Brighton and Hove's Green-led council has been accused of "acting as agents for the Tory-led coalition" after a letter emerged which appears to contradict the council's pledge to not evict council tenants who are unable to pay the 'bedroom tax'.
Brighton and Hove’s Green-led council has been accused of “acting as agents for the Tory-led coalition” after a letter emerged contradicting the council’s pledge not to evict council tenants who are unable to pay the ‘bedroom tax’.
Two weeks ago the Green administration running the council set out a policy that would preclude those getting into arrears over the bedroom tax from being evicted.
However a letter has emerged apparently threatening a tenant with court proceedings to repossess their home after they went into arrears over the tax.
The tenant who received the letter spoke to the council citing the local Green’s no eviction policy, only to be informed by a member of the council staff that they had “never heard of it”.
At a meeting two weeks ago a Green Housing committee spokesperson assured a group of residents that there would be “no more threatening letters sent to tenants”.
Labour and Cooperative spokesperson for tenant liaison Leigh Farrow is now demanding an immediate investigation into the council’s much trumpeted policy of ‘no evictions’.
Labour and co-operatice councillor Leigh Farrow said the local Greens were “acting as agents for the Tory-led government”.
“I am today calling on the Green administration to launch an immediate investigation into this matter and to give assurances that no further distressing threatening letters are being sent out to tenants.”
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7 Responses to “Green Party accused of ‘acting as agents’ for the Tories”
Adam
Seriously, LFF is getting worse and worse.
jennywren27
Yes it is solely about bedroom tax arrears. I know the person who got the letter. She’s the same one that spoke to the Housing Committee 2 weeks ago and got a round of applause from all the councillors on it! The letter is the first stage of eviction proceedings. The council’s stance is now that the letter is not a mistake, that the tenant doesn’t have the criteria to qualify for the “No Evictions” policy. At no time has this criteria been explained to tenants. And this letter is not a one off either. (A generous interpretation would suggest that Green councillors hadn’t got a clue how full of holes the policy was. Tenants told one after the meeting this when she came to speak to them and was so full of what the Greens had done for them. She thought we were making an unnecessary fuss, or she was pretending she didn’t understand how it would work.) The Greens seem to think tenants have ‘magic beans’ to make up the shortfall in their rent. A person on JSA of £71 a week can’t suddenly find £23 a week out of it to pay the bedroom tax. It’s debatable too if this money is even owed at this stage – this tenant and many others are appealing their bedroom tax decisions. It is a disgusting way to treat a tenant who’s paid rent on her house for nearly 30 years. Brighton and Hove Green Party members need to be aware what’s being done in their name!