Evictions in Rushcroft Road, Brixton
- Thread starter wjh
- Start date
sheothebudworths
Up the bum - no babies!!!
RaverDrew posting...
tufty is doing her damn best to help us all try and get our stuff back or at least not just chucked into storage any old how.
absolute star
Drew!
See post above!
They put my ex on to a solicitor who took up his case in a similar situation (re retrieving possessions/compensation for possessions which were broken by the removal contractors).
(tufty back on a loo break and posting): well... no phone credit to call the ASS, innit? 
shelter have advised us that the mis=addressing of the notices is irrelevant - because others were addressed 'occupier unknown', they are still valid
if the wrong address has been given for the storage company, or if goods are not dealt with responsibly, the 'inteference with goods act 1977' might be applied (in what context, i am not sure)
the council has a duty of care to rehouse any vulnerable adults (lone parents, medical probs etc) if they have legal residency in the UK. if they don't we've to refer them to the refugee council etc...
and that's as far as i've got
everything's being well packed and wrapped, so far...
shelter have advised us that the mis=addressing of the notices is irrelevant - because others were addressed 'occupier unknown', they are still valid
if the wrong address has been given for the storage company, or if goods are not dealt with responsibly, the 'inteference with goods act 1977' might be applied (in what context, i am not sure)
the council has a duty of care to rehouse any vulnerable adults (lone parents, medical probs etc) if they have legal residency in the UK. if they don't we've to refer them to the refugee council etc...
and that's as far as i've got
everything's being well packed and wrapped, so far...
I have never squatted before and possibly won't, but with the current housing fuck ups all over London it is almost the best 'affordable' housing option available it seems.
If I owned a property I would never let it sit empty, even if I could afford to run it empty. I would much rather it was put to good use and giving somebody a home.
Although I guess that a lot of people will use the services of 'property guardians/caretakers' like these jokers who place 'candidates with military background and combat experience' in peoples empty properties. The fact that someone pays for the privilege of a hired goon in a property is fucking stupid. Guess they are too busy and greedy to make the effort to accomodate a tenant at low cost....
Rant, rant, mumbe, moan
T & P
|-o-| (-o-) |-o-|
Aren't you breaking the law now by photographing coppers? Watch it or they'll throw you into the slammer like the terrorist you must clearly be...
RaverDrew posting...
tufty is doing her damn best to help us all try and get our stuff back or at least not just chucked into storage any old how.
absolute star
as far as i am aware the squatters knew of the eviction since a few weeks. i knew its gonna come. good luck for everyone who had to move out.
We were told to pack up our gear via threatening letters from the council who were going to "take steps" to remove us. We were taking legal advice and had been informed that we would receive an exact date in the next few weeks giving us at least 24hrs notice with the correct papers being served.
Of course many residents knew what the threatening letters really meant and had moved all their valuables out or had walked voluntarily. The threat of an illegal eviction was all too obvious.
Edit: haven't got the energy to pick fights with morons like you, but consider your card well and truly marked.
sheothebudworths
Up the bum - no babies!!!
Yeah, hope you're alright Drew and have somewhere to stay etc. xxxx
I'm ok, have somewhere to stay thanks to tufty79, who I will say again, has been an absolute star through all this.
Others haven't been so lucky, one resident is still walking around in the one set of clothes he managed to get out of there in time.
Others haven't been so lucky, one resident is still walking around in the one set of clothes he managed to get out of there in time.
Jonti
what the dormouse said
fwiw, my info is that the evictions were brought forward a few weeks on public order grounds, as the police believed that rocks were being dealt from the premises.
Afaik no evidence of that was found and no arrests made.
Casaubon
Well-Known Member
Rushcroft Rd - historical perspective.
Hi everyone.
As this is my first post I should introduce myself.
This is going to be very long for a first post – apologies, but I want to get a few things off my chest.
My main original reason for joining U75 was to keep informed about developments in central Brixton and Rushcroft Rd, where I lived.
A few years ago I moved up the Hill, as part of the re-housing by Lambeth of ex-London & Quadrant tenants from Rushcroft Rd.
I was involved in the fights to keep our homes and community on Rushcroft Rd, and I try to keep informed even though I don’t live there any more.
June ’09 will be the tenth anniversary of the case in the House of Lords that was meant to definitively resolve the tenure/occupation issues of Rushcroft Rd.
I was intending to end my long lurk by using the boards to ask whether there have been any developments on Rushcroft, as I’ve been horrified that Lambeth council still hasn’t resolved the issues – TEN YEARS AFTER THE HOUSE OF LORDS JUDGEMENT.
Now it seems that Lambeth have decided to act, in typically insensitive and stupid fashion.
Does anyone know if Lambeth has any coherent or realistic plans for Rushcroft Rd (other than dumping the properties at auction as soon as possible)?
I think it’s worth pointing out that the situation on Rushcroft Rd (and Clifton Mansions) has been a scandal since at least 1979.
- Around 110 flats in Rushcroft and Clifton were handed by Lambeth to London & Quadrant (L&Q) without any formal agreement or contract (back of an envelope in the Trinity Arms is my bet).
- From around ’79 Lambeth ceased to collect any rent for these properties. All rent was kept by L&Q
- L&Q never carried out any meaningful maintenance on the properties, because they never had any sort of long-term tenure. Most of the blocks have deteriorated shockingly.
- L&Q and Lambeth maintained the fiction that occupants were not tenants, but ‘Short-Life Licensees’, with no security of tenure beyond 28 days. Some people lived with this ‘security’ for more than 20 years.
- The House of Lords decision destroyed the ‘short-life’ sham, and said that the L&Q ‘licencees’ had always been tenants of L&Q, and actually had some rights, contrary to what we were told for 20 years.
- L&Q reacted to the Lords decision by simply running away, renouncing any tenures that may have existed. Lambeth, instead of insisting that L&Q rectify the results of their neglect, paid L&Q’s legal bills as well as their own. (Around £200K for this one case alone. And there were several others going on simultaneously)
- L&Q tenants (around 90 on Rushcroft by 1999) were told that their tenancies with L&Q were void, and they were now illegal occupiers.
- Lambeth refused to accept rent from the occupiers, as this would establish a new tenancy
- Lambeth hasn’t had a penny of rent from around 90 flats for 10 years, the properties have decayed to a genuinely alarming extent, and the households of Rushcroft Rd have had to put up with 10 unnecessary years of stress.
The community of Rushcroft Rd provided a relatively stable and peaceful population in a ‘difficult’ part of Brixton, during the most difficult period of Brixton’s history.
The community should have been supported by Lambeth – not for any ‘worthy’ reasons, but because it had evolved organically into a functioning community which could have provided a meaningful basis for regeneration.
Instead, Lambeth council has spent years, and hundreds of thousands of pounds, destroying the community while watching their property fall apart.
During my time on Rushcroft, Lambeth was ruled at different times by all three main political parties, and there was ‘no overall controll’ for a couple of years too, I think.
I dealt directly with representatives of all three main parties – and I can sincerely say that they were almost entirely a bunch of short-sighted, stupid, ill-informed, self-serving, mealy-mouthed, lying cunts.
I also had a lot of dealings with officers of Lambeth council, and they were worse than the politicians – really, where do they find such stupid and heartless staff, is there an agency?
With one exception, I wouldn’t cross the road to piss in their mouths if their teeth were on fire.
In my experience there’s simply no point in trying to deal Lambeth in a constructive, intelligent manner – they’re simply not capable.
Good things happen in Brixton despite the council, not because of it.
Direct and/or legal action is the only way to get them to engage meaningfully with issues.
Good luck to the evictees and remaining occupants – take heart from the fact that it’s Lambeth you’re fighting, and they can usually be relied on to fuck everything up.
Sorry for the length of the post/rant, it seems a bit pretentious for a first post, but I feel a lot better for getting (some of) it off my chest.
Casaubon.
Hi everyone.
As this is my first post I should introduce myself.
This is going to be very long for a first post – apologies, but I want to get a few things off my chest.
My main original reason for joining U75 was to keep informed about developments in central Brixton and Rushcroft Rd, where I lived.
A few years ago I moved up the Hill, as part of the re-housing by Lambeth of ex-London & Quadrant tenants from Rushcroft Rd.
I was involved in the fights to keep our homes and community on Rushcroft Rd, and I try to keep informed even though I don’t live there any more.
June ’09 will be the tenth anniversary of the case in the House of Lords that was meant to definitively resolve the tenure/occupation issues of Rushcroft Rd.
I was intending to end my long lurk by using the boards to ask whether there have been any developments on Rushcroft, as I’ve been horrified that Lambeth council still hasn’t resolved the issues – TEN YEARS AFTER THE HOUSE OF LORDS JUDGEMENT.
Now it seems that Lambeth have decided to act, in typically insensitive and stupid fashion.
Does anyone know if Lambeth has any coherent or realistic plans for Rushcroft Rd (other than dumping the properties at auction as soon as possible)?
I think it’s worth pointing out that the situation on Rushcroft Rd (and Clifton Mansions) has been a scandal since at least 1979.
- Around 110 flats in Rushcroft and Clifton were handed by Lambeth to London & Quadrant (L&Q) without any formal agreement or contract (back of an envelope in the Trinity Arms is my bet).
- From around ’79 Lambeth ceased to collect any rent for these properties. All rent was kept by L&Q
- L&Q never carried out any meaningful maintenance on the properties, because they never had any sort of long-term tenure. Most of the blocks have deteriorated shockingly.
- L&Q and Lambeth maintained the fiction that occupants were not tenants, but ‘Short-Life Licensees’, with no security of tenure beyond 28 days. Some people lived with this ‘security’ for more than 20 years.
- The House of Lords decision destroyed the ‘short-life’ sham, and said that the L&Q ‘licencees’ had always been tenants of L&Q, and actually had some rights, contrary to what we were told for 20 years.
- L&Q reacted to the Lords decision by simply running away, renouncing any tenures that may have existed. Lambeth, instead of insisting that L&Q rectify the results of their neglect, paid L&Q’s legal bills as well as their own. (Around £200K for this one case alone. And there were several others going on simultaneously)
- L&Q tenants (around 90 on Rushcroft by 1999) were told that their tenancies with L&Q were void, and they were now illegal occupiers.
- Lambeth refused to accept rent from the occupiers, as this would establish a new tenancy
- Lambeth hasn’t had a penny of rent from around 90 flats for 10 years, the properties have decayed to a genuinely alarming extent, and the households of Rushcroft Rd have had to put up with 10 unnecessary years of stress.
The community of Rushcroft Rd provided a relatively stable and peaceful population in a ‘difficult’ part of Brixton, during the most difficult period of Brixton’s history.
The community should have been supported by Lambeth – not for any ‘worthy’ reasons, but because it had evolved organically into a functioning community which could have provided a meaningful basis for regeneration.
Instead, Lambeth council has spent years, and hundreds of thousands of pounds, destroying the community while watching their property fall apart.
During my time on Rushcroft, Lambeth was ruled at different times by all three main political parties, and there was ‘no overall controll’ for a couple of years too, I think.
I dealt directly with representatives of all three main parties – and I can sincerely say that they were almost entirely a bunch of short-sighted, stupid, ill-informed, self-serving, mealy-mouthed, lying cunts.
I also had a lot of dealings with officers of Lambeth council, and they were worse than the politicians – really, where do they find such stupid and heartless staff, is there an agency?
With one exception, I wouldn’t cross the road to piss in their mouths if their teeth were on fire.
In my experience there’s simply no point in trying to deal Lambeth in a constructive, intelligent manner – they’re simply not capable.
Good things happen in Brixton despite the council, not because of it.
Direct and/or legal action is the only way to get them to engage meaningfully with issues.
Good luck to the evictees and remaining occupants – take heart from the fact that it’s Lambeth you’re fighting, and they can usually be relied on to fuck everything up.
Sorry for the length of the post/rant, it seems a bit pretentious for a first post, but I feel a lot better for getting (some of) it off my chest.
Casaubon.
Donna Ferentes
jubliado
Trollope fan, one assumes
Gramsci
Well-Known Member
To confirm the points made by Casaubon Rushcroft Road Action Group (RAG) spent years trying to prove they had security of tenure.There was a stable community there who could have been granted secure tenancies.The L&Q system of short life was giving "Licences" to individual occupiers.Where as most S/L was as S/L Housing Coops not to individuals (my situation).The "Head License" was held by a RSL and a "sub License" to a S/L Housing Coop.Whilst not getting rent for the properties the Council got the Council Tax. There was talk of a "levy" to the Council .But the Council realised this might give us security of tenure so it never happened.The argument against S/L is that we wont pay rent.The fact is the Council never wanted us to.
Most of central Brixton was to be demolished for "redevelopment".Only the Barrier Block and were ever built.Council properties were emptied and private owns CPOd (compulsory purchased). As the late 1970s led to these plans for a Workers Paradise diminished the properties were squatted.After many battles the comprimise between the squatters and Council led to Short Life housing.Also known as Self Help housing as ex squatters did up the properties themselves. As the 1970s were,in hindsight, a period of idealism Housing Coops were the basis of most S/L. (This was not the case in Rushcroft Road or Clifton Mansions.) Initialy they were often "communal"- Free Love etcetc.Though this changed later as it was a bit much.
Most of central Brixton was to be demolished for "redevelopment".Only the Barrier Block and were ever built.Council properties were emptied and private owns CPOd (compulsory purchased). As the late 1970s led to these plans for a Workers Paradise diminished the properties were squatted.After many battles the comprimise between the squatters and Council led to Short Life housing.Also known as Self Help housing as ex squatters did up the properties themselves. As the 1970s were,in hindsight, a period of idealism Housing Coops were the basis of most S/L. (This was not the case in Rushcroft Road or Clifton Mansions.) Initialy they were often "communal"- Free Love etcetc.Though this changed later as it was a bit much.
Gramsci
Well-Known Member
I thought that the Labour Group had decided not to sell off S/L property but do it up to let to those on the so called "Waiting List". Or sell it to an RSL so it stays as social housing.
a) There is a shortage of "affordable housing" in London.
b) House prices have collapsed so the Council wont get much for that asset sale.
c) From what Ive heard in the housing sector no developer is buying and if they do it will only be for a knock down price.If a developer gets the property they might not be able to finace doing it up.So it will be left empty or kept and resold when the "market" is better.
Given the above IMO its pointless to flog off Council owned assets (our assets) at this time.
If the police think Rocks are being sold there then thats a policing issue.Funny how they suddenly get an interest in sorting out dealing in Brixton when it comes to evicting squatters.On that logic it might be an idea to evict KFC from Brixton as it attracts dealers to hang about outside.
There this mentality in the Police that squatters/non conformists/hard drug dealing all go together.If "squatters" are replaced by so called "Ordinary Decent People" then Brixton would be a better place in there eyes.
Gramsci
Well-Known Member
I feel really sorry for those who got evicted from RR.Ive heard so many times from Labour Councillors that Squatters and Short Life have "jumped" the housing queue.
Whilst they have been in power Labour have done next to nothing about building affordable housing.
I find this even more sickening when you see Sir Fred the shred Goodwin (Gordon Browns former advisor) keeping his big house and pension whilst playing a big part in destroying the British economy.
A former friend of New Labour doesnt get the bailiffs at his door oh no thats for the little people.They need the smack of firm government .They need to learn to get off there backsides get a job in Europe and save like responsible to pay for there housing. Under new Labour there wont be a something for nothing society --unless you are a Banker.
Whilst they have been in power Labour have done next to nothing about building affordable housing.
I find this even more sickening when you see Sir Fred the shred Goodwin (Gordon Browns former advisor) keeping his big house and pension whilst playing a big part in destroying the British economy.
A former friend of New Labour doesnt get the bailiffs at his door oh no thats for the little people.They need the smack of firm government
.They need to learn to get off there backsides get a job in Europe and save like responsible to pay for there housing. Under new Labour there wont be a something for nothing society --unless you are a Banker.
Brixton Hatter
Home is south London mate
some of my mates were in rushcroft road (and clifton mansions) and only now reading this thread have i discovered the ridiculous history of this. how can the council still be cocking this situation up after 30 YEARS??!! incredible. Then they choose now to flog them off, the worse time for the housing market in years. lambeth must be really short of cash from various frauds and misinvestments to be in this position.
Yeah i agree with Ed, gramsci and Casaubon, you should get in touch with private eye, they'd have a field day with this and hopefully shame Lambeth into some sense.
Yeah i agree with Ed, gramsci and Casaubon, you should get in touch with private eye, they'd have a field day with this and hopefully shame Lambeth into some sense.
there's also camelot who provide 'security through occupation', basically they're employed by the owners of empty buildings and rent out rooms for (relatively) cheap rent- but will kick people out with very little warning if the owners want to do something with the building- so you're basically paying for the privilege of having less rights than squatting, proper shower of cunts... a few friends tried to break that big old building on mare street (my memory fails me for the name of the building- clarence house? but it's quite well known) and got chased away by vietnamese gangsters, it's now occupied by camelot....completely stupid, still lots of broken windows etc..
anyway drew, if you're stuck for somewhere to stay send me a pm, i know a few squats in north london that could put you up for a few days...
Monkeygrinder's Organ
Dodgy geezer swilling vapid lager
Hi everyone.
As this is my first post I should introduce myself.
This is going to be very long for a first post – apologies, but I want to get a few things off my chest.
My main original reason for joining U75 was to keep informed about developments in central Brixton and Rushcroft Rd, where I lived.
A few years ago I moved up the Hill, as part of the re-housing by Lambeth of ex-London & Quadrant tenants from Rushcroft Rd.
I was involved in the fights to keep our homes and community on Rushcroft Rd, and I try to keep informed even though I don’t live there any more.
June ’09 will be the tenth anniversary of the case in the House of Lords that was meant to definitively resolve the tenure/occupation issues of Rushcroft Rd.
I was intending to end my long lurk by using the boards to ask whether there have been any developments on Rushcroft, as I’ve been horrified that Lambeth council still hasn’t resolved the issues – TEN YEARS AFTER THE HOUSE OF LORDS JUDGEMENT.
Now it seems that Lambeth have decided to act, in typically insensitive and stupid fashion.
Does anyone know if Lambeth has any coherent or realistic plans for Rushcroft Rd (other than dumping the properties at auction as soon as possible)?
I think it’s worth pointing out that the situation on Rushcroft Rd (and Clifton Mansions) has been a scandal since at least 1979.
- Around 110 flats in Rushcroft and Clifton were handed by Lambeth to London & Quadrant (L&Q) without any formal agreement or contract (back of an envelope in the Trinity Arms is my bet).
- From around ’79 Lambeth ceased to collect any rent for these properties. All rent was kept by L&Q
- L&Q never carried out any meaningful maintenance on the properties, because they never had any sort of long-term tenure. Most of the blocks have deteriorated shockingly.
- L&Q and Lambeth maintained the fiction that occupants were not tenants, but ‘Short-Life Licensees’, with no security of tenure beyond 28 days. Some people lived with this ‘security’ for more than 20 years.
- The House of Lords decision destroyed the ‘short-life’ sham, and said that the L&Q ‘licencees’ had always been tenants of L&Q, and actually had some rights, contrary to what we were told for 20 years.
- L&Q reacted to the Lords decision by simply running away, renouncing any tenures that may have existed. Lambeth, instead of insisting that L&Q rectify the results of their neglect, paid L&Q’s legal bills as well as their own. (Around £200K for this one case alone. And there were several others going on simultaneously)
- L&Q tenants (around 90 on Rushcroft by 1999) were told that their tenancies with L&Q were void, and they were now illegal occupiers.
- Lambeth refused to accept rent from the occupiers, as this would establish a new tenancy
- Lambeth hasn’t had a penny of rent from around 90 flats for 10 years, the properties have decayed to a genuinely alarming extent, and the households of Rushcroft Rd have had to put up with 10 unnecessary years of stress.
The community of Rushcroft Rd provided a relatively stable and peaceful population in a ‘difficult’ part of Brixton, during the most difficult period of Brixton’s history.
The community should have been supported by Lambeth – not for any ‘worthy’ reasons, but because it had evolved organically into a functioning community which could have provided a meaningful basis for regeneration.
Instead, Lambeth council has spent years, and hundreds of thousands of pounds, destroying the community while watching their property fall apart.
During my time on Rushcroft, Lambeth was ruled at different times by all three main political parties, and there was ‘no overall controll’ for a couple of years too, I think.
I dealt directly with representatives of all three main parties – and I can sincerely say that they were almost entirely a bunch of short-sighted, stupid, ill-informed, self-serving, mealy-mouthed, lying cunts.
I also had a lot of dealings with officers of Lambeth council, and they were worse than the politicians – really, where do they find such stupid and heartless staff, is there an agency?
With one exception, I wouldn’t cross the road to piss in their mouths if their teeth were on fire.
In my experience there’s simply no point in trying to deal Lambeth in a constructive, intelligent manner – they’re simply not capable.
Good things happen in Brixton despite the council, not because of it.
Direct and/or legal action is the only way to get them to engage meaningfully with issues.
Good luck to the evictees and remaining occupants – take heart from the fact that it’s Lambeth you’re fighting, and they can usually be relied on to fuck everything up.
Sorry for the length of the post/rant, it seems a bit pretentious for a first post, but I feel a lot better for getting (some of) it off my chest.
Casaubon.
Jesus, I knew Lambeth council had a reputation for incompetence but that is really staggering.
Mrs Magpie
On a bit of break...
Nothing about Lambeth surprises me.
