15 May 2023
West Devon Green Party has slammed the incompetence of the Conservatives’ policies on housing that have forced their new councillor to resign his seat.
Terry Wheeler, a local mental health care worker, was elected on 4th May to represent Tavistock North. Shortly before the election he was served a no fault or section 21 eviction notice, to leave his family home of twenty years. Faced with the prospect of homelessness and unable to find affordable housing in Tavistock, Mr. Wheeler will have to move his family out of the area. The situation has caused him and his wife intolerable anxiety.
Leader of the Green Group on West Devon Council, Lynn Daniel said:
“We are so sorry to lose Terry. He would have been an excellent councillor, especially with his experience in mental health work. We are a listening party and care for the welfare of our members. Terry was put under extreme stress whilst also worrying about his responsibility to the people of Tavistock. We advised him to put his health and family first when making this difficult decision.
“The Conservatives have been in power for 13 years and totally neglected their duty, nationally and locally, to provide affordable, secure housing. They have failed to provide protection for tenants in privately rented accommodation. This leaves thousands of people each year to go through the situation Terry is now experiencing.
“Moving home is one of the most stressful of life’s challenges; to be forced out against your will is shocking. Why do the Conservatives allow no fault evictions to continue?”
No fault evictions are not allowed in Scotland or Wales and were banned in England during Covid. The Conservatives chose to reinstate them in May 2021 leading to a huge increase in the number of tenants forced to leave their homes. This has caused misery and homelessness for thousands across the country.
Mr Wheeler is one of the victims of this toxic housing system. Local authorities have a responsibility to bear the cost and time needed to find scarce accommodation for the most vulnerable homeless. People like Mr Wheeler are left to fend for themselves in an unaffordable private housing market with few options and little security.
Prestigious new private sector developments have been built in places like Broadleigh Park and The Tors, which are beyond the financial means of most local people. Meanwhile, plans for social or affordable housing are slow and insufficient to meet local need.
Ms Daniel added: “Terry has become a victim of Conservative Party failures, and we wish him all speed in finding a suitable home for his family”.
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