A mum-of-four and anti-poverty campaigner took her own life after years of struggling with money and "uninhabitable" living conditions, her family has said.
Karen McBride, 46, was pursued over council tax and benefit debts that her relatives say she did not have, and had been forced to accept substandard housing over fears of becoming homeless. The home, provided by a housing association, had no gas or electricity, black mould, and pigeons nesting in the roof.
The issues with her local council and benefits bosses contributed to a decline in her mental health. The Manchester Evening News reports that she died by suicide in August last year after feeling "helpless".
Karen's daughter, Codie, said that "systemic and policy-based failings" had contributed to her mother's death. Reading from a statement during an inquest into her mother's death at Stockport Coroner's Court, the 29-year-old said "multiple agencies" had let her down.
She said: "My mum was a victim of systemic abuse - which is the complete neglect towards a whole class of people in this country. This happens when funding is cut to vital services, ineffective procedures are adopted by agencies and an institutionalised poor perception towards those who are in receipt of benefits or living on the breadline is adopted."
The inquest heard that Karen was offered a home in Stalybridge, Tameside, Greater Manchester, in 2019 by Jigsaw Homes after her previous landlord put the property up for sale. However, the dwelling was in a dire state of repair, and even had a live wire hanging from a bedroom ceiling.
Codie added: "On one occasion, when a contractor came around to deal with the damage to the ceiling in my brother's bedroom, pigeon nests were falling onto his floor from the ceiling. When mum was moving her things from the storage unit into the house, the man who delivered the items said 'I wouldn't even let a dog live here'."
Jigsaw then wrote to Karen to tell her that her rent was overdue despite not moving in yet, and Tameside Council began chasing her for alleged council tax debt dating back three years. With the help of Citizens Advice she discovered that the council erroneously believed Codie was still living with her.
Codie had in fact been living in Liverpool since 2013. However, the council did not listen to Karen's pleas and insisted that she began repaying the single person discount she had claimed for living alone.
Eventually, the council relented and told her no money was owed – but did not refund any of the payments she had made up to that point. In the meantime, Karen was trying to sort repairs in her new home, while also trying to get a referral to mental health services for help with depression and anxiety.
In March 2022, Tameside Council wrote to Karen to say her housing benefit had been suspended, and Jigsaw told her she was in rent arrears. The automated letters were triggered by her son turning 19, a development that allegedly affected her entitlement to housing benefit – but this later turned out to be incorrect.
Codie added: "Given the previous history, she was desperately overwhelmed. She was spiralling into a dark place and whenever she rang to find out what was happening and asked about the letters she had received she would be told they were just automated and she should just ignore them. For mum, this was much easier said than done."
On August 1 last year, Karen was found dead in her kitchen. Codie said her mum had been "solemn and helpless" in the weeks beforehand.
Jigsaw's operations director, Michael Murphy, did not directly answer a question put to him by Coroner Chris Morris on whether Karen's home was fit to live in. He did, however, concede that it was "apparent [that a] number of repairs were not done".
The housing association now says it has a "new standard" for home repairs and for communicating with tenants. Tameside Council, pressed to explain its actions, denied making any errors in Karen's council tax account.
Council officer Karen Milner told the inquest that the authority had not been fully told about her benefits situation, prompting the letters it sent. Samantha Smith, head of national operations at the Department for Work and Pensions, said "at no stage" were Karen's benefits suspended.
In the years before she died, Karen became a renowned anti-poverty campaigner, using her own experiences of the system to call for fairer treatment for others. In one video filmed for the Poverty Truth Commission, she said of her own living experience: "When I walked in the house I burst out crying – there was mould and the floor was flooded upstairs."
The coroner, Chris Morris, found that Karen did not have a 'sustained intention' to take her own life, describing the act as an "impulsive" one whilst under the influence of alcohol. But he said the inquest had highlighted the "complexities of navigating the benefits system" and said the evidence showed she was "frustrated to the point of desperation".
However, he did not agree with the family's view that the state should have been aware of the risk to her life. He concluded: "Karen was obviously deeply committed to using her experience to improve the lot of others."
Speaking after the inquest, Codie said: "I still feel that Tameside Council and the agencies they work with have a lot to answer for. My mum was pursued for erroneous debt on three occasions, which led to an unmanageable amount of stress, which ultimately cost her life.
"The systems in place are not working and people on the breadline are constantly falling through gaps and being failed at every level. My mum knew all of this."
In a statement, Jigsaw added: "We understand from the evidence presented to the Coroner, that this was a complex and tragic case which involved a number of issues in Miss McBride's life. During the inquest, some issues were brought to light that we were not aware of, and we will take a full and thorough review of this case at a senior level."
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 samaritans.org to find your nearest branch.
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