One fifth of tenants threatened with eviction by West Lancs District Council

Feb 12 2009 by Tom Duffy, Skelmersdale Advertiser

WEST Lancashire District Council threatened 1,152 council tenants (approximately one fifth) with eviction last year.

The figures, which also reveal that 2,282 (36%) tenants were behind with their rent, were obtained by a Freedom of Information Act request.

They reveal that 18.4% of council tenants have received a notice of seeking possession, which instruct tenants to pay rent or face court proceedings.

The West Lancashire figure of 1,152 possession notices compares to an average of 381 for the 109 local authorities which responded to the FOI request by the Liberal Democrats.

Labour Cllr Neil Furey, Shadow Portfolio Holder for Housing Services, said: “I was shocked to receive information that over a third of all West Lancashire District Council tenants are now in arrears with their rent and that over 1,000 tenants have been issued with a Notice Seeking Possession in the last 12 months.

“I will be writing to the Conservative Council Leader to express my concern with this huge level of debt and ask what action the council will be taking towards helping tenants in arrears.”

Hazel Scully, a spokesman for the Firbeck estate in Skelmersdale, said: “I am not a bit surprised by the figures. What do you expect with a 6.1% rent increase. I also think that the closure of the cash office in the Concourse has contributed to the problem of arrears and the recession will only make this problem worse.”

A mother of two, who wished to remain anonymous, spoke about the shock of receiving a possession notice.

“I received a notice of seeking possession a couple of years ago, and it was a frightening experience. The letter did mention court proceedings, which was unpleasant. I don’t think they should send out these letters to people who work for a living. There is a lot of stigma attached to this kind of thing, so people are reluctant to speak out.

“My partner and I earn around £800 per month, but our outgoings exceed that amount. It’s a struggle to pay the bills. I think the council could invest more in the estate.

“Although we had a boiler fitted a couple of years ago, we now need a new front door.”