A family are desperately pleading to be rehoused because two of their children have spent more than a month out of school. Matthew Coombs and Samantha Walsh's nine-year-old son Matthew Jr and five-year-old daughter Ariana have places at a primary in Llantwit Major — but they are unable to attend because the family is living in temporary accommodation 10 miles away.
The couple and their four children were privately renting in St Athan until August when they had to leave their home because their landlord wanted to sell and secured a no-fault eviction. Vale of Glamorgan council placed them in a three-bedroom flat in Barry which is outside the catchment area for Ysgol Gymraeg Dewi Sant, the school attended by Matthew and Ariana.
Mr Coombs, 36, said: "The kids just want to go to school and be with their friends and get educated, and the system doesn't want to do anything about it. They've not been at school at all for over a month and they haven't been regularly since we've been here... Our whole family is in Llantwit Major and it feels like we've been placed in the middle of nowhere."
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A council spokesman said: “There has been an increase in the number of people requiring the council’s help and given the shortage of affordable homes, it can take time to find alternative accommodation. In this case, a temporary council home was found and whilst it wasn’t in the family's preferred location, it was safe, secure and affordable."
The couple do not own a car but for the first few months after they moved to Barry, they were able to get Matthew and Ariana to school a couple of days a week by borrowing Mr Coombs' brother's vehicle. For the last month the car has not been available and they have not been able to attend at all.
The family's two-year-old daughter Octavia goes to a creche in Barry and their 13-year-old daughter Chaelan's school is also in the town but the council has offered no solutions for Matthew and Ariana, according to Mr Coombs. He said: "I've had email after email from the school in Llantwit Major. I've begged the school to take me to court because at least then something will get done.
"The headteacher has been trying to make sure they can keep their places at the school for a certain amount of time, and for the time being go to a temporary school in Barry. She's been the one working to arrange that, but we've had nothing from the council.
"There's a bus from Rhoose that goes to my children's school. I asked the council if I was able to get the kids on the school bus from the nearest place in the catchment area — I would have paid for a taxi to Rhoose each day — but they said there was no place for them on the bus because we're living outside the catchment area."
Mr Coombs claims council errors have also left the family no closer to a permanent home than in August. The dad, a mechanic who recently lost his job, claims there were issues from the moment the family were rehoused. "We'd been waiting for six months and finally got temporary accommodation on the last day before our final eviction date," he added. "The council had told us to stay there until the court ordered us out. It was only on the Friday the bailiffs were going to come that they gave us the keys for the temporary accommodation.
"When we arrived there was still rubbish in there from the previous tenant. There were black bags of rubbish, a chest of drawers had been smashed up, debris was on the floor. It was disgusting. We spent four hours cleaning the place before we could start bringing our stuff in here. My baby cut her foot on the floor because the tiles were broken. I complained to the council but they didn't reply. We've had to put a settee over the tiles." In response, the council spokesman said there are no records of any maintenance issues being reported by the tenant since moving in.
There was allegedly no energy supply when the family moved in so Mr Coombs registered for gas and electric supply in his own name. "The council has told me to keep paying and they'll refund me," he said. "I haven't been refunded in six weeks and I'm owed about £600. I'm constantly having to chase up. It's ridiculous. I'm only meant to pay £32 a week on a service charge for gas, electric, water and rubbish removal."
The couple say the council told them that the rent of £236 a week should be covered by their housing benefit. Mr Coombs claims that he filled in benefit forms at the council offices in September and that he was assured rent would be paid automatically to the Homes 4 U landlord.
"I've filled in the forms four times with the council and it's still not been sorted," he added. "It turns out that Homes 4 U hasn't had us on the housing waiting list in all the months we've been in temporary housing, because no rent has been paid. We've been bidding for lots of properties in the catchment area and it turns out it's all been for nothing."
After WalesOnline approached the council for comment, Ms Walsh said she was contacted by a council officer who informed her that £300 would have to be paid towards the rent each month because housing benefit would not cover the full amount. "It's impossible on Universal Credit," said Ms Walsh. "I don't know how they expect us to survive."
Mr Coombs added that they are struggling to afford Christmas presents for the children and have asked the Salvation Army if gifts could be donated. "I've never in my life been in this position," he said.
A spokesman for the council said it is sorry to hear of the family's difficulties and they have been "raised with a member of staff". The spokesman added: "We recognise that being made homeless is a traumatic experience and the council’s housing solutions team work closely with households who find themselves in this situation in order to assist them to identify an appropriate housing solution.
“Repairs were completed prior to the family moving in and there are no records of any maintenance issues being reported by the tenant subsequently. We would encourage tenants to report any maintenance issues to us as soon as possible so appropriate repairs can be completed.
“It is the tenant’s responsibility to pay the rent and if people are in receipt of benefits they are required to apply for housing benefit or Universal Credit as appropriate. It is also necessary to provide supporting information as required.
“Tenants in temporary accommodation are charged for gas and electricity via a weekly service charge. In this instance, the tenant was advised to register with the utility companies and set up accounts. They are aware that refunds are provided when receipts are provided.
“Tenants in temporary accommodation may not be considered for more permanent housing if they are not paying the rent and have significant arrears. If anyone is experiencing financial difficulties which mean they are unable to pay the rent, they should contact the council as soon as possible as specialist money advice and help with claiming benefits is available.
“We would encourage tenants who are experiencing difficulties in their homes to get in touch with the staff team who will be able to provide help with a range of issues, including bidding for alternative homes, paying the rent and other bills and reporting repairs. Support is also available via the One Stop Shop at 110-118 Holton Road, Barry or by calling 01446 735444.”
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