CORNWALL HOMECHOICE DRINKING DEN.

Blog entered 21 July 2014

      CORNWALL HOMECHOICE DRINKING DEN.

The following is an up-date on the Homechoice Drinking Den. Cornwall Council is fully aware of my information and the CEO and Board members of Sanctuary Housing are kept fully informed via a weekly email.

During the evening of Friday 18 July 2014 two police cars were seen parked in Grove Road near the Timber Close Flats. Two Officers visited the much visited Homechoice Drinking Den, a flat, and one of the Officers was seen to be carrying a crow bar he had taken from one of the cars. After a discussion at a nearby flat the officers were seen running up Grove Road and one Officer later returned the crow bar to the car. An ambulance was also seen going up Grove Road. The amount of time the police cars were parked in Grove Road was in excess of two hours.

Due to fencing still being down in the flats communal area since the beginning of the year a group of kids had gathered to watch the spectacle through the exposed gap in the fencing.

The following evening a police van and a police car were seen parked in Grove Road near the Timber Close flats and five Officers attended. The Homechoice Drinking Den was again visited and individuals were removed.

On both evenings representatives of the local Neighbourhood Watch were in attendance in Grove Road.

A number of problem flats at Timber Close have been visited by the police in recent years and the most police cars observed at any one time was five. Only the other week two police cars, an ambulance and a fire engine were observed in the flats car park in response to fireworks being thrown into another flat and which was one of two separate attacks.

The big question for me, as a long term resident, is why the Timber Close flats have seemingly become a toxic waste dump in recent years and who is responsible for it.

As part of my “Cream Teas and Homechoice” expose, the next scandal to hit Cornwall since Cornwall County Council officially became a unitary authority on April Fool’s Day 2009, my personal research identifies Cornwall Council and my Landlord Sanctuary Housing as being the guilty partners for unlawfully creating this anti-social community.

Before the Homechoice Drinking Den became what it is today it was advertised through Cornwall Homechoice as Property Ref : 6690 between 11/02/2012 and 15/02/2012. Although there are only 16 flats at Timber Close I could not identify which 1st floor flat it was so I emailed the Council the day before bidding closed in an attempt to find out.

My quest was not helped by the fact the advertisement picture misleadingly showed a “Front view” of houses in Timber Close. Within hours of sending the email a couple of people turned up at Timber Close and spent half a day or more emptying a flat which was later identified as the advertised : 6690.

The Council’s ‘Recent Lets’ information appeared on it’s website on 21 March 2012 which indicated it went to someone in Band A, that a Preference/Eligibilities applied (though no Preference/Eligibility appeared in the advertisement) and that the property attracted 121 bids.

The thing to consider here is that while bids were being placed on this property, which was open to all Bands, the property was fully furnished. That the property was ‘ringfenced’ for someone who had little in the way of furniture and that 120 Homechoice bidders were willfuly misled and deceived by Cornwall Council and Sanctuary Housing.

For those who think it was a thoughtful thing for the Council and my Landlord to do I would only say NOT when you willfuly and unlawfully mislead and deceive others to do it.

The new tenant, accompanied by a Social Worker or Care Worker, took over the flat on 19 March 2012. The reason for the delay between the close of bidding and the new tenant taking over the flat was because Sanctuary had to prepare the flat for the new tenant. Something which would normally have been done before the property was advertised to avoid loss of income.

A brief summary of some other Timber Close Homechoice flats and properties is as follows :

One Homechoice flat was kept empty for some 6 months, throughout the entire winter period, until the present resident took it over.

Another flat was advertised through Homechoice and was awarded to a young woman out of care who had no need of the specially adapted bathroom which was not mentioned in the advertisement and which would have benefitted a disabled applicant (discrimination). An advertisement which contained other misleading information.

Another Homechoice flat which was awarded to a friend of the young woman within months and who was herself also out of care.

A recent Homechoice flat which attracted 160 bids but which then remained empty for in excess of 4 months.

A recent house which has been let but which excluded Homechoice applicants bidding for it and has resulted in Cornwall Council breaking it’s own complaints procedure in not answering my formal complaint about the Letting within the specified timescale.

My Landlord has also failed to explain why his property was not offered through Homechoice.

Interestingly Andrew Kerr, CEO of Cornwall Council, ‘Favourited’ one of my Tweets on Twitter on 14 July 2014. I refer to (Minute Blog. “Cream Teas And Homechoice”. Another Cornish Public Scandal. Further Evidence Accepted. bit.ly/!qV4Ign) Cornwall Homechoice, as easy as A.B.C. Abused, Broken and Corrupted.

Whilst I appreciate people with a drink, drugs and homeless problem are themselves vulnerable and in need of help, my grievance is that Cornwall Council and my Landlord have covertly and unlawfully placed so many problems within such a small community of mostly vulnerable residents anyway. Three single female residents live in very close proximity to the Homechoice Drinking Den.

So where is my Landlord when he should be dealing with his reponsibilities ? In Devon knowing the police will manage his affairs in Cornwall.

So what has the Council done about these problems since I began complaining about them ? Blamed my Landlord while also protecting my Landlord.

So what has the Local Government Ombudsman done to protect the public in all this ? Perversely nothing other than to lie, cheat and disregard critical evidence to protect only Cornwall Council, Sanctuary Housing and others.