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Strict guidelines on housing clearances
• WE would like to respond to your article about the way the council disposed of a former council tenant’s property (Scandal of heirlooms dumped in the rubbish, Jan 25).
The piece raised some very important and emotive issues. We would like to reassure readers that there are clear and strict guidelines on how and when we step in to look after vulnerable or deceased people’s property.
Mrs Robinson’s case shows the need for us to do our utmost to protect their financial interests, while continuing to keep a vulnerable person’s care at the heart of our work.
It does appear her care workers took great trouble to ensure that anything of value was identified and removed and the possessions she wanted taken to her new home.
When it comes to clearing empty council homes we have equally clear guidelines. It may seem harsh, but that normally means disposing of everything left behind to a waste-handling centre. Most tenants – or their legal representatives – leave items they no longer want.
And almost without exception, these are things like unwanted furniture, worn carpets and even old clothing that are of no salvageable value.
To go through items individually would make this process prohibitively expensive and we rely on whoever is responsible for the property to have removed anything of value.
Of course if something obviously valuable is found it will be saved and where possible returned to the owner, but it is extremely rare for such items to be left.
Finally, there are big challenges for the council in protecting vulnerable or deceased people’s interests and rules are there to protect both staff and vulnerable people alike.
We will now be reviewing our processes and procedures to ensure we are doing the best we can to properly protect the property of vulnerable people in our care.
We are happy to hear the views of anybody concerned about this.
CLLR MARTIN DAVIES
Executive Member for Adult Social Care
CLLR CHRIS NAYLOR
Executive Member for Housing |
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