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No job and now I have no home
Homeless: Former school site supervisor Michael Varey has lost his home as part of the closure of Skerton High School in Lancaster, pictured with grandson Nathan
A site manager who lost his job after 30 years service today told how he has been forced to move out of his school home and “dumped on the scrapheap” by council bosses.
Michael Varey, 62, has lived at a school house with his wife Betty, 58, at Skerton Community Primary School since he took a job as the site supervisor.
But the school, in Mainway, Skerton, has now closed down because of falling rolls and poor exam results, meaning Mr Varey has been made redundant.
And council bosses have said that means he has to move out of the school house too. Mr Varey says he, his wife and their grandson Nathan, 20, who also lived there, have been left homeless.
He is on the housing waiting list with Lancaster Council, but he claims county council have done nothing to help him.
He asked for a two week extension to his tenancy before being turfed out in the hope a council house could be found - but County Hall refused.
He said: “I have been there 30 years and I have just been dumped on the scrapheap. My contract ended on August 31 and I had to be out on September 1. I’ve got my name down on the waiting list but they can’t find me anywhere so in effect I’m homeless.
“Lancaster Council phoned me up last Thursday and asked if I could ask the county council for an extension. I phoned up the county council and they said no, as blunt as that.”
It was last year when Lancashire County Council revealed plans to close Skerton School.
But Mr Varey says it was the end of May before staff found out for certain what was happening.
He said: “I can’t knock the local council,” he added. “They have done everything. All they wanted was a couple of weeks extension so they could find somewhere for us to live and the county council would not give it.”
The difficulty in finding Mr Varey a new home could be down to the council house waiting list which according to official.
Les Parker, of the Unite union, has been trying to assist Mr Varey in finding alternative accommodation.
Now they have been thrown out, Mr Varey is going to stay at a friend’s house while his wife stays at her sister’s home and their grandson with another relative.
County councillor Susie Charles, for Children and Schools, said: “When staff live onsite, we make sure they understand that this means they must live in the house as a condition of their employment and vacate it once the job ends.”
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Comments
There are 12 comments to this article
Page 1 of 1
Pedantic Poster
Tuesday, September 7, 2010 at 07:28 AMheres something people seem to have missed. LCC might be responsible for the school and house but they arent resopnsible for council housing. thats your local authoruty. so for him to stay where he is, the house would have to be transferred from LCC from local council. and do you want the council to spend your council tax buying a single house to keep one person happy when they will have plenty of suitable properties elsewhere?
jonh
Tuesday, September 7, 2010 at 07:04 AM"My contract ended on August 31 and I had to be out on September 1. " One assumes these dates were therefore known well in advance, so Mr Varey should explain why he has done nothing to make arrangements.
VOTE4PEDRO
Monday, September 6, 2010 at 05:58 PMMy understanding is that Mr Varey has had a whole year to find another house. Has he therefore made himself homeless... I hope he soon finds himself another home and enjoys his retirement.
Al Batros
Monday, September 6, 2010 at 04:06 PMI'd agree with Abdul except 3 years notice and normal leaving is different from a few weeks notice. Although to be made redundant at 62 could provide a good redundancy pay-off, the BBC paid someone of that age £250,000 as well as their pension. Skerton isn't somewhere I've ever heard of but you'd think he could stay in the house for a quite a while.
abdul
Monday, September 6, 2010 at 03:56 PMMr Varey, at 62, is only 3 years away from retirement and would have had to move out then, anyway. Having enjoyed the convenience of 30 years on-site accommodation he should have made provision for this certain eventuality many years ago. It 'goes with the job' .
Al Batros
Monday, September 6, 2010 at 02:15 PMCouncillor Charles sounds heartless, hope it's out of context. Who'd be in her family - you've finished get out and sleep under the hedge. You'd think a long standing employee would be better treated and that as he's already in council property another one would be found.
Joerhubarb
Monday, September 6, 2010 at 01:34 PMCommon sense should prevail here. Oh, but it's a council decision isn't it. Why can't these people just make life easier for everyone. I hope Mr Varey is soon re-housed.
River
Monday, September 6, 2010 at 01:07 PM"Lancashire: A place where everyone matters"...
Diesel10
Monday, September 6, 2010 at 11:32 AM"This is life under the Tories." - it was announced last year that it was closing - was it under Tory control then?? Also, he has had plenty of time to sort something out. I don't wish to sound harsh but if you take a job with a house with it then this is always going to be a risk and if it was known last year it was probably closing then he has had time to consider the future what his choices are.
FatB@stard
Monday, September 6, 2010 at 10:46 AMThis is life under the Tories.
AdoptedByPreston
Monday, September 6, 2010 at 10:25 AMIf the school is being closed down then what's happening to the on site house that the currently lives in? Will the council simply take it and add it the council housing pool; if they do that after kicking him out and making him look for a council house then I may just lose the will to live.
Stressed
Monday, September 6, 2010 at 10:23 AMHow stupid, 2 weeks. In that 2 weeks that this house will be empty, it will be vandalised and so on. Its not going to be used again, so they should of allowed the extension. But LCC, like most CC's are just interested in a quick £ and not the people they meant to serve.
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