Bloody council - again!

[Amanda]

As most of you know, the council have temporarily housed us in a 2 bed flat in a warden controlled over 55's cul-de-sac. We were told before we signed that it would be for a maximum of 6 months, but more like 4 until they could find us permanent accomodation. In fact, the lady I was dealing with said that we may hopefully be in a house by Xmas.

She lied.

My hv wrote a fab letter to the council pointing out some issues and asking them to bump us up the list. She said that we were finding it impossible to control the heat in the flat due to the residents having their heating on. Even with all windows open all day and night, it never goes below 22 degrees, so she has pointed out the government guidelines for baby's rooms to be 18. Also the master bedroom is not big enough for a cot when Charlie outgrows his moses basket, and Kayleigh has a box room which only just fits her bed and wardrobe in (I had to chuck away her cabin bed, double pine wardrobe and dressing table when we moved as they wouldn't fit, and she now has a new single bed and is borrowing Charlies tiny canvass wardrobe!). Also the bath has been removed and a disability shower put in which means there will be nowhere to bathe Charlie once he outgrows his baby bath. She also pointed out that I am at great risk from PND as I am isolated from my family who all live in the village where we were moved from, and there is limited parking in this street (6 spaces for 20 flats, and the rest of the road is double yellows!), so family and friends are finding it difficult to visit.

The lady from the council has just rang. Her answers are:

She has asked the warden to visit to discuss the heat. Why? I'm sure she thinks I've got the bloody heating on!
We have to put Charlie's cot up in the living room when he outgrows his moses basket! I explained that we had a cotbed ready flat-packed at my mums so this was bigger than a cot and would have to sit right in the middle of the room. Her answer was to go and buy a smaller one! And we are to put it up at night, then take it down every morning so we can use the living room! I said that government guidelines for cot death prevention are that the baby should share the parents room until they are 6 months, and she said that me and DH would have to alternate sleeping on the sofa!!!!
I have to take Charlie to my parents to bathe him every day!
The parking is first-come, first-served, and there is nothing she can do. She told me to tell family to park in the co-op car park and then walk to our flat, which is a good 10 minutes!

When I then asked her if she could give me any idea where we are on the waiting list, she said it would be a minimum of 9 months until we are rehoused. I told her what the other lady had said, and she said she had no idea why. She said that 9 months was the average waiting time, and it had been for 2 years now. So we're going to be here for Xmas, the whole winter (god only knows how hot this flat will get then), and there is no way I can possibly go back work until we've moved. I should have been going back in February as this is when my SMP runs out, but I could never get Kayleigh to and from school 6 miles away, get Charlie to and from nursery, and also fit in an 8 hour day.

Aaarrrggghh!!!!!

 

[Dee1985]

i no this might sound real bad but cant you say you are suffering with depression?
i no that health issiues put you near anough to the top of the list. im fed up of moving im in my 5th house in 3yrs and they are never secure when i was preg with Harley i spoke to my midwife told her how down it was all getting me and i cant stop crying i just want a HOME. also i had Dior 5weeks early whule in the middle of moving house so when i was preg with harley i said i was frightened of moving house bringing on early labour again. she then wrote me a letter she didnt have to go into detail she just said Dionne is suffering mentally and for the health and her best intrest she needs a council house.
3weeks later i was offered a concil house but it was unbelievable, living with drunks and drug dealers aint my cupa T.

im sorry your having such bad luck wih houses

 

[Amanda]

I've just took some photos so you can get some idea of what we're having to put up with. Ignore the mess - I'm not allowed to do anything because my scar's infected!

The living room (or Charlie's new bedroom!!!!)

The lovely converted shower, complete with chair to sit on!!

The hallway complete with lovely council flooring!! There is a carpet standing in the corner to be laid, but it'll take 2 people so DH and FIL are doing it at the weekend.

Our bedroom full of Charlie's stuff as well.

The other side of the bedroom so you can see there's not enough room.

Kayleigh's room - bed not made, she'll be in trouble when she gets home!!

 

[Dee1985]

ohh babe i really feel for you it would get me down soooo much, you can see by all your furiture ect that you could make a house look lovely but that house is way to small and that bathroom takes the pee.

how do you still manage to keep it together

 

[Amanda]

I am considering that Dionne. I know it's not entirely truthful, but I've just sat here and sobbed after I put the phone down. I really can't see us staying here for that long. What if Charlie starts crawling? We've no carpet in the living room!

Can you imagine what it's going to be like here at Xmas? The amount of presents that the kids are going to get? I know Kayleigh's pressies will be small ones (phone, Ipod are what she wants), but chances are that Charlies stuff is going to be big (playgym, chair, etc).

What am I going to do when I start weaning Charlie? We can't put him in a high chair pulled up next to the dinner table as my table and chairs are in the in-laws garage and our current dinner table is our laps!!!

 

[Dee1985]

do you ever see empty council houses round your area? i used to phone up every time i seen one that looked empty and ask if i can be put forward for it

 

[Amanda]

do you ever see empty council houses round your area? i used to phone up every time i seen one that looked empty and ask if i can be put forward for it

The house next door to my brother and his wife has just had the keys handed back a fortnight ago. My SIL said that the council are there every day decorating and getting the gas and electric sorted. I told her this, and she said it would go to the person at the top of the list and there are families worse off than us.

I would love to live next to my brother as we are so close and my SIL is fab. And it's a 2 minute walk to Kayleigh's school from there, not a half hour drive in rush hour.

 

[Dee1985]

hun the council are messing you about so ild go all out now and make their lives hell.
go the docs about your scar and say your in pain and its caused through bathing charlie
tell them you are at the stage of giving up and cant cope any more.

your health ect should get you to top of list.

bloody council. i hope you get what you want soon.

 

[Amanda]

Thanks hun.

I went doctors yesterday about my scar, so looks likeI may be paying them another visit very soon. I've got a new patient assessment with the nurse tomorrow so I'll also bring it up then. It is bloody annoying and that house would be perfect for us.

 

[lozzi]

Hey hun, i was telling my dad about your situation and he said the council shouldnt be doing that with the situation your in.

my dad said to contact one of your local councillors adn ask them to speak to the housing on ur behalf, my dad does this regular for people in his constituency and usually there rehoused in weeks!!!

 

[Melanie]

Get on to your local MP too Tankett! Write a letter to the local paper (i did this for my cousin and she was rehoused 10 days later after being told that it would take 8 months.)

You shouldnt have to put up with that!

 

[Princess_Puddles]

Get on to your local MP too Tankett! Write a letter to the local paper

I was going to say the same thing, My SIL Fiancee's Brother wrote a letter to their local Mayor and were housed into a lovely 2 bedroomed place with garden in a matter of weeks after being told they could be waiting months maybe longer, so its worth a try!!

 

[Amanda]

That hadn't even crossed my mind! I'm definitely going to do that. I mean, come on, we're in a tiny 2 bed flat, and there will be a house next to a family member coming up in a couple of weeks. That could be ours!

To give you an idea of how ideal this would be, the red star is the house, the black cross is DH's sister and bf, the blue cross is my parents and the green cross is my in-laws, and my best friend is the pink cross. Oh, and Kayleigh's school is at the top. Apologies for the state of the drawing, but I've done it one handed with Charlie in the other!

 

[Jo]

Aww hun, i just read this
councils are crap i swear they are all robots

That house would be so perfect for you, i would deff play on the health issues and how perfect it would be to be near all your family (which it would)

next thing get on the phone to your councillor

good luck hun

 

[Amanda]

I've done it! I've managed to get an email address for the local councillor, so I've just banged the below off to him. I've blanked the personal bits out.

Dear Mr Wilson

I am hoping that you may be able to assist me with the situation that myself and my family currently find ourselves in. We are currently living in Anstey, but being from Birstall, I am obviously familiar with your work and therefore have decided to contact you, rather than the local councillor for Anstey.

Firstly, I should explain a little about my family. There is my husband, Stuart, my daughter Kayleigh who is 13, and our baby boy Charles who was born on 31st August this year and myself. I have lived in Birstall for the majority of my life since 1970, apart from a 4-year spell in Syston when Kayleigh was born. My husband has always lived in Birstall. We both work locally, myself at , and Stuart at . We married in June 2005, but due to the phenomenal house prices, have been unable to buy locally. We have therefore been renting a house on Sycamore Road since May 2004. Unfortunately for us, the owners decided to sell the house in April and therefore we were given 60 days to vacate the premises. We were unable to secure alternative private accommodation in Birstall, as I was pregnant, and therefore went to Charnwood Borough Council for assistance as we were already on the housing waiting list. They advised us that we would have to remain in the property, and inform the letting agents that they would need to evict us. This caused untold stress to me as I had already been signed off sick by the doctors due to pregnancy related issues. Due to problems with the pregnancy, I was booked in for an early caesarean section on the 31st August, and we received the eviction notice on the 23rd August, which only gave us 14 days to vacate. I immediately rang the housing office and on Friday 25th August, we were offered a 2 bedroom flat in Anstey. We were advised that this would be in an area predominantly for older people and therefore not ideal, but it would be for a maximum of 4-6 months, so we accepted the flat. We were not offered a viewing prior to the signing and receiving the keys at the council offices in Loughborough.

We moved into the property on the 28th August and I went into hospital to have Charlie on the 31st August. I have since had the usual visits from midwifes and Health Visitors, and the Health Visitor has brought up several concerns which are shown in the attached letter. Yesterday I received a phone call from at the housing department about the letter. She wanted to address the points raised in it. She has advised me that there is nothing that can be done about the heat in the flat, as I write this it is 5pm and 27 degrees in the living room. This is extremely uncomfortable, the whole family is unwell and have colds, and our baby is really suffering, as he is unable to breath through his nose, therefore is struggling to feed. advised me that when Charlie outgrows his moses basket, we will have to turn the living room into a temporary bedroom for him, and therefore erect the cot bed in the middle of the floor. As government guidelines for prevention of cot death now state that babies should sleep in their parents rooms until they are 6 months old, this would involve one of us sleeping on the sofa with him in his cot, which is not at all practical as you can imagine. could not offer any solution to the bathing issue, so I have no idea how to bathe Charlie once he outgrow his baby bath. She could also not offer any solution to the parking issue in the street. There are 20 flats, and only 6 parking bays, and these are on a first come first served basis. The rest of the street is double yellow lines. We are a 2-car family out of necessity. My husband needs his car to get to work daily, and I need mine to get Kayleigh to school, therefore we are really struggling for parking. I had to visit the doctors in Anstey yesterday as I have torn my caesarean scar inside and it is now infected and I am in constant pain. This I can only put down to carrying Charlie in his baby seat to and from the car twice daily. The hospital did actually advise me not to drive for at least 6 weeks after the operation, but I am having to do this twice a day as Kayleigh is at Stonehill School and has no other means of transport. then advised me that it would be at least 9 months before they could even consider offering us a move to a permanent home. This is double the length of time that we have been told in the past. Charlie will definitely outgrow both his baby bath and moses basket in this time.

We also have an Alsatian-cross dog, which is definitely not ideal in a small flat with no garden. The dog is stuck in the flat with me all day until either Stuart or Kayleigh can get home to walk him, as I cannot possibly push a pram and hold a dog lead with my wound.

The flat is also next door to the local Post Office sorting office, which we were not made aware of before we moved here. They start work at 5am Monday to Saturday, and cars and vans are constantly driving up and down the street, loading post and car doors slamming. Having a newborn, we are getting little enough sleep as it is, without the added noise in the street waking us just as we have got to sleep. The noise has also woken the baby on several occasions and I'm sure you will appreciate how frustrating this is at this time of the morning.

We know no one in Anstey as all friends and family are in Birstall, and therefore I am at home alone all day with Charlie. My parents are on , my brother and wife are on my husbands parents are on and his sister and boyfriend are on . As you can see, the ideal situation for us as a family would be for the council to be able to rehouse us permanently in Birstall, but I have been advised that there are no available properties, and none coming up in the near future. However, I am aware of two. One is on and is currently being redecorated by the council as the previous tenants have now vacated. The other is also on , and a friend has advised me that the council has just served this tenant with an eviction notice. There is also the new development on Hallam Fields, and I have been informed that some of these houses will be released to the council shortly.

This is a very stressful situation for any family to be placed in, but we have the added stress of a new baby and I am recovering from major surgery. I am also beginning to feel the first stages of Post Natal Depression, which I suffered from when I had my daughter. Being isolated in Anstey away from all family and friends who could help me when my husband is at work compounds this. I am actually getting very tearful just writing this to you.

I am asking if there is any way you can lend any weight to our case, or if you are unable to do this, to at least answer when we would be rehoused please. I have had such conflicting dates from different people within the council, and I don't know which one to listen to. If we know that we would only be here a short period of time, and then we could be rehoused in Birstall then I'm sure we would cope, but to know that there is possibly the winter and Christmas to go through in this tiny flat, I think I would end up on anti-depressants again, which is not nice for any new parent.

I really hope that you are able to assist in this matter, and if you need to contact me for any further information, you can either email, or write

Many Thanks in advance.

 

[Minime]

Hang on, youre in warden controlled accomodation for over 55's????

That means that the housing is only suitable for those over 55, i.e. without young children.

When i was waiting for housing association I clocked an empty house and enquired and got it so that approach can and does work

 

[Jo]

If that letter doesn't work hun, i have no idea what will

It sounded really good, it tugged at my heartstrings

good luck and lets hope you hear back soon

 

[Minxy]

Great letter! You must let us know what happens.

Thinking of you all

 

[Amanda]

Just a quick update.

I had a reply from the councillor, I've again removed the names:

Dear Amanda,
Many thanks for your letter which obviously causes me concern.
I have forwarded it as you will see to Cllr ***** who is a colleague and a fellow Councillor whom I greatly respect and admire.
He is an Anstey Councillor and I am sure he will help if he can.
It is normal practice for Local Councillors to deal with cases within their Constituency but in addition to this I will be away until October 21 and I feel that he is in a far better position to help at the moment than I am.
I will however ask him through this letter to you to keep me advised and tell me if I can help in any way when I come back.
Kind Regards,

Nothing yet from the other guy, but I'm sitting in hope!

 

Great news on the reply, and it was a great letter too!
Can't beleive they have put you in and over 55 accomadation, with no chance of moving in the next 9 months.
My friend was moved to temp accomodation and they ended up leaving her there for nearly 2 years by which time she'd had another baby! But our council is rubbish.
Sounds like you have a good councillor babe