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School caretaker Alan Clay: ‘It’s the injustice, the incompetence and the uncertainty that annoys me’ |
Retired school caretaker fights to block eviction after 30 years
Court battle looms over Town Hall threat to turf family out of their home
WHEN Alan Clay retired after 30 years as resident caretaker of a West Hampstead school he did not foresee a golden handshake.
But neither did he expect to open a letter from the Town Hall the day after his retirement threatening him with eviction from his house at Kingsgate Primary School.
The 60-year-old now faces a bitter court battle with his former employers, who he says have failed to rehouse him despite his decades of service.
Mr Clay said: “I don’t know what I’ve done wrong. It’s the injustice, the incompetence and the uncertainty that annoys me. You don’t expect to work for 30-odd years and be treated like this.”
Since October last year when he announced that he planned to retire – and would need to be rehoused – Mr Clay has received notices to quit, two court summonses and believes the council have failed to find him a home elsewhere.
Unable to afford legal representation, the former school keeper is currently preparing his own defence for a court appearance in October.
If he loses, he could be turfed out of the home where he has lived with his wife and two daughters for 29 years and forced to pay the council’s legal costs.
Mr Clay said: “There’s not so much need for school keepers. I’m a dinosaur, but when you retire you don’t expect to have this trouble. I suppose I was naïve but I’m not leaving – I’ve got nowhere to go.”
The three-bedroom cottage in the Kingsgate Road school grounds is unlikely to be used for housing again because, as Mr Clay says, resident caretakers are a dying breed.
Under the council’s system for allocating houses, he needs at least 265 points to bid for a two-bed home.
The council’s housing department originally offered 200 points, adding another 300 when a union official intervened on Mr Clay’s behalf. Despite that, his applications for two different houses failed to even make shortlists.
His youngest daughter, Jennifer, 23, said the family had been in limbo for 11 months. “Our lives are on hold. I’ve cancelled my holiday in case I get evicted,” she said. “I couldn’t have wished for a better childhood growing up here. It’s been very disappointing that it had to end this way.”
Hugo Pierre, a convener for Unison trade union, is calling for the court summons to be removed to allow the family to find another home.
“Anything less than that is disgraceful,” he said. “Camden has sat on this for eight months. They have a duty to rehouse Alan.
“In 18 years I’ve never come across a school caretaker who has retired and has not been rehoused.”
Mr Pierre added that if the school had proposals for the house “it would have to put those plans back to deal in a humane way with someone who has given so many years of service”.
A council press official said yesterday (Wednesday) that as Mr Clay’s accommodation was tied to his job he was served a notice to quit after he indicated he was retiring.
“He subsequently registered for council housing and was immediately awarded 200 points. These points increased in May and August to reflect his urgent need for accommodation and he now has the maximum points for his situation, which is above the average points needed for a two-bedroom property,” the official added.
“As there is a chronic shortage of social housing, demand far outweighs supply. It is important Mr Clay is flexible in the type of housing and the area he will consider moving to.
“We are happy to work further with Mr Clay to advise him on how he can improve his chances of securing accommodation.” |
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