A mum-of-two whose young family were evicted from their housing association home has accused a council in England of "abuse" and "neglect" after they were placed in a hotel room she described as not suitable for her children’s basic needs.
Nicole Barlow, 24, told CheshireLive that she lost her home after the private landlord, who the housing association leased the property from, decided to sell. She said the family were given just two months to vacate the property in Ellesmere Port, Cheshire but there were no other suitable council properties in the town so Nicole, her husband and their children, aged two and three, were moved into a single room at the Chester Court Hotel in Hoole, Chester.
Nicole, a support worker for adults with learning difficulties, said: “With a couple of bags, we headed off to the Chester Court Hotel. We got the key for the room, and I burst into tears as soon as I walked in there. Obviously, I wasn’t expecting The Ritz or the Grosvenor Hotel, but the room was just not suitable to meet the children’s basic needs.”
Nicole says that the room was not safe for her young children. She said that her children were falling off the beds every night, could touch exposed lightbulbs and that her three-year-old daughter, Belle, could unlock the door.
"My daughter could unlock the doors when she wanted to go and play at 2am. We found her at reception at 3am one night,” she said. "What if she had gone into that road or someone had taken her?”
She complained that the room only had a shower that was unsuitable for bathing her young children. The family were also not allowed to have visitors, a rule instigated by the council, Nicole said.
“We’re not being treated like we’re humans,” she added. She also said that the family “didn’t want to stay in the room as it was covered in woodlice.” Nicole claims she told reception about the infestation, and that they “seemed unfazed” and “didn’t care.”
A representative of Chester Court Hotel responded: “With regard to the insect infestation, firstly, nobody commented on it during their stay. Secondly, there is full concierge and the rooms are cleaned on a daily basis. It’s an included service and you have to opt out if you would not like your room cleaned.
"Thirdly, they have the ability to be rehoused with Cheshire West within 24 hours if they feel that the accommodation is not appropriate or not of a sufficient standard. It’s a bit late after the event to start dragging all these things up when nothing was mentioned at the time. We’ve had no more complaints from other guests about insects in a lamp."
After a month spent in the room, Nicole was given just hours notice that her family were being moved to a different hotel. “My daughter had only just stopped crying every night to go home,” she said. Nicole described the hotel she was moved to, the Dene Hotel, as being “even worse” and “like a prison”.
“The room was absolutely awful,” she said. “There’s a massive crack in the window, the bathroom is absolutely disgusting, there’s mould on the walls, and there was no wardrobe. It was bigger and there was a bath - that’s where it finished. There was no fridge, no microwave. It seems like we’ve been punished."
She said she was told by West Cheshire Homes that the Dene Hotel had been assessed as being ‘suitable’ for her children. “There is nothing suitable about that room," she said. "I can’t have butter and ham to make the kids sandwiches.
“I feel guilty that I was plodding along not realising that people were left like this. It’s abuse from the council.
“If it was me who decided to keep my kids in one room day in day out with no proper facilities and nowhere for them to play… they would remove my children. But since it’s the council they can get away with it.”
Nicole has set up a petition to ensure that temporary accommodation for families can “meet children’s basic needs”. Nicole added: “This isn’t just happening here, this will be happening all over."
The family has not yet been able to find a suitable home in Ellesmere Port. "We were told that we will be moved every four to six weeks, which again is so traumatic for the kids," she added.
A spokesperson for Cheshire West and Chester Council said: "Cheshire West and Chester Council is very conscious that living in hotels is a difficult environment for those faced with this situation, especially families. This is a last resort when no other accommodation is available, and we aim to move households on to their own accommodation as soon as possible.
"We have a process for identifying and using appropriate hotels and have built relationships with hotel operators that are used. Officers are discussing the issues raised with the family and the hotel. We will work to move them on from the hotel as soon as possible into more stable accommodation.
"We are committed to reducing the demand for temporary accommodation and the use of hotels. We are working with social housing providers to help us increase the availability of suitable temporary accommodation whilst at the same time trying to prevent homelessness happening in the first place.
"For those in temporary accommodation, we assist them to move on and address any barriers that may be stopping them from being rehoused."
The Dene Hotel has been approached for comment.
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