A Manchester couple thought they had no option but to "volunteer" to move out of the house they had lived in for 40 years. The council offered them just £10,000 for their home and they were forced to borrow money from the council to find a new place to live.
However no deal had been done with developers and the council was forced to ditch demolition plans. Instead they renovated the properties and started selling the newly renovated properties at prices from £78,000.
The couple aged 74 and 76 had volunteered to sell under threat that they would get less from a compulsory purchase order. They then had to borrow £35,000 to buy a new home. They were horrified to later find out that their old home had been renovated and they were not entitled to move back into their old community.
As if this story wasn't full of irony it is perhaps mosty appropriate that the MP for the area is Hazel Blears, the Communities Secretary, now in charge of the mis-guided pathfinder process.
The situation is much the same in Gateshead where 440 homes are under threat and no developer has been appointed. People are being persuaded to volunteer their homes for sale at a time when homelessness in Gateshead is at record levels and the market is rising. Renovation is by far the cheapest option which will help the largest number of people but the council is obsessed by millionaire private sector developers.
Link
Manchester Evening News
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