked Jamie to get started.

“I went to see her as soon as Jamie had left. I met her, her father was there. She told me about her husband etc and then said she had paid Jamie all the money and she had none left.

“She said she had paid Jamie, not me £64,000 which I questioned.

“She said the job was paid in full but her father said that was not correct, the contract price was £88,000 to which she said, ‘oh yes correct but she had no money left!!’

“I found the contract and it was indeed £88,000 with the condition listed on it that it could increase substantially depending on what building control and engineers required regarding the retaining wall.

“She made it clear and agreed the job price at £88,000 with conditions, not £66,000.

“ I said I would try and get to the bottom of this and asked again why she had paid him so much. She insisted again that she had no more money, not enough to even pay £88,000.

“I said I could not complete the project if she could not pay for it.

“Her husband then stopped at the chapel we were working on and gave me foul abuse, saying Jamie this and Jamie that. He wanted £64,000 from me. On another day he came to my unit and threatened me.”

Quantity surveyor

With regard to Mr Roberts-Young’s case, Cllr Scorer said: “The original price for the work they wanted was more than £160,000 and was priced by a quantity surveyor. This was for a double extension, garage conversion and internal works.

“They could not afford this, so we revised the quote for a single-story tiny extension, garage conversion and wall alterations, plastering etc inside the house.

“We completed the garage conversion, wall alteration and excavated the rear ground which we found to be sand.

“Again, as all projects we can price above ground but below ground all dependant on building control.

“I at no time had casual labour on site. The only cash they may have seen me pass was to a contractor who asked for fuel money as he had left his cards at home and £70 cash when I bought a drill from Mr Roberts-Young as he no longer needed it.

“The contract as always states that building control have an input and any alteration to works must be agreed. In this case building control visited and we were told that the extension would have to be built on a concrete raft foundation instead of standard concrete footings. This would involve more groundwork, underground steel work etc at extra cost and was NOT on the plans we priced the project from and supplied by Mr Roberts-Young.

“At no point did they question the quality of the work and in fact paid extra to have a handmade wall cupboard/TV centre in the newly designed living room, then they asked if we could cost moving another wall, fitting a patio door and possibly a new kitchen.

“If they were not happy with work done, why would they ask for more?

“ Re value £10k!. The garage conversion alone would be more than £20k with separate bathroom etc which we had completed.

“We had demolished and built a new wall. Plastered new walls, ceilings and living room ceilings.

“Staff. Mike was my bricklayer (highly qualified). I had a carpenter on site and two more men plasterer and his labourer. Electrician/plumber also on site.

“Why would I or should I explain to him anything about my past. Lots of it has been great!”

On the issue of contacting vulnerable people, Cllr Scorer said: “I was recommended by an architect for this project.

“They clearly had a problem with raising the extra cost for a concrete raft.

“The last time I visited them it was at the time when Josh [a worker employed by the company] fell and died on another job.

“Mr Roberts-Young insisted that there was no urgency in getting the extension done as the garage conversion etc was complete and it might give them time perhaps to try and raise more funds.

“They even gave their newborn baby for me to hold and said they would pray for me. He is/was a trainee vicar or some kind.

“I then had a call from them saying they could not access the rear garage door as debris from the footings had fallen. I sent men to clear it and have had no further contact from them at all.”

‘Deception’

All three victims quoted in this article said Cllr Scorer was lying.

Mr Harvey said: “Fraud and deception are woven into the very fabric of this man’s being. Jail is where he should be.”

Accounts for Cllr Scorer’s company APMS Builders Ltd, based at Blaengarw in Bridgend county borough, should have been filed at Companies House by April 30 2025, but haven’t been. As a creditor of the company, Cllr Scorer has vetoed plans to wind up AMPS.

In March 2025 Cllr Scorer set up a new company called HTN Construction Ltd.