A council tenant who has several complaints outstanding against Brighton and Hove City Council was shocked to receive a letter telling hm that his access to officials had been restricted.
The tenant has already been vindicated twice by the housing ombudsman who, earlier this year, increased the sum that the council must pay him in compensation.
The token award that the council must pay Craven Vale resident Lee Catt was increased to £1,350 after a series of failures to deal with anti-social behaviour, clean his block of flats and make appropriate adjustments.
Mr Catt, a tenant rep, currently has 10 more complaints against the council waiting for adjudication by the housing ombudsman and the Information Commissioner’s Office.
And a neighbour, who has asked not to be named because they work for the council, has been suspended from their job and fears that they have been targeted because of their complaints as a tenant.
The issues have included human faeces and urine repeatedly left on a balcony at the block of flats, a nightmare neighbour and personal details being shared with another neighbour.
Another resident, Craven Vale Residents’ Association secretary Alan Cooke, has complained to the council’s chief executive Jess Gibbons and council leader Bella Sankey about the treatment of Mr Catt and another neighbour.
Last month, Mr Catt and one of his neighbours, who has made similar complaints, received a letter from the council requiring them to communicate through a dedicated email address.
The letter, from the council’s director of governance and law Elizabeth Culbert, said that the “frequency, volume and tone” of the correspondence had upset some officials and was a disproportionate use of council resources.
The letter said: “As part of the review, the council has considered whether at this time there are any outstanding matters which amount to new issues which merit a fresh investigation.
“The conclusion is that there are no outstanding matters which require further investigation.
“For these reasons, the conclusion has been reached that the council needs to manage your communications to protect the health and safety of our staff and to make best use of council resources.
“Any communications with the council from you, or made on your behalf, about complaints relating to issues raised before the date of this letter will not be the subject of any further investigation or correspondence by the council.”
Mr Catt was shocked at the response because every complaint raised has been upheld by the ombudsman and regulator because, he said, the council was still not following its own policies and procedures.
For example, a subject access request submitted by Mr Catt showed a housing official asking to “push back” against a request for regular updates on an anti-social behaviour problem.
The problem involved a neighbour leaving human faeces and urine on the balcony of their home – and Mr Catt asked to have fortnightly contact with the council because of the health risks.
One of his ward councillors, Labour councillor Tristram Burden, who represents Queen’s Park, told the housing department that Mr Catt’s request was “very reasonable”.
Councillor Burden said in an email that was also disclosed: “Leaving the urine or whatever other substance you believe it might be without ordering its swift removal as a matter of urgency is unacceptable.
“I understand services are under constant pressure and that resources are stretched but please follow up with the resident to both reinforce the message that they must not throw urine on their balcony or will face eviction (and) clean up the mess as a matter of urgent public health and hygiene.
“Informing Mr Catt that it can wait until next week or longer is extraordinarily insensitive to the stress this matter is causing him.”
Mr Catt is frustrated that the council appears to be ignoring the ombudman’s findings and continuing to discriminate against him.
He said: “I feel the whole situation is ridiculous that even senior management can’t see the wrongdoing of the organisation and put things right which are their policy.
“They’re willing to spend taxpayers’ money covering up wrongdoing. Even senior management are aware because they’ve been copied in.
“Talking to some officers, I’ve heard from them how the council will go into ‘protectionist mode’. it is shocking how the council will focus on protecting itself rather than do what’s right and follow its own policies.
“This is costing taxpayers’ money when all they needed to do was say: ‘Sorry, we got it wrong.’”
Labour councillor Gill Williams, the council’s cabinet member for housing and new homes, said: “We have previously acknowledged the housing ombudsman’s findings in relation to Mr Catt’s complaints and can confirm we have acted on all the orders made.
“We will also co-operate fully with any investigation that the housing ombudsman, or any other regulatory body, chooses to undertake. At present, there are no such requests with the council relating to this matter.
“While we would not go into specific detail relating to an individual resident’s circumstances, what the letter to Mr Catt makes very clear is that we will continue to look into any new matters brought to us by Mr Catt or, indeed, any other local resident.
“The letter simply explains we will not re-investigate complaints which have already been investigated and responded to.”
“The blob” bites back..
Typical Labour bullyboy tactics. Silence residents rather than address their valid concerns about poor and inadequate services. Even when such complaints have been validated by the Housing Ombudsman ffs. Where is Council Leader Sankey’s ‘a fairer society for all’ demonstrated in this situation?
Is this case why Cllr Gill Williams is stepping down as Deputy Leader of Council/Head of Housing? Is this the mountain she has lost on?
As for the ‘health and safety’ of staff, it they were doing their jobs properly. Or being allowed to do their jobs properly there wouldn’t be a risk to their stress levels and there would be happy tenants thanking them. As public servants all their names and email addresses should be in the public domain. They should not have a right to hide.
If he’s able to put in all these complaints, and act as a rep for tennants surely he could get a job and his own property and stop being a drain on our tax and public services.
I would inform you that your opinion is a good 20 years out of date Mr Hunter. I know many people who work full-time who cannot afford their own property nowadays and are in dire need of social housing. I even know of self-employed full time builders living in vans. If the council had any sense perhaps they’d offer Mr Catt a job, as he clearly knows more than they do about looking after buildings and tenants, so why bother trying to gaslight and censor such an individual rather than welcoming his knowledge and utilising his talents in a productive way which potentially benefits everyone resident in social housing?
The council don’t offer jobs, but he could easily apply for one. As it sounds like he could be contributing to society rather than taking from it, and maybe not blocking a social property he doesn’t need and which is in such demand
He is contributing to society by speaking up for fellow tenants. This is something he does in his spare time, just as many of us volunteer to help others in our spare time, rather than ignorantly snipe from behind a screen. The Council’s behaviour has been so bad, the Ombudsman has twice found in his favour. A Ward Councillor describes reasonable requests. It sounds very much like the Council and its staff have been unreasonable in their dealings with this tenant rep. When someone was marauding around the estate with weapons, the Council hardly covered itself in glory and this looks like a continuation of the same contemptuous attitude towards tenants and their reps.
Mr Catt is very much contribute to society by holding the council to account. This is needed as evident in the article and the fact that the ombudsman has award twice in Mr Catts favour.
Mr Catts action has great benefits for all residents not just social housing residents and is to be commended, as is tireless work for his community
I am unsure where you are getting your information that forms your opinions, you are being sorely mislead. To use out of date tropes and call for Mr Catt to lose his home because he has spoken out is aberrant.
Who are you to say Mr Catt doesn’t need his home? Or should lose it/doesn’t deserve it because he has spoken out? There are literally thousands of people working full-time who cannot afford their own home in this country today. Mr Catt is far from alone. Clearly you are one of the lucky ones if this does not apply to you.