|
|
 |
| |
Rosalyn Black |
JUDGE ORDERS EVICTION BE OVERTURNED
Banks are bailed out, but mother and daughter evicted over £2k
A JUDGE has ordered a housing association to allow a Holloway voluntary worker to return to her flat after she was evicted over £2,000 arrears.
Amid fears of a “credit crunch effect” Rosalyn Black, 41, was evicted from the two-bedroom flat she shares with her daughter, Aleisha, 19, in Grenville Road two weeks ago.
They had gone out and returned to find the locks changed and all their possessions taken away by bailiffs.
As Ms Black struggled to get the contents of her home back yesterday (Thursday) Islington North MP Jeremy Corbyn attacked landlords Circle 33.
“It is heavyhanded treatment of a good member of the community,” he said. “When banks default on millions we, the taxpayers, bail them out. When Rosalyn Black goes into arrears she’s thrown out of her home.”
Housing campaigners branded the eviction an “outrageous over-reaction” to the credit crunch.
Ms Black, who suffers from stress and depression, works voluntarily for Timbuktu Adventure Playground. She says she offered to pay half of the outstanding rent immediately, and the rest over a period of time. But she claims the decision to evict her had already been taken. It was overturned on Wednesday by a judge at the Mayor and City of London county court, who ordered Circle 33 to immediately return the property and all of Ms Black’s possessions.
But Ms Black is not out of the woods just yet.
A further court hearing will be heard next month where both sides will put their case.
She has been forced to stay with friends without access to any of her personal items, which were all put in storage.
Mr Corbyn is now demanding to know from Circle 33 how the rent arrears had been allowed to develop and why the housing association took such an extreme measure over a relatively small amount of money.
He said: “It’s absolutely loopy. This is a good person who does a lot of work in the community.
“I understand she offered to pay £1,000 towards her arrears and then pay off the rest over a longer period.
“That seems fair enough to me. I’ve put that to Circle 33. I think she’s been badly treated. I’m very disappointed with the housing association.”
Mr Corbyn said that Ms Black had been through lots of “problems and disappointments” in her life.
He added: “But she’s a great community person. She even helped out on Sunday with food at the Open Day for Timbuktu.
“She’s someone who needs help, not this kind of heavy-handed treatment.
“I’m asking Circle 33 to review their procedures.”
Ms Black said that she believed she got into arrears due to a mix-up over benefits.
“I assumed Islington’s housing department were paying the rent,” she added. “I had no idea it was mounting up like that.
“But I’ve lived at the flat for 18 years and normally pay on time.
“You would have thought that they would have at least given me time to pay.”
Tollington ward Labour councillor Richard Watts said that housing associations are answerable to the Housing Corporation.
“Circle 33 should be working with people to see that they don’t get into arrears not throw them into the street,” he said.
“These are very difficult economic conditions for everyone and the government has suggested that homes should only be taken away after every other possible solution has been examined.”
A spokeswoman for Circle Anglia (the parent body of Circle 33) said last night: “We have followed due legal process through the courts in order to evict for rent arrears.
“Following further representations, the court has decided to temporarily reverse the order pending the outcome of the adjourned hearing.
“We have already arranged for the return of Ms Black’s possessions before 9am on Friday.” |
 |
|
|
| |
| |
| |
|
|
|
