Former janitor told to leave his house

A KIRKCALDY couple claim they are being left in the dark after being told they must leave their home.

Margaret Connolly and her husband Joseph have been staying in what was the janitor’s house at Torbain Primary for more than three decades.

However, they were told in September they would have to leave their home as part of a local authority evaluation of its housing stock.

The couple claim they’ve had little contact from the council since then. Mrs Connolly, 64, said they’d been given no deadline, leaving them in limbo.

“We’ve been here for 32 years,” she said. “We were told if we couldn’t find anything else we could put ourselves on the homeless list.

“My husband retired six years ago but the council said that as long as we continue to pay rent then we could stay. It’s a terrible situation to be in.”

Mr Connolly, 66, had been janitor at the Kirkcaldy primary for 26 years and hung up his keys in 2010. The couple have continued to pay rent to the education department, which owns the property.

Service manager Louise Playford said: “There are a few former janitor’s houses within the grounds of some schools.

“We’re working to transfer these properties and with the current tenants to find alternative accommodation.

“No decisions have been taken on the future of these properties although demolition may be an option.”