Lambeth council moved family to Essex despite High Court ruling against move for another family

Lambeth council has been slammed after a family was moved to Essex, causing the mum to lose her job, despite a High Court ruling for another family in the same situation that found the way their case was handled was unlawful.

Patricia Roman, 41, has launched legal action against Lambeth council’s decision to house her and her family in Basildon after they were evicted from their private rented home in Durban Road in October last year.

The move, which came about after the family’s landlord decided to sell their home, has meant that the mum-of-three lost her job in Lambeth, and her son had to stay with a friend while he took his GSCE exams. 

The family face hours commuting to and from school each day with the youngest child, aged five.

Ms Roman said: “I had previously sent the eviction letters to Lambeth council but they did not provide housing for me until the last day before the eviction. My family were sent to Basildon.

“I did not know what to do because the home is so far away from my children’s school.

“The first day I left at 5am it was so cold and I had to take four trains and a bus to get to school from there. My children fell asleep and I had to get them up for each change.

“We had a hard time then my eldest son was in exams. I had to leave him with a friend from his school because it was too early for him to get up and I continued travelling with the little ones.

“I got depressed, the GP gave me antidepressants.  My eldest son was thin and did not want to eat at school. The little ones fell asleep at school after the first week.

“Now I am alone, struggling to see if they can change my temporary accommodation because my eldest son continues with his exams.”

Last November, the High Court found that Lambeth had acted unlawfully when they housed a different family in temporary accommodation in Essex.

That family’s daughter was also studying for her GCSEs and the court found that Lambeth had failed to take into account the effect of the Essex accommodation on her education.

Campaign group Housing Action Southwark and Lambeth (HASL) is supporting the Roman family and have protested against Lambeth’s policy.

Elizabeth Wyatt, a spokeswoman for HASL, said: “Lambeth council need to do so much better for their residents.

“This family needs a home close to school now and the council must not let this happen again. It’s even more inexcusable considering the High Court has already warned the council about this before. 

“Their careless actions have disrupted a young person’s vital exams and caused the mother to lose her employment pushing the family into destitution.”

A spokesman for Lambeth council said: “We do everything we can to find the most suitable accommodation available for homeless families, in the face of this severe shortage of affordable housing.

“However, it is sometimes not possible to find suitable, permanent accommodation within Lambeth; we therefore have to house them in temporary accommodation until a permanent home becomes available.

“We have complied with regulations and have provided this family with alternative suitable temporary accommodation in line with our placement policy.

“Households in temporary accommodation have a right of review if they feel the accommodation offered to them is unsuitable for their needs. If this resident feels this is the case, she should write to us outlining why she feels the accommodation is unsuitable and attach any evidence that she has to support her concerns, and we will investigate.”

Pictured top: HASL protesters outside Downing Street protesting against Lambeth council in October 2022 (Picture: Steve Eason)