Hundreds of people are protesting a "cruel" decision to evict a council house tenant from her lifelong home months after her mother's death. Around 700 people have signed a petition calling for Caerphilly Council to allow Andrea Long to keep her home in Greenway, Abertysswg. She is battling depression and anxiety following the sudden death of her mother Ruth in January.
The council has told Andrea — who is now living alone — she must leave the three-bedroom house because rules only allow for one succession per tenancy. The tenancy had already been passed over to Ruth when Andrea's father Kenneth died in 2010.
The law in Wales is set to change on July 15 to allow two successions per tenancy — but Andrea has been ordered to hand in her keys by July 4. The council says it must balance her wishes with "the significant need and demand for social housing". But Andrea's niece Katrina said: "All that Andrea is asking for is for the council to show some compassion and allow her to succeed the tenancy as she would have been allowed to, should her mother have passed away later in the year."
Andrea added: "I'm not sleeping anyway from grieving for my mam but with this on top, it's like mental cruelty. It's draining."
The 53-year-old was born in the Greenway house and has never lived elsewhere. As the youngest of three siblings, it fell to her to become a full-time carer as her parents' health issues worsened, while her brother and sister went on to have families of their own. Her father had serious mobility and chest problems, and her mother struggled with diabetes and severe arthritis.
Katrina said: "When Andrea's father died her mother’s name was not on the original tenancy, even though they had lived there together as husband and wife the whole of their married life. Therefore her mother had to put her name on the tenancy. In the council's eyes this was seen as a succession on the tenancy."
Andrea added: "I have dedicated my life to care for both my mother and father, taking a burden off the authority that may have had to provide care for them both if I had not. I have had no opportunity to have a family of my own or have a social life. I’ve never been able to go out with friends or meet people due to being a carer in my home for most of my life. The only friends that I have are the close neighbours in the street. I’m confident that if any of the neighbours were approached on my behalf, they would tell the same story of my life that I have."
Her mother Ruth died suddenly in January due to a perforated bowel. For Andrea it meant the loss of a best friend as well as a mother. "She was marvellous," said Andrea. "Everything she could give me, she would give me.
"The quick passing of my mother has left me in a state of shock and I feel that the only thing I have left is my home. If I had to relocate elsewhere I would also lose the only few friends that I have in neighbours around me. I’m not sure how I could cope if this was the case. The thought of emptying the house and moving my late mother's possessions is giving me nightmares after such a short space of time."
Her mental health was hit by her mother's death and she has been prescribed antidepressants, but when Andrea pointed to this in a complaint over her impending eviction, the council wrote to her: "We can find little evidence to suggest your mental health will be impacted to a significant level should you leave the current property."
Andrea believes the opposite is true. Due to the low number of council homes in Abertysswg, she fears the council will place her outside the village she has always called home. Relying on Universal Credit, she believes she would struggle to privately rent a home in her neighbourhood. She claims the council has not told her whether she will be offered alternative accommodation or where this could be.
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Although Andrea's social life has been curtailed by being a full-time carer for decades, she has become a popular figure in Abertysswg over her 53 years living there — and around 700 villagers have signed her family's petition for the council to reverse its stance. "I feel very fortunate that everyone has clubbed together and so many people have signed it on different streets in the village," said Andrea.
A Caerphilly Council spokesperson said: “Whilst we are sympathetic to the situation Ms Long finds herself in, as you have correctly stated, in accordance with the Housing Act 1985, there is only one right to succession for a secure tenancy. As the late Mrs Long succeeded to the tenancy on the death of her late husband there is no further right to succession. Had the late Mr and Mrs Long been joint tenants a succession would still have occurred following the death of Mr Long.
"Regrettably there are occasions where occupants such as Ms Long have no statutory right to succeed to the tenancy of the property where they have resided, and the council, as landlord, has to balance the wishes of the occupier with our obligations to address the significant need and demand for social housing from residents throughout the county borough. These situations are dealt with on a case by case basis through a management discretion procedure. If successful, management discretion can be used to allocate a tenancy to such an occupant, at either their current home or an alternative property.
"When considering applications for the exercise of management discretion a number of factors are taken into account, including how long the remaining occupiers have lived there, the size and type of the accommodation, the size and housing needs of the occupying household and their personal circumstances, including health, and the level of need and demand for the property from applicants on the common housing register.
"As explained in the letter provided to Ms Long, there is a process by which she can appeal the decision of the management discretion panel. This offers the opportunity to request a review of the decision and to provide any further information she feels relevant, along with the opportunity to attend a hearing in person. To date we have not received a request for the review of this decision from Ms Long.”
WalesOnline has reported on a range of cases where recently bereaved families have been ordered to leave their homes. You can read some of them here.
