Halton homes ‘most at risk from the bailiffs’
FIGURES from a housing charity have shown that Halton has topped a list for rented households under threat of eviction.
Shelter has published analysis of statistics from the Ministry Of Justice and discovered that more than 19,000 renting households in the North West were put at risk of losing their home in the past year.
In Halton, 569 renting households were at risk of a visit from the bailiffs, which equated to one in 34 homes, the highest in the North West.
A charity spokesman said that Shelter identified ‘home threat hotspots’ which Halton topped, followed by Bolton and Tameside.
The spokesman said that renters facing the risk of losing their home was a result of the chronic shortage of affordable homes combined with ‘crippling’ welfare cuts.
John Ryan, service manager at Shelter’s Manchester Advice Hub, said: “Every day at Shelter we hear from people who are struggling to keep up with their rent, many in total desperation after the court papers land on their doormat and the threat of being evicted becomes very real.
“It’s natural to feel overwhelmed, but remember you’re not alone – Shelter is here 365 days a year.
“So if you’re struggling to keep up, or facing eviction and not sure what to do next, get expert advice as soon as possible.
“It can be the difference between losing your home and keeping it.”
The Shelter spokesman added that the volume of people facing eviction who are coming to Shelter for advice in England was getting ‘higher and higher’.
Over the past year, the spokesman said that more than 9,800 people facing eviction called the Shelter helpline for advice and more than 500,000 people visited the charity’s eviction advice pages online.
For more information call 0808 800 4444 or visit www.shelter.org.uk/advice