While out canvassing today in the Gospel Oak by-election on the Dunboyne Road Estate the TUSC team were approached by a local resident. They wanted me to see the disgraceful treatment of their neighbour by a private contractor and Camden Council.
They brought me to the house of Krishan and Vajenti Ghai, a retired couple. They took me to the kitchen where I was greeted by a scene of total chaos. All of the fittings, including the pipes had been demolished. All that remained of the kitchen was a puddle of water from the water mains that constantly threatened to bubble over.
This scene was shocking enough but the Ghai’s then informed me that the kitchen had been in this state since 25th February! Since then the couple have had no running water or heating.
What was the cause of this mess? Ironically, as part of repair work undertaken as part of the ‘Better Homes’ scheme run by Camden council. The works are run by the construction company’s Lakehouse Ltd and Keepmoat. Keepmoat were previously known as Apollo and have a notoriously bad reputation amongst council tenants for incompetence and general rudeness. The council page covering ‘Better Homes’ is littered with complaints regarding the performance of Apollo/Keepmoat.
After demolishing their kitchen on the 25th Apollo/Keepmoat have failed to take any action to restore the Ghai’s home to normality. When the Ghai’s neighbours complained Apollo/Keepmoat blamed Camden Council. When similar complaints were sent to Camden Council they blamed Apollo/Keepmoat.
Commenting on the situation in Dunboyne Road, TUSC by-election candidate John Reid said:
“The situation facing the Ghai’s is a perfect example of the devastating effect cuts and privatisations of council services have on the lives of ordinary people. After waiting almost 40 years for improvements to their homes, Camden tenants are faced with incompetence from a greedy contractor more interested in cutting corners and boosting profits than improving the homes of Camden tenants.
“I am standing as part of the Trade Union and Socialist Coalition in order to defend and improve public services. If elected I will campaign to ensure that council services like ‘Better Homes’ are taken back under full control by Camden council. In that way incompetent contractors like Apollo can no longer line their pockets with Council funds while delivering a woeful service for tenants. Equally Camden Council would no longer be able to fob off residents by blaming an unaccountable private contractor. Councillors continued careers would depend on delivering decent public services for all Camden’s residents”
TUSC 4 Gospel Oak 
If this is really what the council’s contractors did, the tenants may well have a case for what’s called “constructive unlawful eviction”. If a landlord or people employed by him damage a residential property or cut off the services to such an extent that they must reasonably know that the tenants couldn’t realistically continue living there and are likely to leave, this is an unlawful eviction, just as much as if the landlord had directly threatened them to get them to leave. This is something for which the tenants can sue for compensation, for breach of their right to peaceful enjoyment of their home at the very least. Find a housing law solicitor or advice centre that still has a legal aid contract to help the tenants get their home reinstated. Nothing concentrates a local authority’s mind so fast as the threat of litigation (I should know.)
Thanks for that advice Carol. We’ll pass that on to the Ghai’s.