Mother discharged from hospital day before move to Ferryhill

The family, originally living in Uxbridge in the London Borough of Hillingdon, were transported to a property in Ferryhill furnished with only “a cooker and small fridge-freezer, but no washing machine, chairs, sofa or wardrobes”.

Once moved, the family were not given the support they needed to help them apply for child benefits and ‘struggled’ with their new home.

Meanwhile, mould was also beginning to grow in the property, which is now believed to be getting fixed.

The discharge letter from the hospital dated May 29, 2024 was seen by Citizens Advice and the family’s tenancy was signed the very next day when they were moved up to Ferryhill.

The family was moved by Reloc8 UK, a company specialising in transferring families from London councils to other areas of the country.

(Image: Northern Echo) Edward Pickering, CEO of Citizens Advice County Durham, explained how the family have "struggled" to get to grips with their new home and how they have been "left to fend for themselves".

He said: "Citizens Advice County Durham is concerned about the lack of communication and support that vulnerable families are receiving, as part of their relocation from London and the South of England.

(Image: Northern Echo)"One family we are helping had to resign from their jobs in London as part of this relocation and therefore moved from being in employment to claiming Universal Credit.

"They had to spend the majority of their initial Universal Credit payments on the move and when they arrived, they found that the house only had a cooker and small fridge-freezer, but no washing machine, chairs, sofa or wardrobes.

"There appears to be no support in place for them and we also established that none of the parties involved in their move had checked if they were entitled to Child Benefit for their two children which would have given them over £2,000 a year more income.

"Having been told they had to sign a 24 month tenancy, they have struggled to get to grips with the ongoing energy supply to the house, as bills are still being produced in the previous tenant’s name, leading to further debt being inadvertently incurred.

"They appear to have been left to fend for themselves, not being able to speak English as their main language and moved to a location that they are not familiar with."

Newton Aycliffe and Spennymoor MP Alan Strickland, whose constituency includes Ferryhill, said: "This is a very worrying case.

"I’ll be trying to make contact with the family to understand the situation further and provide support."

Kelly Davies, the director of Reloc8 UK, defended the property which the family were moved into and explained the service they provide.

She said: "Reloc8 UK offer tenancy sustainment support to families that are relocated through various local authorities. I cannot comment on specific cases but all families are given the same offer of assistance and it is up to each family how much support they need or accept.

"All of the families that move are in receipt of benefits, have the right to rent in the UK and are placed via a local authority or public body.

"In relation to assistance all families are offered 24/7 remote support and have an allocated tenancy sustainment officer for face to face visits on any issues that cannot be dealt with remotely. There are regular visits that are undertaken with families and this depends on their needs and situation.

"Reloc8 UK are not a managing agent or landlord and all tenants are given the details of their relevant property manager/company. All repair issues should be reported to them as a first port of call and Reloc8 UK will only get involved in disrepair issues should the landlord/agent not act promptly.

"It should be noted that all properties are HHSRS inspected prior to tenants occupying them, so they will be up to standard at the time of moving in.

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"All properties are offered with basic furnishings to include beds and mattresses for the family, cooker and fridge/freezer at a minimum. There are some Councils that will pay for removals or offer additional furniture packages however this is dependent on families financial and current circumstances."

The Northern Echo has previously revealed how vulnerable homeless families have been moved by London councils to County Durham without notifying Durham County Council.

A spokesperson for the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government branded the process "unacceptable".

The government has previously confirmed to The Northern Echo that if families are being relocated then the council moving them is "required by law" to notify the local authority they are being sent to.

Hillingdon Council have been approached for comment.