A father-of-one says he will be forced to sleep in his car as he faces eviction following the loss of his job and long-term illness.
Head Chef, Tim Turner, 49, fell into rental arrears when he lost his job of 14 years during the pandemic.
As the wave of the Omicron variant ripped through the UK in December 2021, Tim says he suffered vocal cord damage shortly after which saw him unable to speak for two months.
In a harrowing series of events, Tim says his father then tragically died five days after being diagnosed with cancer and his mother’s house burned down in a disastrous fire.
Tim says the stress of last year has left him feeling suicidal with nowhere to turn - ruling out contacting his local MP and former Health Secretary Matt Hancock as he was away starring on I'm A Celeb. Hancock ultimately came third in the show which concluded on Sunday night, behind Hollyoaks star Owen Warner and the winner, Lioness Jill Scott.
With his landlord demanding he moves out over the debt, Tim says is it “disgusting” that the MP is rumoured to be getting £400,000 for appearing on ITV ’s I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here, while he faces losing everything.
Tim said: “It’s disgusting, it really is. There’s hundreds and thousands of people in the same situation, if not worse than me.
“When I heard he was going on there, I just thought it was absolutely crazy, stupid. Absolutely stupid.
“It just basically shows he doesn’t really care and I think he thinks he’s going on there for forgiveness from people. It’s not good.”
Tim says he hasn’t contacted Matt Hancock's office because of the MP's absence, opting instead for local councillor for New Market, Chris O’ Neil. The Westminster politician is not expected back in the Commons until later this week once he has flown back from Australia.
The councillor said: “Life for West Suffolk constituents is not a jolly trip to the jungle for TV and to further our fame.
"It is about living hand to mouth, cancelled bus services, appealing SEND (Children with special educational needs and disabilities) services and AWOL MP’s.
“Tim isn’t even within my ward to look after. My councillor position is voluntary. I am unpaid.
"Yet, here I am desperately trying to help a fellow human being who needs help, who needs an MP who is paid public money to represent him.
“To actually represent him, to help him.”
Tim lost his job as an executive chef in December 2021 as the Omicron variant spread, and struggled to get back on his feet after becoming unwell in January 2022.
He says he was diagnosed as having vocal cord damage which saw him have to get speech therapy to be able to talk again.
However, the months of missed work had set him back.
Tim said: “I thought I had tonsillitis to start with but then it worked out that I lost my voice completely.
“I couldn’t eat, couldn't drink, couldn't do anything. They thought I might have cancer.
“I was admitted into hospital while they ran tests. Then literally I came out of hospital and I couldn't come speak, I had speech therapy lessons to be able to speak properly again.
“I couldn't get back into work.”
Once he had regained his voice after two months, Tim found a part-time role in July 2021, but his rental arrears with letting agent Morris Armitage had already accumulated.
The chef who works mostly nights, split from his partner and now spends three nights of the week with his 10-year-old son.
But despite this, he claims he is classed as a single person by West Suffolk Council, on the basis that he doesn't spend 50 percent of the time with his child.
Tim says he has struggled to get accommodation privately or through a Housing Association because of his debt and bad credit as a result. He is a dog owner and has found that counting against him too.
He said: “I've been to five or six and I'm not allowed to have a dog and no children are allowed to stay either.
“So if I can't see my son, I have to give up my dog, that’s the only thing that keeps me going really.”
Tim says he tried to find a way to have his dog adopted by a charity but was told they were all full.
He said: “I phoned loads of dog rescues but they were full and they couldn’t take him. I got advised basically to open the front door and just let him go.
“I explained there's no way I could have just opened the door. It would be like opening the door and just pushing my son out into the street.
“I have to go and stay in my car if it kind of comes down to it.”
Tim says he has appealed to people on social media, asking if anyone can help him find somewhere to park his car and live in it, but to no avail.
The Mirror approached Lettings Agent Morris Armitage for comment but they declined to respond.
A spokesperson for Matt Hancock’s office said: “Matt has been working on constituency matters and show producers have agreed that Matt can communicate with his team if there's an urgent constituency matter while he's on the show.
"As soon as Matt's time in camp is up, he will return to Suffolk to hold surgeries where he will catch up with his constituents and discuss matters of concern."
Tim says he subsequently contacted Matt Hancock's office at the end of last week but says he has yet to receive a call back.
Grieving families of those bereaved by Covid have accused the former Health Secretary of “dancing on the graves of so many people”, while he appeared laughing and joking on the TV show.
Tiffany Jones, whose dad Colin died in hospital in Portsmouth just days before Christmas in 2020, told The Mirror: "I can't watch it. I normally watch it every year, but I can't [watch it] with him in it.”
"I can't understand why he's there, his mistakes cost the lives of thousands of people across the country.
The MP currently remains on the program and will continue to receive his £84,144 salary on top of his TV fee.
With regards to Tim's case, a spokesperson for West Suffolk council said: "Since starting his job in May 2022 and the start of the eviction proceedings in October, Mr Turner hadn’t paid anything towards his private rent.
"We have had contact with him since October to help him with accommodation for him with his dog, accessing benefits and maximising his income as well as a personalised housing plan.
"Mr Turner has been provided with advice around his legal rights regarding his current accommodation and the eviction process.
“He has significant debts and rent arrears in his current private rented accommodation, and this makes it harder for him to find somewhere to rent.
"However, we are working with Mr Turner to address the arrears which will then allow him access to the housing register and other private accommodation.
"We are advised that the landlord’s agent has made significant attempts to contact him to discuss the situation but Mr Turner has not contacted them.
"Our lettings partnership made contact with Mr Turner in early November about finding him private rented accommodation and guaranteed rent support and have remained in touch with him since.
"He has been offered rooms by the team as well as by members of the public via social media and has refused those as they wouldn’t allow his dog.
"The council continues to look for pet friendly accommodation that he can afford. We have also carried out an assessment of his income and expenditure to ascertain what rent is affordable to him.”
When life is difficult, Samaritans are here – day or night, 365 days a year. You can call them for free on 116 123, email them at jo@samaritans.org, or visit www.samaritans.org to find your nearest branch.
