The Voice of Spalding and South Holland
Dozens of south Lincolnshire tenants of The Crown Estate face an uncertain future after being served notice on their homes.
The Crown wants to raise public cash by selling some properties, including homes in Holbeach St Marks and Saracen’s Head.
But a Holbeach parish councillor has criticised the action, claiming it does not benefit public finances as it impacts on the district council’s housing waiting list.
Coun Paul Foyster said: “I do grasp that government is short of cash. I fail to see how shunting responsibility from the Treasury to local authorities benefits public finances – this simply shifts costs from taxpayers to ratepayers.”
The Crown says it is acting reasonably towards its tenants as all have been given considerably more than the obligatory two months’ notice and they have also been offered first refusal to buy their home.
Coun Foyster said: “It’s fine when people can manage to buy, otherwise it achieves little at considerable practical, emotional and financial cost to tenants.
“Some of these people have lived in their homes for over 16 years. They have done nothing wrong.
“No doubt the Crown is within its legal rights but to not only disregard their moral obligations but also throw that duty upon the local council, and thus all ratepayers, is inexcusable.”
The Crown Estate owns about 69 residential properties in Lincolnshire across a number of rural estates. It is proposing the sale of around 28 properties of which 12 were already unoccupied.
Ken Jones, director of its rural and coastal portfolio, said: “Parliament established The Crown Estate as an independent business, with a clear commercial remit to benefit the public finances.
“Whilst many tenants are understandably upset by the news that notice is being served on their occupation, there are also numerous instances where families have been keen to take up our offer for them to buy the property they have been living in.
“Conscious that many cannot afford to buy, we have gone well beyond the statutory two month notice periods for market rented properties such as these, with the vast majority of notices being served on a four or six month basis.
“We have also asked that tenants continue to talk to us and made clear that if there are cases of particular hardship, we are willing to be flexible in our approach.”
