Call for disabled veterans facing eviction to be offered ‘a home for a home'
The Conservative leader on West Lothian Council has called for disabled veterans facing eviction to be offered a home for a home.
Linburn estate at Wilkieston has been home to tenants of Sight Scotland Veterans – formerly Scottish War Blinded – for decades.
The decision to sell off large parts of the estate for housing development affects a total of 13 residential properties on the site, including seven veterans with vision impairment and six private tenants.
Conservative group leader and ex-RAF serviceman Councillor Damian Doran-Timson told the Local Democracy Reporting Service said he understood the financial problems the charity faced but was 'dismayed' at the sell-off plans and called on it to reconsider.
'I met with Sight Scotland last week and listened to their views and whilst I believe they do need to look at revenue and income, I request they look at any other options they may have.
'As part of the sale to a developer, I ask the charity to include the clause that like for like houses are built for those that currently live at Linburn and the developer/housing association manage the properties that the current residents are in.'
The charity has told residents to find new homes within a year as it revealed plans to sell the land for development.
It comes after Sight Scotland Veterans faced losses of more than £18m over the last four years.
The charity stressed it was working with residents, and no one was facing immediate eviction.
Veterans said they fear spending the rest of their lives on the housing waiting list which already has around 11,000 names.
West Lothian Council confirmed that no plans for development had been lodged.
The news earlier this week prompted the Leader of the Council Lawrence Fitzpatrick to write to the Secretary of State for Defence, John Healey, asking him to 'intervene immediately and help these veterans'.
Councillor Doran-Timson also called on Sight Scotland help the Military Museum of Scotland, located on the estate, to relocate if it has to.
He added: 'As I have been for a number of years, I am still pressing the council to also identify land in West Lothian that can host the Military Museum.'
Founder and curator of the museum, Ian Inglis, told the LDRS that the letter from Sight Scotland had been ' a bit of a shock' but was not unexpected.
And he vowed: 'Military Museum Scotland will not close and we will continue our work with veterans.'
He said: 'There is no guarantee that housing will be built there, however it has been on the council's Local Development Plan for over 10 years.
'All I have been told is that we have about a year to leave as the land is being sold to help fund Sight Scotland.
'If we were to move out in a year, I think we would have to close the museum now and start packing. That is out of the question as we have bookings right up to the end of the year, and I will not disappoint anyone by cancelling their booking.'
Mr Inglis added: 'We have needed a much larger premises for years, we have been looking, but now the pressure is on. There is a place out there with our name on it, we just have to find it. We will be officially launching our campaign next week to try and find somewhere and to raise funds to help with a move.
'Sight Scotland veterans have to do what they have to do to survive as they do great work helping and supporting veterans, as we do.
'It's just a shame that they feel the need to evict veterans from their homes and to evict another Veterans Charity to do that.'
Craig Spalding, Sight Scotland Veterans Chief Executive, said: 'Selling the land will secure the financial future of the charity. However, it will mean that the existing housing on the site will need to be demolished.
'We recognise that we have a duty of care to the existing tenants and are committed to finding each tenant alternative living arrangements that are as good as, if not better than, their current accommodation.
'The proceeds from this sale will enable us to continue providing life-changing support at our Linburn Centre, as well as preserving and strengthening the essential services we provide across the country.'
Mr Spalding added: 'We recognise that this decision will unfortunately impact current estate tenants, including veterans with vision impairment, and have extended the notice period to a full year. We wish to make it clear that no one faces immediate eviction.
'The charity is committed to working closely with each tenant to help them find suitable alternative accommodation and minimise disruption by offering personalised support through our Financial Well-being service. We informed the tenants of our long-term intentions at this stage; in order to start a conversation with each tenant to understand their specific needs so we can support them effectively.'
Councillor Fitzpatrick told the LDRS: 'This must be a very worrying time for the veterans and their families, and it is very upsetting to hear that they are being faced with such an uncertain future at Linburn, along with the museum and veterans centre who do a wonderful job.
'I have written to the Secretary of State for Defence and the Ministry of Defence to ask them to intervene immediately and help these veterans. It cannot be left that veterans – who have proudly served their country – are left facing eviction from a community that they belong to.'
A council spokesperson told the LDRS: 'The council has not received a planning application or granted consent for the redevelopment of the veteran's village at Wilkieston. However, we are preparing a new Local Development Plan.
'Through the 'call for ideas' part of this process we have been made aware by Sight Scotland that they wish to dispose of this site for market and affordable homes.
'We are currently reviewing all proposals submitted to the 'call for ideas' to see if they are suitable for development. A proposed plan will be published in due course.'
By Stuart Sommerville, Local Democracy Reporter
Like this:
Like
Related
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Powys County Times
2 hours ago
- Powys County Times
Palestine Action to be banned after break-in at RAF base
The Home Secretary is preparing to ban Palestine Action following the group's vandalism of two planes at an RAF base, the PA news agency understands. Yvette Cooper has decided to proscribe the group, making it a criminal offence to belong to or support Palestine Action. The decision comes after the group posted footage online showing two people inside the base at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire. The clip shows one person riding an electric scooter up to an Airbus Voyager air-to-air refuelling tanker and appearing to spray paint into its jet engine. The incident is being also investigated by counter terror police. A spokesperson for Palestine Action accused the UK of failing to meet its obligation to prevent or punish genocide. The spokesperson said: 'When our government fails to uphold their moral and legal obligations, it is the responsibility of ordinary citizens to take direct action. The terrorists are the ones committing a genocide, not those who break the tools used to commit it.' The Home Secretary has the power to proscribe an organisation under the Terrorism Act of 2000 if she believes it is 'concerned in terrorism'. Proscription will require Ms Cooper to lay an order in Parliament, which must then be debated and approved by both MPs and peers. Some 81 organisations have been proscribed under the 2000 Act, including Islamist terrorist groups such as Hamas and al Qaida, far-right groups such as National Action, and Russian private military company Wagner Group. Another 14 organisations connected with Northern Ireland are also banned under previous legislation, including the IRA and UDA. Belonging to or expressing support for a proscribed organisation, along with a number of other actions, are criminal offences carrying a maximum sentence of 14 years in prison. Friday's incident at Brize Norton, described by the Prime Minister as 'disgraceful', prompted calls for Palestine Action to be banned. The group has staged a series of demonstrations in recent months, including spraying the London offices of Allianz Insurance with red paint over its alleged links to Israeli defence company Elbit, and vandalising Donald Trump's Turnberry golf course in South Ayrshire. The Campaign Against Antisemitism (CAA) welcomed the news that Ms Cooper intended to proscribe the group, saying: 'Nobody should be surprised that those who vandalised Jewish premises with impunity have now been emboldened to sabotage RAF jets.' CAA chief executive Gideon Falter urged the Home Secretary to proscribe the Houthi rebel group and Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps, adding: 'This country needs to clamp down on the domestic and foreign terrorists running amok on our soil.' Former home secretary Suella Braverman said it was 'absolutely the correct decision'. But Tom Southerden, of Amnesty International UK, said the human rights organisation was 'deeply concerned at the use of counter terrorism powers to target protest groups'. Mr Southerden said: 'Terrorism powers should never have been used to aggravate criminal charges against Palestine Action activists and they certainly shouldn't be used to ban them.
North Wales Chronicle
3 hours ago
- North Wales Chronicle
Opponents of assisted dying vow to fight on as MPs back Bill
Ms Leadbeater's Bill passed what could be its final Commons hurdle by 23 votes, down from the majority of 55 it secured when MPs first voted on it in November. The Spen Valley MP declared 'thank goodness' after the result while Rebecca Wilcox, daughter of campaigner Dame Esther Rantzen, said it was 'wonderful' the result had come ahead of her mother's birthday. But opponents vowed to fight on against what they called a 'deeply flawed Bill'. A group of 27 Labour MPs who voted against the legislation said: 'We were elected to represent both of those groups and are still deeply concerned about the risks in this Bill of coercion of the old and discrimination against the disabled, people with anorexia and black, Asian and minority ethnic people, who we know do not receive equitable health care. 'As the Bill moves to the House of Lords it must receive the scrutiny that it needs. Not about the principles of assisted dying but its application in this deeply flawed Bill.' But Ms Leadbeater told the PA news agency she hoped there would be no 'funny games' in the Lords, as her Bill faces further tough hurdles in the upper chamber. She added: 'I would be upset to think that anybody was playing games with such an important and such an emotional issue.' Meanwhile, one of the leading opponents of the Bill, Conservative Danny Kruger, described its supporters as 'enemies', saying he felt 'like Evelyn Waugh at the time of the Nazi-Soviet Pact in 1939'. In a series of tweets on Friday night, the East Wiltshire MP accused assisted dying campaigners of being 'militant anti-Christians' who had failed to 'engage with the detail of the Bill'. He added: 'It's the revenge of the middle-aged against their dependents.' Ms Leadbeater's Terminally Ill Adults (End Of Life) Bill will now proceed to the House of Lords, where it will undergo further scrutiny before becoming law, should peers decide to back the legislation. But some peers have already spoken out against the legislation, with the Bishop of London, Dame Sarah Mullally, saying they 'must oppose' the Bill as 'unworkable and unsafe'.
The Independent
3 hours ago
- The Independent
Palestine Action to be banned after vandalism of planes at RAF base
The Home Secretary is preparing to ban Palestine Action following the group's vandalism of two planes at an RAF base. Yvette Cooper has decided to proscribe the group, making it a criminal offence to belong to or support Palestine Action. The decision comes after the group posted footage online showing two people inside the base at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire. The clip shows one person riding an electric scooter up to an Airbus Voyager air-to-air refuelling tanker and appearing to spray paint into its jet engine. The incident is being also investigated by counter terror police. A spokesperson for Palestine Action accused the UK of failing to meet its obligation to prevent or punish genocide. The spokesperson said: 'When our government fails to uphold their moral and legal obligations, it is the responsibility of ordinary citizens to take direct action. The terrorists are the ones committing a genocide, not those who break the tools used to commit it.' The Home Secretary has the power to proscribe an organisation under the Terrorism Act of 2000 if she believes it is 'concerned in terrorism'. Proscription will require Ms Cooper to lay an order in Parliament, which must then be debated and approved by both MPs and peers. Some 81 organisations have been proscribed under the 2000 Act, including Islamist terrorist groups such as Hamas and al Qaida, far-right groups such as National Action, and Russian private military company Wagner Group. Another 14 organisations connected with Northern Ireland are also banned under previous legislation, including the IRA and UDA. Belonging to or expressing support for a proscribed organisation, along with a number of other actions, are criminal offences carrying a maximum sentence of 14 years in prison. Friday's incident at Brize Norton, described by the Prime Minister as 'disgraceful', prompted calls for Palestine Action to be banned. The group has staged a series of demonstrations in recent months, including spraying the London offices of Allianz Insurance with red paint over its alleged links to Israeli defence company Elbit, and vandalising Donald Trump's Turnberry golf course in South Ayrshire. The Campaign Against Antisemitism (CAA) welcomed the news that Ms Cooper intended to proscribe the group, saying: 'Nobody should be surprised that those who vandalised Jewish premises with impunity have now been emboldened to sabotage RAF jets.' CAA chief executive Gideon Falter urged the Home Secretary to proscribe the Houthi rebel group and Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps, adding: 'This country needs to clamp down on the domestic and foreign terrorists running amok on our soil.' Former home secretary Suella Braverman said it was 'absolutely the correct decision'. But Tom Southerden, of Amnesty International UK, said the human rights organisation was 'deeply concerned at the use of counter terrorism powers to target protest groups'. Mr Southerden said: 'Terrorism powers should never have been used to aggravate criminal charges against Palestine Action activists and they certainly shouldn't be used to ban them. 'Instead of suppressing protest against the UK's military support for Israel, the UK should be taking urgent action to prevent Israel's genocide and end any risk of UK complicity in it.'
