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‘We’re not leaving’
Protesters occupying a council house in Avonmouth are threatening to block its sale by remaining on site despite a judge ordering them to leave.
44 Richmond Terrace has been occupied since April 20, with activists gaining entry six hours before it was sold at a controversial auction alongside another 14 council properties.
They claim the council has to evict them by June 2 or the sale will fall through. The council say they will be “taking action to regain possession” following the court hearing.
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Activist Steve Norman warned it “is not going to be an easy repossession”. He added: “We have contingency plans in place and are confident of remaining in the house for the foreseeable future.”
The occupiers are protesting against the system of selling off council homes in need of refurbishment. They are also campaigning for a previous occupier to be moved up the council house waiting list.
After a short hearing on Wednesday, a Bristol County Court judge sided with the council, ordering the protesters to leave so the house sale can go through.
The council said afterwards that all future sales of council homes by auction have been halted by new mayor Marvin Rees’ administration while a review into the practice, which is commonplace in many cities, is carried out.
A council spokesperson added: “A district judge at Bristol County Court ruled in favour of the council and in accordance with the order, we will be taking action to regain possession of the property.
“During the course of the occupation the illegal occupiers have raised a number of issues around the sale of council houses, and the condition of the house on Richmond Terrace, that we would like to address. The decision was made to take the property to auction following a structural report that revealed structural damage which would be uneconomic for the council to repair.
“Costs to bring the property up to the standard we aspire to for council houses were estimated in excess of £35,000, which meant the council took the decision to take the property to auction in accordance with current practice.
“The new administration has halted future sales of other council properties and are committed to reviewing current housing policy to see how we can improve our services and better support the people of Bristol moving forward.”
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