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A council has told a mother-of-three she will have to move 250 miles from Cornwall to Wales to get accommodation and should treat the trip ‘as a holiday’ due to the local housing shortage.
Rae Layton, 43, was handed a shock eviction notice by her private landlord on April 22 and was told she has until mid-July to find somewhere else to live despite living in the property the last 15 years.
She signed up to Cornwall Council’s Homechoice but due to increasing rent and the unprecedented interest in properties in the area, Ms Layton has been told she might have to move from the village of Ponsanooth to Cardiff.
A housing officer for Cornwall council allegedly told Ms Layton that she should look at the move to Wales as a ‘holiday’ despite having to leave family and friends behind.
Rae Layton, 43, (Pictured with her three children) was handed a shock eviction notice by her private landlord on April 22 and was told she has until mid-July to find somewhere else to live despite living in the property the last 15 years
A housing officer for the council allegedly told Ms Layton that she should look at the move to Wales as a ‘holiday’ despite having to leave family and friends behind. Pictured: Ms Layton’s three children
Cornwall is one of the most sought-after destinations for city dwellers looking for second homes in other parts of the country
She said: ‘The council worker told me that my kids can look at it as a holiday.
‘She didn’t mean anything bad by it but it’s just a horrible situation to be in.
‘On the 22nd April I got an email saying she wanted us out. I get it, I get all of it.
‘People should be able to go fair enough and get another rental property. But people are demanding increasing rental prices.’
The ongoing housing crisis comes as Cornwall Council said there is ‘an imbalance in supply and demand’ that the county has never seen before.
St Ives MP Derek Thomas said in December last year that around 100 families compete for every available three-bedroom home in parts of Cornwall.
Covid lockdowns and the rise of flexible working saw a surge of Londoners spending a record £54.9bn on properties outside the city last year – the highest value on record by far.
However, the rush for second homes has brought misery to residents of the most popular towns, with soaring house values pricing young people out of the housing market.
Cornwall Council said there is ‘an imbalance in supply and demand’ that the county has never seen before. Pictured: Ponsanooth village in Cornwall where Ms Layton lives with her three children
Cornwall council have advised Ms Layton that she could have to move as far as Cardiff (pictured) for emergency accommodation if she does not find anything by July
Cornwall is one of the most sought-after destinations for city dwellers looking for second homes in other parts of the country.
The housing problem in Cornwall was accelerated during the pandemic when ‘staycations’ boomed. Increased demand for second homes in the beach town drove up prices even further – with the cost of rent nearing that seen in London.
Homechoice, Cornwall’s social housing waiting list, is currently inundated with families in need, with currently 15,000 families on it as of September 2021.
Cornwall council have advised Ms Layton that she could have to move as far as Cardiff for emergency accommodation if she does not find anything by July.
She said: ‘My son has been in that house since he was born. I moved from pillar to post when I was growing up and I hated it.
‘They’ve all got friends. My best friend lives two days away from me, every evening we see each other.
‘There’s such a big support network that I’m gonna miss. All the parents watch everyone’s kids.
‘At the minute, I have to send off all my paperwork. There aren’t any properties.
‘They want to put me in emergency accommodation, my friends been in one for six months. She’s been pushed here there and everywhere.
Homechoice, Cornwall’s social housing waiting list, is currently inundated with families in need, with currently 15,000 families on it as of September 2021. Pictured: Ms Layton with her daughter
‘I think when she told me I kind of thought ‘no’. I just laid there at night, thinking what would I do.
‘The kids wouldn’t be able to go to school as they wouldn’t have an address.’
Ms Layton added: ‘All my friends live on my road. It’s the government that are doing it, they need to change it.’
A Cornwall Council spokesperson said: ‘Our priority is to keep people safe, and we are working hard to find suitable emergency accommodation for all those who need it.
‘We sympathise with the position that some residents are finding themselves in as Cornwall continues to face extreme pressure on the availability of housing.
‘We do everything possible to keep residents within their own communities.
‘The Council has established emergency accommodation and is buying and refurbishing homes to provide medium-term temporary accommodation, but the current unprecedented demand does mean that we are having to use emergency accommodation hotels.
‘In a very small number of instances, we may have to offer accommodation outside Cornwall in the short term and as a last resort.
‘We seek to move people back as soon as we can Cornwall and continue to offer support to help them find long-term homes.’
Source: Daily Mail
