Council tenancy to review
More challenge for me to look at for all women as my council tenancy comes into review. I have been quietly getting on with my life in this New Year, coping with the craziness we have all found ourselves in as we entered 2020 to world politics disarray to national disarray and unknowing our fate to climate change challenges of floods. I have been nurturing myself now able with state pension paid weekly. I pay my council rent for the council OAP studio bungalow, council tax, E.ON, Talk talk and TV licence. Apparently do not qualify for Pension credit and now expected to pay more for my council rent. I am getting into a routine though we as a Granny Revolution are after the robbed State Pension due to our birth in the 1950s! We will not stop till our brass is in our pockets as we paid in half century tax and NI. I am coping with the changes to being an OAP entering my most vulnerable years, not the woman of financial substance I should have been and could have been if I had not had to suffer DV and lost assets.
The older age group brings its arthritic knees for me and the most bizarre changes in the way folk talk to you.. I am fascinated by the question that keeps rearing of can I work a computer! to which I reply it was our generation that invented it.. But I have to admit I did not master Basic or Fortran programming!! Why do people think grey hair and arthritic knees means lost intelligence and personality and fail to appreciate all your life experiences!
So here is the issue I am bringing to the blog today that is bothering me not only for me but for all women DV survivors and for those of us that are in the transition to OAP. It has come to light that I am in a fixed term tenancy not a life long tenancy.
I had thought that as I was in an OAP bungalow I would be here till I pegged it or heaven forbid needed nursing home care! I find this unsettling. I had a visit from a kindly housing officer this week to review my tenancy. We talked outside her role shared our spirituality and was discussing how we need in the London Borough of Hillingdon to review our platform of support for DV survivors and the elderly. We also need to recognise the support 1950s women need as they find a 6 yrs of State Pension taken from them. Some without savings due life circumstances, some been out of earning as caring for older parents. Some eroding savings due to lack of State Pension now when they need it. We need compassion in our politics, we need compassion in our society for without compassion there is no society!
I also was concerned that there was a request to see my bank statements even though I had presented my letter from the DWP Pensions to confirm I am now in receipt of my state pension and the weekly amount I receive. I declined the viewing of my bank statement under Human Rights Act 1998 Article 8 the right to privacy. i felt this was intrusive and invasive given that the council already know my circumstances and that I am now officially an OAP. I was told that I would receive a letter to terminate my fixed term contract for this OAP bungalow and not to get upset as there would be another letter to offer renewed tenancy at my present address or elsewhere. I have chatted with a neighbour who is in her seventies and she is baffled why I am having all this hassle. She has always been a council tenant and when old age struck got her OAP bungalow and is hers is a secure tenancy for her life.
So now I am looking why and what is the criteria for me to be on a fixed tenancy.. I am looking at the Shelter site as today woke feeling unsettled and could cry as... why ...it feels like I am being victimised and this should not be the case I should feel love cared for respected and especially given my DV survivorship history and being a victim. So if you follow the link to Shelter states that for fixed term contract there should be an offer of renewed fixed term or secured tenancy. There are points made on eviction if anti social behaviour or not paying rent or in arrears... Well I do have alleged arrears but as I have pointed out in this blog and to the APPG Poverty arrears occur not from failure to pay but when the system fails to support a person on JSA; ESA;
I have had drops in support that led to me nearly dying with poverty induced pneumonia and another from work capability assessment then the transition from ESA to State Pension! WE NEED TO REVIEW THE DWP as the system is failing citizens in need.. the citizen suffers the effects of said arrears, debts, threats of eviction when it was not their fault but the system malpolicies failing them. I have to get women's voices heard - please learn from my case sharing. My voice is being heard but we still need action to change for the better.
I have been to a conference in Oxford on Compassion in Politics and we seriously need to change the way we govern and care for our citizens not only nationally but globally. Time for Change! and yes #bekind to one another and our communities.
I hope you enjoyed my flowers from my garden and my cats Lulu & Pengu. Lulu has had to have vet treatment for a skin allergy so had to pay out vet fees. I need to go to my bank as my account does not facilitate direct debits so I need to get an additional account that does as I need to set up Pet Cover and also I need to sort out my Funeral cover too - I must be realistic as now I am biologically wending my way to the final call... Like a growing concern that some cannot afford funeral cost would have to rely on a public health burial. I am sharing this out of practicality not being morbid... but I will share another garden photo to raise the mood again hhh One of my fuschia plants - As a TV gardener Jeffery Smith would say the Peacock of all flowers..
