WE’RE LIVING A NIGHTMARE
Couple sleep in living room for four years
A pregnant Rutherglen mum – who has been forced to sleep in her living room for four years – is begging the council to show compassion, and move her soonto-be family of six into a more spacious home.
Lauren Williamson, 27, and husband Lee, 31, are terrified at the prospect of their unborn baby arriving in May with the family still crammed into their twobed council flat in Fernhill.
The couple and three kids have to eat their meals on the living room floor beside their intrusive double bed.
Passers-by regularly stare into the living room where they sleep and dress, making them feel like exhibits in a human zoo.
Now Lee and Lauren fear they will still be shoehorned into the inadequate Ryan Way property when their baby girl is born – making conditions even harder to bear.
The Williamsons say that they are at their wits’ end after repeated requests to South Lanarkshire Council to be re-homed fell on deaf ears.
A pregnant Rutherglen mum who has been forced to sleep in the living room of her overcrowded council flat for four years is terrified her family of five will still be shoe-horned into the property when her baby arrives in May.
Lauren Williamson, 27 and husband Lee, 31, are pleading with South Lanarkshire Council to show compassion by moving their young family from the cramped two-bedroom flat in Fernhill to a more spacious home.
Lee says he’s at his wits’ end after repeated requests to the local authority to be moved from the flat in Ryan Way fell on deaf ears.
When the family moved in five years ago, Lee says the property was adequate for him, Lauren, his daughter Madison and their daughter Grace.
And when their son Ryley came along, he slept in a cot in his parents’ bedroom, while the girls shared the second bedroom.
As the children grew, however, the couple say that in 2016 they had no alternative but to give up their room and sleep on a bed settee in the living room before replacing it with a double bed two years later.
Lee and Lauren are terrified that they will still be stuck in the three-apartment flat when their baby girl is born, making conditions even harder to bear for what will soon be a family of six.
“The thought of still being in this situation and trying to re-jig rooms around would crumple us,” Lee told the Reformer.
“We are already on a downward spiral. That would make us hit rock bottom.
“My wife has been diagnosed with depression and I have an appointment next week with the mental health team.
“We try our best to keep a positive mind because we have children, but some times can be worse than others. You try and keep your head above it, but it’s hard.”
Wife Lauren admits the sleeping arrangements mean they have little privacy and at times feel like they are living in a zoo.
“With the living room being downstairs, people walk by the window all the time and they stare in when they are passing, and that is a bit uncomfortable,” she explained.
“When you get out the shower, we do not have our own space to go and get changed. Also, the kids are running about the living room playing.
“At mealtimes, we have to sit on the floor and the kids have started to sit on our bed to eat and we are having to sleep there.”
Rutherglen South councillor Carol Nugent confirmed she has written on the family’s behalf to the council’s allocations team.
She told the Reformer: “I know the family’s situation and totally empathise with them.”
Lee says his housing officer, Colin Laird, has done his best to resolve the issue.
“He has been amazing and has tried putting us down every avenue.
“But when it goes out of his hands to the allocations people, he no longer has a say in what happens,” he continued.
“I’ve been told they can’t get a housing inspector out until well into the New Year, because they are that busy.
“Every attempt is falling on deaf ears. South Lanarkshire Council do not help their tenants the way they say they do. We are at our wits’ end.”
Lee, who started a new job with a vehicle recovery firm last month, says Lauren had to quit her college nursing studies due to the pressure of their living conditions.
Now, on top of the cramped conditions, damp patches have appeared in the bathroom and on the skirting boards in the living room.
“It is starting to crawl up the walls and the smell is getting worse,” said Lee.
“Lauren has been cleaning it and she shouldn’t be doing stuff like that. We’ve been dealing with several issues for many years. The flat is falling apart and we’re trying our best to make it look good, but it’s so difficult.”
Lauren added: “The council needs to prioritise who is getting allocated the houses.
“They think a two-bedroom is convenient for a family of five, soon to be six. It is impossible.”
Executive director of housing and technical resources at South Lanarkshire Council, Daniel Lowe, said: “Mr and Mrs Williamson have applied to the council for rehousing and their application has been assessed taking full account of their current housing circumstances.
“Unfortunately, due to the demand for larger properties and limited availability in their preferred areas, the council is not able to give Mr and Mrs Williamson a definitive timescale as to when they will be made an offer of housing.
“We understand they are keen to move and advice has been provided to them regarding their application and housing options and the local team at Cambuslang are happy to provide further advice if necessary.”
Mr Lowe told the Reformer that the Williamsons had not previously reported concerns regarding dampness to the council’s repairs service, and said an appointment was arranged for a technical officer to carry out an inspection of their property this week.
He added: “Following this inspection, any required repair works will be progressed.”
We try our best to keep a positive mind because we have children... you try and keep your head above it, but it’s hard