Western Daily Press (Saturday)
Tower tenants protest at lack of council support
RESIDENTS of the Bristol tower block deemed too unsafe to live in filled the foyer of City Hall yesterday shouting “shame on you” as they took turns to speak of the moment they were told to leave their homes, and their anger at the way they’ve been treated since.
The demonstration at the city council’s HQ yesterday morning then ended in chaos and panic when a rumour spread that, while they were two miles away demanding answers from council chiefs, council officers were back at the tower block removing people’s belongings from their homes.
That prompted the residents to rush back to the tower block in Barton Hill. Police were called by council officers there who shut themselves in an office on the ground floor while a stand-off took place, until Bristol City Council tried to reassure residents that the belongings and furniture being removed from three flats was being done with those residents’ permission, as part of the ongoing work to survey the structure of the building.
It was another emotional and chaotic day for many of the 400 or more residents of Barton House, who ended the week with the realisation that they would be spending a lot longer in hotel rooms than the “day or two” first promised by the city council when they were told to pack a bag and leave on Tuesday evening.
Residents of Barton House filled the foyer at City Hall and were joined by people living in other tower blocks in the city, who expressed solidarity with them and concerns about their own homes.
The demonstration took place in a fevered atmosphere at City Hall. Many residents of Barton House became emotional and angry as they spoke about their plight inside the main doors to City Hall, while in the main City Hall chamber, a beer festival was being set up.
Barton House resident Shaban Ali, who refused to leave on Tuesday night, said people were angry that they had just been left in hotel rooms with little or no support.
“The council should be embarrassed of themselves,” he said.
“We’re here today demanding an independent investigation into what happened at Barton House, specifically and more widely the safety of tower blocks across the city.
“Secondly, if residents cannot stay in Barton House, they must be rehoused locally on the same rent or less; thirdly, November’s rents must be reimbursed and any future rents must be paused.
“Residents must be compensated for costs incurred in evacuation and further costs that will come when they have to move house. On top of that, there’s a lot of lost income. Mental health support for children, as well as adults, will be needed for all affected residents. These are the basic necessities. We have been treated without humanity, and we will not accept it anymore,” he added.
A queue of residents of Barton House formed to tell their stories of how the evacuation had affected them, and their complaints with the way they have been treated since.
One mum, Jasmine, said she lived in Barton House with her mum and her one-year-old son and have been in the block for more than 20 years. She said she is epileptic and had a seizure on Thursday in the hotel room where they have been relocated to.
“Our room is damp on the floor,
Luckily I brought my son’s own food, so he can eat. What about the rest of the children? MUM JASMINE
it’s soaking wet and dirty,” she said, struggling to catch her breath.
“I can’t breathe because it’s so muggy in the room.”
She raised the issue many from Barton House have raised – that of the basic need to feed themselves. In hotel rooms without cooking facilities, residents showed pictures and video of the conditions in the hotel room – with a mini bar fridge and a kettle rather than adequate cooking facilities.
“Luckily I brought my son’s own food, so he can eat. What about the rest of the children?” she asked, to cries of ‘shame!’.
“What about the mums and dads that don’t get paid until two or three weeks’ time and have all their food in the freezer? It’s unacceptable – shame on the council,” she added.
Residents said that on Thursday representatives from the city council went to the Holiday Inn in the city centre, where many of those evacuated from Barton House have been placed, and asked them not to attend the demonstration yesterday morning, and not to associate with the community tenants union Acorn.
One resident, Noah Sharif, said: “They came into the restaurant area at the back of the hotel which we are using as a communal area, and they asked us not to come to this today, and not to talk to Acorn. I thought this was strange. It is like they don’t want us to speak out about what’s happening to us.”
Then, the demonstration ended suddenly, when a resident said she had been told by a neighbour at Barton House that the council had gone there and were removing people’s belongings from their homes. Everyone rushed to Barton House and the police were called as council officers and local Green Party councillors tried to reassure the gathering group that nothing was being done without residents’ consent.
One resident of Barton House was filmed confirming to protesters and other residents that the council were removing her belongings and she didn’t want them to.
“We were there and we received a phone call saying they were going to take our stuff out,” she said, confirming that she hadn’t given permission.
“I’ve lived here 11 years and everything we own is in that flat.”
A stand-off ensued with council officers shutting themselves in an office at Barton House, while a group of residents and Acorn activists chanted in the entrance area. Bristol City Council issued an emergency statement to residents and publicly, which said: “We understand rumours are circulating that officers are removing possessions from flats. To clarify, we are speaking to three tenants about the need to empty their properties to conduct the new surveys on the building structure that we have talked about in previous updates.
“Those three households have kindly agreed to have their possessions put safely into storage and this will begin shortly. No possessions will be removed from other flats. If any further surveys are needed in other flats, we will contact those tenants and ask for permission,” the council added.