Council kicks man out of Brighton home after his mother dies

[TrueBlueTerrier]

http://www.theargus.co.uk/news/8207390. ... ther_dies/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

A postman is being turfed out of his family home because his mother died too soon.

Trevor Blackmore, 52, moved to be with his ill mother in her council-owned flat in Brighton in October.

But when his mother Shirley, 72, died of cancer in January, the Royal Mail employee was told he had no legal rights to the property in Parkmead, Park Crescent Terrace, which he first moved into in 1983, but subsequently moved out of for a time.

Now he has been told he has six weeks to find a new home after Brighton and Hove City Council took him to court.

The case was deal with in a five-minute hearing at Brighton County Court.

According to housing laws, if his mother had died nine months later Mr Blackmore would have been able to take over the house without any problems.

But the council insists it has no legal obligation to house Mr Blackmore.

Documents presented by the local authority to the hearing said Mr Blackmore had not lived at the property for the 12 months set down by the Housing Act 1985 to take over the house.

This meant the secure tenancy had come to an end, allowing the council to offer it to people on its housing waiting list.

The council asked Judge Margaret Fawcett for a two week eviction notice and for Mr Blackmore to pay the local authority's £250 costs.

But Judge Fawcett granted Mr Blackmore six weeks to find a new home - the longest period allowed - and told him to pay costs of £150.

[stokes11eg]

Shocking.

[Lounge Lizard]

but Rules Is Rules - especially now the Tories are in power.

[Biker Mouse]

Shocking.

Sad but understandable! This has been happening for donkeys years in my town. It was most probably a 2 or 3 bedroom flat and he, not being the name on the rent book, sounds like he would be living there alone. Council should be obliged to provide one bedroom flat, or similar, to him. This would free up the property for a larger family.