The family, originally living in Uxbridge in the London Borough of Hillingdon, were transported to a property in Ferryhill furnished with only “a cooker and small fridge-freezer, but no washing machine, chairs, sofa or wardrobes”. Once moved, the family were not given the support they needed to help them apply for child benefits and ‘struggled’ with their new home. Meanwhile, mould was also beginning to grow in the property, which is now believed to be getting fixed.
The discharge letter from the hospital dated May 29, 2024 was seen by Citizens Advice and the family’s tenancy was signed the very next day when they were moved up to Ferryhill. The family was moved by Reloc8 UK, a company specialising in transferring families from London councils to other areas of the country. (Image: Northern Echo) Edward Pickering, CEO of Citizens Advice County Durham, explained how the family have "struggled" to get to grips with their new home and how they have been "left to fend for themselves".
He said: "Citizens Advice County Durham is concerned about the lack of communication and support that vulnerable families are receiving, as part of their relocation from London and the South of England. (Image: Northern Echo) "One family we are helping had to resign from their jobs in London as part of this relocation and therefore moved from being in employment to claiming Universal Credit. "They had to spend the majority of their initial Universal Credit payments on the move and when the.