Family ‘trapped’ in flat

Council house swaps ‘on hold’ due to virus outbreak

A MUM who cares for her frail elderly father and young daughter claims they are trapped in a twobedroom flat because of a Covid-19 freeze on council house swaps.

Carer Kirsty Waterston lives with her dad, who suffers from chronic pain, and pre-teen daughter on St Nicholas Place.

She has been waiting for a new home since May, when she arranged a mutual exchange with another council tenant wanting to downsize.

While house sales and private lettings have bounced back since lockdown, Kirsty claims the local authority told her the virus is “too dangerous” to allow house exchanges.

Kirsty said: “I live with my elderly dad and daughter. He’s very unwell so we thought it best that he stays with me so I can look after him.

“We’ve been looking at a mutual exchange since May, with a woman who is trying to move closer to her grandson.

“She has a three-bedroom house available for us but the council has said we can’t move at the moment due to Covid-19.

“They said it’s too dangerous for them to send an inspector to our home.”

Kirsty’s dad suffers from fibromyalgia and the flat does not meet the family’s needs.

She added: “My daughter is about to become a teen – it’s hard because she’s getting to the age that she needs her own space.

“When my dad first moved in I thought I better give him her room and she could come in with me but now she really needs privacy and somewhere of her own.”

The full-time carer also stressed the importance of moving for her dad’s health.

She said: “We’d definitely benefit if we had a house with a garden, just so my dad could sit outside and get some fresh air.

“It’s those little things he needs which are really important for us.

“I really think he’s not getting enough space, and the stairs are so difficult for him that he sometimes refuses to even go down them.”

Kirtsy said she feels the council “just want her to go away”.

“I’m disappointed in the council to be honest – all they have to do is allow us to swap,” she said.

“I’ve been a council tenant for years and never had any issues with them, but it seems like it’s only when you want something there’s a problem.”

A spokesman for Dundee City Council said: “The tenant should speak to officers at their local housing office to discuss their concerns directly.”