Grace L and Merlin Betts
On 12 February Lucie Lambourne’s mother was murdered in their family home in Bexhill. The man arrested for the crime has pleaded not guilty and awaits trial in August. But as the results of this tragedy continue to unfold, Southern Housing wants to take Lucie’s family home, and sell it off.
Following the launch of a petition, Lucie, her family, neighbours and friends, held a protest at the property and are calling for Southern Housing to show some compassion and let her stay.
Rita Lambourne was a beloved mother and member of the community and Lucie lived with her mum until just two weeks before Rita’s passing, when she and her partner moved into their own flat to have more space to raise their three children.
A Southern Housing spokesperson claimed that the housing association is free to treat this as a simple tenancy matter and totally ignore the real circumstances of the situation: “In this case, none of Ms Lambourne’s adult children were residents of the property, and as such, there is no legal right to succession. Additionally, Ms Lambourne’s daughter already has a home with us and holds a tenancy at another Southern Housing property in the area, so is not in housing need.”
In her petition, Lucie explains: “Our family home in Bexhill has been at the heart of our lives for the past 23 years. It was where my siblings and I grew up, surrounded by love, community, and memories that we cherish deeply. My mother, who was tragically taken from us on the 12 February, had lived in Bexhill for 58 years and was a beloved member of this community.
“Now, as we are grieving her loss, Southern Housing is refusing our right to succeed her tenancy. Despite the years spent in this home, filled with our family’s history and our connection to Bexhill, they are prepared to take away the very foundation of our lives.”
But Southern Housing managers refuse to discuss this with Lucie in person, or listen to her explain her emotional connection to the house after losing her mum in such violent circumstances – they have only issued a dismissive statement to the press.
Housing Rebellion and Hastings Area Southern Housing Tenants Association (HASHTA) joined the protest on 13 May to offer support, as Southern Housing attempts to create division and portray Lucie as trying to push out homeless families.
A Southern Housing’s spokesperson said, “The property is part of our social housing stock and exists to provide secure and affordable homes for those who need them most. At present, there are nearly 1,400 individuals and families on the housing waiting list in the Rother district. Many of these are living in unsuitable or temporary accommodation, waiting for the chance to build a stable future.”
But Lucie, her partner and children will be occupying a family-sized property with Southern, regardless of whether it’s her mother’s house or the tenancy they only recently moved onto. In other words, there will be no change in the housing supply. There is no real reason why she shouldn’t move back into her family’s home – the change would amount to a minor bureaucratic inconvenience for Southern, a small price to pay surely? Especially given the emotional hardship Lucie and her family are continuing to endure.
But dig a little deeper and you discover that the real agenda of Southern Housing is not to offer this home to another family on the waiting list – they intend to sell it. The house is a semi-detatched property and Southern sold the house it is attached to as soon as the last tenant moved out. They wouldn’t deny that was what they would do with Lucie’s house when asked by the BBC. Both houses have had serious damp and disrepair issues – but of course the one that was sold off to a developer was repaired and is now rented out for a high market rate, while Lucie’s mum was ignored for years when she complained about the problems.
Southern have been conducting a widespread programme of selling similar poorly maintained properties (eg Beaconsfield Road, Baldslow Road) onto the private market. Social housing rent at a social rent level is an increasingly rare thing across the country and every house being sold reduces that stock further. Hastings Council has purchased a few from Southern Housing, but many are sold onto the private market. Southern Housing claims that this will raise funds for them to build new houses, but new houses take time and land to build, and are rarely rented at truly affordable social rents. Many new builds are in fact shared ownership properties which are for private sale rather than affordable rent. And how much of the money they raise actually ends up just funding executive salaries and company cars?
It is entirely dishonest then for a Southern Housing spokesperson to claim that refusing Lucie’s request to swap into her family home is somehow for the greater good: “We don’t take these decisions lightly; however, we’ve a responsibility to ensure social housing is used as intended; to support those in our community facing the most urgent need.” Auctioning it off to a developer is not using social housing ‘as intended’!
Perhaps it’s best to let Lucie conclude:
“We are fighting for our home – a place that has been a constant source of warmth and security in our lives. The loss of my mother is heart-wrenching, and the added threat of losing our family home amplifies this grief indescribably. It feels as if the tangible connection to her, through the walls that echoed her laughter, is slipping away from us.”
She continues, “The community of Bexhill has been a pillar of support throughout our lives, and it is this sense of community that gives us hope. We call upon the people of Bexhill, our neighbours, friends, and anyone who believes in fairness, to stand with us.”
Sign Lucie’s petition: https://www.change.org/p/help-us-reclaim-our-family-home-in-bexhill