A district judge has suspended an eviction notice issued to a Gateshead pensioner that would have seen him uprooted from the home he's lived in for 66 years.
Since around 2018 Ken May, 67, and Gateshead council had been in discussions about the state the former merchant seaman was keeping his home in. But this week, following clean-up efforts by the community the two parties came to agreement to allow Mr May to remain.
Mr May was sent an eviction notice on August 12 2022 stating he needed to vacate the property in Stanfield Gardens, Wardley, by August 30 at 11.30am. Now, thanks in part to advocation from a social worker, the council has agreed to repair the property and move Mr May into temporary accommodation during the works.
It was also agreed the council would help Mr May with the storage and removal of his belongings.
Following a long time without power, having disconnected his supply to use batteries powered from a petrol generator, Mr May was instructed to arrange with an energy provider to restore domestic power back to the property. He must also allow council inspectors to enter the property on an annual basis to conduct safety inspections.
He was reminded by District Judge Charnock-Neal that failure to comply with these conditions could result in the eviction order being reactivated. The Wardley resident will be moved from the house on Monday and is scheduled to return to his home on October 28 2022.
Mr May said: “I think it is a positive decision, I think it is a positive thing. It puts my mind at rest.
I have got no problems with complying with it. The end result is that I get to stay in my home of 66 years, which to me obviously, is a good thing.
“I would like to thank all the volunteers. I would not have been in as good a position without their help”.
Mr May has had ongoing issues with the council regarding his home. Back in October 2021 he was also threatened with eviction with a notice of 28 days, with the proviso that if he could get his house in order he could remain.
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It didn’t take long for people, some neighbours, some as far away as Alnwick, to come to Mr May's aid. At the time Mr May guessed around 20 to 30 people came to help out, doing everything from clearing and cleaning to trimming the hedges.
A biker from Middlesbrough, John Nesbitt, even started a fundraiser to help Ken take care of his property by reconnecting it to the electricity mains and neighbours also offered to help, feeling his plight was unfair.
A trainee social worker, Mrs Clair Hamilton, helped to co-ordinate the volunteers and advocate for Mr May to Gateshead council. Ken has lived in the property since 1955 and moved in as an 18 month old baby. He later looked after his mother in the home while she lived with cancer.
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