Problems with local council

Subject: Problems with local council
From: Northerner
Date: 29 Nov 13 - 12:30 PM

I'm a keen performer, mostly amateur but have done some paid bookings. Have been asked to perform at a charity concert in the New Year. Very angry. The council is supposed to be repairing my vandalised drainpipes but no sign yet of that being done. They have been busy tidying my home but have made a dog's dinner of it. I had my glaucoma appointment yesterday so was late getting home to see what they were doing. There was a skip waiting for collection, supposed to be collected yesterday tea-time but it was a good job the man didn't come to collect it then. I had a look at it this morning and was horrified to find they had thrown out several hundred pounds of personal belongings. Not rubbish!!! A lot connected with my writing (I write and perform poetry)and with performing arts (folk-song, ukulele and storytelling). CDs, books, some musical instruments, educational certificates, photographs, part of my laptop, storytelling props and more. I managed to retrieve some of them from the skip but not all of them. A much-loved book of Norwegian folk-tales has been lost and so has a beater that goes with a small drum. There were items I couldn't reach. Goodness knows what else is missing. A couple of social workers came by and one of them kindly clambered into the skip and retrieved one of my storytelling books and several CDs. Now I need to find the way to lodge a formal complaint. One of the social workers was going to contact the council. I don't just want a written apology but also missimg items to be replaced. Sadly there are items of sentimental value that it will be impossible for me to replace. The whole business with the council has been happening for a month or so and has resulted in my GP having to put me on antidepressants. It's made me really ill.

Subject: RE: Problems with local council
From: GUEST,Margaret
Date: 29 Nov 13 - 12:47 PM

How on Earth did they imagine they've the right to come into your home and start "tidying" it? Surely that's trespass!

Subject: RE: Problems with local council
From: Northerner
Date: 29 Nov 13 - 12:53 PM

I had problems following on from being vandalised so yes, they were able to come in. I don't think they had a right to throw out several hundred pounds of valuable property though.

Subject: RE: Problems with local council
From: GUEST
Date: 29 Nov 13 - 05:57 PM

You should name and shame

Subject: RE: Problems with local council
From: Jack Campin
Date: 29 Nov 13 - 06:21 PM

Did you get a photo of the skip?

Subject: RE: Problems with local council
From: GUEST
Date: 29 Nov 13 - 08:55 PM

Errr.....just why is this here? Troll alert?

Subject: RE: Problems with local council
From: Jack Campin
Date: 30 Nov 13 - 04:44 AM

Northerner has been a Mudcat regular for many years and a lot of us know her personally. Having your music-related possessions treated as rubbish by the local authority seems worth discussing.

Subject: RE: Problems with local council
From: Howard Jones
Date: 30 Nov 13 - 07:50 AM

The people sent to work at your home may have misunderstood their instructions, or may simply not giving a @@@@. Or they may have received incorrect instructions - council's are large organisations, and I suspect that between a decision being made to do the work and someone being sent to carry it out it may have passed through several hands, with plenty of scope for misunderstanding or misinterpretation of what was required. No matter, what has happpened in inexcusable.

You should compile a written list of everything which is missing, and complain in writing to the person responsible for the decision to order the work, and ask what they intend to do about it. If you don't get a satisfactory response, you should escalate it to the head of the relevant department.

If you're not getting anywhere, the Council should have a formal complaints procedure. Citizens' Advice or even a solicitor (some will give you a free consultation) may be able to advise further.

Subject: RE: Problems with local council
From: Northerner
Date: 30 Nov 13 - 08:58 AM

Guest, I am not a troll. I am a keen performer, mostly amateur but with a few paid bookings (at Saltburn Folk Festival and Whitby Folk Week). Items thrown into the skip include small percussion instruments, music tutors, songbooks and music CDs - plus an assortment of storytelling-related resources. Howard, thank you for the advice. I intend listing items that are missing and I will be contacting the Citizens Advice Bureau during the week. Oh, naming and shaming - Middlesbrough Coumcil. I was able to have another foray into the skip this morning and retrieved further items - but some are still missing that I suspect are there. I now estimate that over a thousand pounds worth of my personal belongings had wrongly been thrown into the skip.

Subject: RE: Problems with local council
From: Northerner
Date: 30 Nov 13 - 09:01 AM

Jack, the coumcil has packed away my camera - in one of their black bags. I sm going to see if it is still possible to purchase a disposable camera.

Subject: RE: Problems with local council
From: Northerner
Date: 30 Nov 13 - 09:14 AM

Going onto the Internet I see that Boots stocks disposable cameras. I will go there and buy one then photograph both the skip in my drive, and the big heap of possessions (retrieved from the skip) now lying in a heap in my kitchen. Thank you for your support everyone.

Subject: RE: Problems with local council
From: pdq
Date: 30 Nov 13 - 09:40 AM

I'm not sure who said it, but "a government with the power to give you everything you want has the power to take everything you have".

Subject: RE: Problems with local council
From: GUEST,CS
Date: 30 Nov 13 - 09:42 AM

Perhaps the team, with no occupier present at the time, may have mistakenly believed they were doing a house clearance? I can't see why they would throw away perfectly good personal items otherwise. Very distressing though.

Subject: RE: Problems with local council
From: Northerner
Date: 30 Nov 13 - 09:52 AM

Thank you pdq. Guest CS, my home had been vandalised so had gone into a poor state (not my fault) but it certainly wasn't a house clearance. I feel like I have been treated as a dead person, or a non-person even. The whole affair has triggered a bad instance of stress and has put me onto medication. Thank you for your concern.

Subject: RE: Problems with local council
From: Northerner
Date: 02 Dec 13 - 06:45 AM

Update. A telephone conversation with my social worker this morning was most dispiriting - he doesn't think there is very much that I can do. A telephone call to the Citizens' Advice Bureau was more promising - they are going to put me in contact with an advocate - will have to wait a fortnight for that. I have to have belief in myself - I have filed complaints against organisations before and have a good track record of winning. Thank you all for your support.

Subject: RE: Problems with local council
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 02 Dec 13 - 07:06 AM

good onya!

keep up the good fight.

sandra

Subject: RE: Problems with local council
From: Howard Jones
Date: 02 Dec 13 - 07:15 AM

If the skip is still there and there are still items of value in it you should insist that the council sends someone round immediately to empty it and return the items to you.

The social worker should try a bit harder. The council is supposed to be helping you, instead they seem to have caused more damage and distress than the vandals. They should be taking immediate steps to rectify their error, not washing their hands of it. If you don't get a satisfactory response then think about complaining to your MP, councillor, local paper and anyone else you can think of - kick up a stink.

Subject: RE: Problems with local council
From: Northerner
Date: 02 Dec 13 - 09:54 AM

Thank you Sandra. Hope you don't have these sorts of problems in Australia!! Howard, I have removed a lot of the items of value - a few still there but I can't reach them. I have tried to phone the woman from the council but can't get her in and she doesn't seem to have an answer service. I have used a single use camera to photograph the skip itself and next will photograph some of the items retrieved from it. Will get the images put onto disk and make sure I have several copies of images - one for me, one for the council, one for the advocate and probably a set for a newspaper. I really appreciate your support!! Thank you. That social worker is about as useful as a wet tissue...

Subject: RE: Problems with local council
From: Mo the caller
Date: 03 Dec 13 - 09:50 AM

That's dreadful.
As CS said you can see that it looks as if the tidiers thought it was a clearance. And it is easy for one to think that they've made things clear when the other didn't hear, didn't listen to, or didn't mindread the full instruction. We've all done it but when it's someones home and possessions MORE CARE SHOULD have been taken.

If she hasn't got an answer-phone then email AND write AND follow the complaints procedure and give them a date to put things right. E.g tell them someone must come round to retrieve everything from the skip before it is taken and emptied, if not you will contact the local press. After that you want repayment for things lost and damaged and compensation for the hassle. If the council don't satisfy you there is the Local Gov Ombudsman.

Subject: RE: Problems with local council
From: SPB-Cooperator
Date: 03 Dec 13 - 11:03 AM

In the meantime, it may be worth contacting your local police station to see if you can get some help with getting your things out of the skip, but don't dial 999, otherwise they might get a bit peeved.

Subject: RE: Problems with local council
From: Northerner
Date: 03 Dec 13 - 11:21 AM

Thank you all. The skip is still there. The council workers are due to come tomorrow so I'll give them instructions to retrieve the remainder of the items lost in that skip. Today I have been simply relaxing. I haven't been sleeping properly for the last six weeks or so but had a better sleep last night and am functioning better for it. This carry-on has affected my health - my GP put me on pills but they are not working. I am making my health the priority.

Subject: RE: Problems with local council
From: GUEST
Date: 03 Dec 13 - 08:45 PM

101 for the police for this kind of thing. And/or your local folkies. Do so quickly, as it's going to rain Thursday and what's left in the skip could get water-damaged.
As a wider question, ask the neighbours to help. There's not that many who'll hurt you, they're just shy like you. If it hadn't been for the neighbours, what happened to Countess Richard earlier this year would have been far worse.

Subject: RE: Problems with local council
From: banjoman
Date: 04 Dec 13 - 06:01 AM

I really do hope you can get this sorted out soon. Is it worth contacting your local TV/Radio broadcaster, with a couple of photos. They always love human interest stories and often a bit of bad publicity will spark a positive reaction.
If you can, please keep us updated as progress.
Best wishes
Pete

Subject: RE: Problems with local council
From: Northerner
Date: 04 Dec 13 - 12:21 PM

Thank you all. I asked the council workers this afternoon to help me find more of my property in the skip and we found another book and another CD (which proves I was right when I said items of value had been put into it). Probably have most items of value removed from it now. Did have an argument with these people but didn't get very far with it. However I did find that I should have been given information regarding getting one of the days when they were working changed - I wasn't given the proper information. That's the sort of stuff to give my advocate... The skip has now been removed.

Subject: RE: Problems with local council
From: Northerner
Date: 06 Dec 13 - 11:24 AM

Council have repaired my vandalised drainpipe - but in doing it they made a hole in my kitchen sink. Have exchanged one sort of damage for another!!! Not acceptable!!! Council will have to repair hole, or more probably, replace my sink. Appointment with counsellor this morning went well though.

Subject: RE: Problems with local council
From: GUEST
Date: 07 Dec 13 - 10:30 AM

Be careful what you wish for!