A pensioner is facing eviction from the home he has lived in for 67 years in a fresh battle with a local council. Ken May, 68, has received a third notice for eviction after previous court battles in 2022 and 2019.
Gateshead Council has been at loggerheads with the homeowner who grew up in the house he still resides in. The conditions and safety of May's home has been put in question as he could be made the leave the Wardley council house he has lived in since November 1955 as early as next week, reports ChronicleLive.
A court order last year allowed the pensioner to stay as long as he reconnected his home to the power grid after using a petrol generator previously. He had to permit council workers to repair and rewire his home over eight weeks as he was put in temporary accommodation.
Annual safety inspections were also part of the agreement. But on April 5 this year, the man received a letter from the council to inform him of scheduled three-monthly property inspections which he believes is a violation of the court order signed in August.
The letter, according to ChronicleLive, read: "I can confirm that the reason that inspections are necessary, is because of ongoing concerns about the safety of you, your neighbours, and any person visiting the area, based on a history of you interfering with the electrical supply and allowing the condition of your property to deteriorate to a substandard condition and causing a potential hazard to yourself and others.
"As your Landlord, Gateshead Council has undertaken significant repairs to the property to put these issues right and has the right to request access to carry out inspections to ensure that this does not happen again under the terms of your Tenancy Agreement."
He was reported to have emailed in response and refused the right to conduct said inspections. He denies altering the electrical supply at his home and claims to have kept everything as the council left it after the repairs work was completed.
He told ChronicleLive: "I have done absolutely nothing. All I have done is plug items in. The court order requires me to give access to annual safety checks and I am complying with them.
"I have done nothing to the electrics. The re-wiring is exactly as they left it. If Gateshead Council believe I have tampered they should present that evidence to the court. They won't do that because they have no evidence of tampering.
"The house is in the same way that they left it, all my stuff is still in boxes, so they are responsible for the state of the house."
On May 4, he received the most recent eviction notice. He added: "Can you imagine fighting for your rights against the council all this time?
"Can you imagine living with the permanent threat of homelessness, removed from your home of 67 years?"
He claims he intends to launch an appeal to prevent eviction. He maintains the council has no right to repossess his home and that an inspection to remove asbestos from the walls of his home last year was futile due to claiming he had no asbestos.
A spokesperson for Gateshead Council said: "Gateshead Council were granted an outright possession order in this case, as they recognised the importance of keeping our property and residents safe, placing the responsibility on Mr May to allow access for regular inspections.
"Unfortunately, Mr May has persistently refused to grant us access to his home and is therefore in breach of the court order and his Tenancy Agreement. We, therefore, have had no choice but to regrettably activate a warrant for his eviction, having been granted an outright order for possession of the property following a successful legal trial.
"The eviction is scheduled to take place next Thursday, 25 May. The health and safety of our tenants are paramount, and we continue to work with Mr May, and other relevant agencies to resolve this matter. We have also advised Mr May to seek independent advice."
A previous eviction notice in 2019 was resolved after the council raised concerns about the clutter inside his home.
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