George ward eviction taking place

[Arthur Marshall]

He got eight grand of crowd funded money when his boat sank. Whatever he did with it,  it wasn't what it was contributed for, or his boat would be licenced. In effect  therefore, he just stole the money, or at least misused it. I have plenty of sympathy for genuine homeless squatters, in houses or boats, but none for him. As he seems unbalanced and aggressive  he'll probably end up costing the state a fortune in prison, as that seems the usual place to put them these days.

[Alan de Enfield]

1 hour ago, mrsmelly said:

Well, if he rocked up on an inflateable surely he should/would get a hotel room?

 

And in Wales they are proposing to pay then £1600 per month in addition to all the other stuff they get.

 

MADNESS !

[Athy]

I have heard that councils have an obligation to house homeless families but not single people, though perhaps this varies from one area to another.

[dogless]

I hope he is offered some suitable refuge ... I hope that's the kind of country and people we are.

 

George may not accept any offers ... some homeless street dwellers have and continue to decline such  offers.

 

But I still hope the offers are available.

 

It's a very sad and unsatisfactory situation, but no one seems to be coming up with serious alternatives.

 

Rog

Edited April 19, 2023 by dogless

[mrsmelly]

4 minutes ago, Athy said:

I have heard that councils have an obligation to house homeless families but not single people, though perhaps this varies from one area to another.

I think that @Wanted would know the law on that? It does seem nigh on impossible. There have been people living on the streets in my entire lifetime for one reason or another, regardless of incumbent administration.

Edited April 19, 2023 by mrsmelly

[LadyG]

1 minute ago, dogless said:

I hope he is offered some suitable refuge ... I hope that's the kind of country and people we are.

 

George may not accept any offers ... some homeless street dwellers have and continue to decline such  offers.

 

But I still hope the offers are available.

 

It's a very sad and unsatisfactory situation, but no one seems to be coming up with serious alternatives.

 

Rog

He does not want an alternative, that is the problem 

[nicknorman]

1 minute ago, dogless said:

I hope he is offered some suitable refuge ... I hope that's the kind of country and people we are.

 

George may not accept any offers ... some homeless street dwellers have declined such  offers.

 

But I still hope the offers are available.

 

It's a very sad and unsatisfactory situation, but no one seems to get coming up with serious alternatives.

 

Rog

To be honest I'm not sure it is that sad. You are judging his situation by your own standards, and I suggest that his standards are quite different from yours. He didn't need to live in squalor, he chose to do so. It doesn't cost anything to keep things tidy. To me this suggests that he sees no particular merit in living somewhere that we would describe as "nice". Which is fine, his choice. He would probably be far happier living under canvass suspended from 2 trees, rather than some swanky 1 bed centrally heated council flat with all mod cons. I am pretty sure he would hate the latter.

[kris88]

You seem to be presuming quite a lot nick, or are you a friend of George so know him well enough to make the comments you have? 

[nicknorman]

5 minutes ago, kris88 said:

You seem to be presuming quite a lot nick, or are you a friend of George so know him well enough to make the comments you have? 

I am presuming nothing, I am making suggestions based on the evidence presented.

[David Mack]

17 minutes ago, dogless said:

I hope he is offered some suitable refuge ... I hope that's the kind of country and people we are.

Isn't that why the charity outreach worker was there? But reading between the lines she couldn't offer him anything he would accept.

[Tracy D'arth]

Tactical unit from the fire brigade there now, what's next?  The RAF?

[kris88]

6 minutes ago, nicknorman said:

I am presuming nothing, I am making suggestions based on the evidence presented.

Oh is that what it was. I thought it was presenting your assumptions as fact. That’s what it looked like from here. 

[Arthur Marshall]

26 minutes ago, Alan de Enfield said:

 

And in Wales they are proposing to pay then £1600 per month in addition to all the other stuff they get.

 

MADNESS !

Leave it in the politics ghetto, please.

[Tracy D'arth]

So the police cannot remove him, no crime committed, C&RT have not got the right  to evict,  it is alleged, ask Tony Dunkerly.

So why don't they simply tow the boat away, with him inside, to some where quiet for a couple of days? He will come out of his own accord eventually when he has not got an audience and he gets bored.

[David Mack]

Police won't enter the boat and arrest him as they say he hasn't done anything unlawful.

CRT say they can use "reasonable force" to remove him from the boat, but his supporters are disputing this.

To me it looks as if CRT, having been there all day and not removed him from the boat, have rather lost the initiative. The standoff continues...

 

1 minute ago, Tracy D'arth said:

So why don't they simply tow the boat away, with him inside

Would that amount to kidnapping? I can see it being a legally perilous option for CRT, despite the temptation.

[LadyG]

7 minutes ago, Tracy D'arth said:

So the police cannot remove him, no crime committed, C&RT have not got the right  to evict,  it is alleged, ask Tony Dunkerly.

So why don't they simply tow the boat away, with him inside, to some where quiet for a couple of days? He will come out of his own accord eventually when he has not got an audience and he gets bored.

I dont think CRT can move his boat if he is inside , he's been playing his game for a few years and got away with it

Notify a stoppage and  tell all boats to vacate the pound. 

Presumably he is not using sanitation, apart from everything else? If he has to sign on, remove the boat on that day. Simples!

 

Edited April 19, 2023 by LadyG

[Machpoint005]

38 minutes ago, LadyG said:

He does not want an alternative, that is the problem 

 

What he "wants" is irrelevant. He doesn't have that choice. Just because he has been living on a boat on a canal, rather than squatting in someone's building, or camping on their land, makes absolutely no difference.

 

 

[LadyG]

5 minutes ago, Machpoint005 said:

 

What he "wants" is irrelevant. He doesn't have that choice. Just because he has been living on a boat on a canal, rather than squatting in someone's building, or camping on their land, makes absolutely no difference.

 

 

So far he has been in this situation for at least ten years , that's been his choice for ten years 

[David Mack]

3 minutes ago, Machpoint005 said:

 

What he "wants" is irrelevant. He doesn't have that choice. Just because he has been living on a boat on a canal, rather than squatting in someone's building, or camping on their land, makes absolutely no difference.

So where will he end up? He has apparently turned down charity help. The local authority won't take him (and he wouldn't accept their help anyway). Even if the police do arrest him they will chuck him out on the street in a day or two. Perhaps he will end up living with one of his supporters (until they tire of him), or perhaps the magic money tree will be be forthcoming with enough cash to buy another boat, and the whole saga will start again...

[Machpoint005]

Just now, David Mack said:

So where will he end up? He has apparently turned down charity help. The local authority won't take him (and he wouldn't accept their help anyway). Even if the police do arrest him they will chuck him out on the street in a day or two. Perhaps he will end up living with one of his supporters (until they tire of him), or perhaps the magic money tree will be be forthcoming with enough cash to buy another boat, and the whole saga will start again...

 

His story will have been replicated hundreds of times in different circumstances, and many, many unfortunate people with mental health issues have been put in police cells and then released onto the streets. Homelessness is a huge problem and the slash and burn attitude to central funding for local authority services is at the root of it. 

 

 

[nicknorman]

35 minutes ago, kris88 said:

Oh is that what it was. I thought it was presenting your assumptions as fact. That’s what it looked like from here. 

Perhaps you should review my re-post below, paying particular attention to the words I have highlighted?

 

53 minutes ago, nicknorman said:

To be honest I'm not sure it is that sad. You are judging his situation by your own standards, and I suggest that his standards are quite different from yours. He didn't need to live in squalor, he chose to do so. It doesn't cost anything to keep things tidy. To me this suggests that he sees no particular merit in living somewhere that we would describe as "nice". Which is fine, his choice. He would probably be far happier living under canvass suspended from 2 trees, rather than some swanky 1 bed centrally heated council flat with all mod cons. I am pretty sure he would hate the latter.

 

18 minutes ago, LadyG said:

I dont think CRT can move his boat if he is inside , he's been playing his game for a few years and got away with it

Notify a stoppage and  tell all boats to vacate the pound. 

Presumably he is not using sanitation, apart from everything else? If he has to sign on, remove the boat on that day. Simples!

 

I don’t see why CRT can’t remove the boat with him inside. The BW act allows CRT to remove a boat that is moored without lawful authority, it doesn’t say anything about whether anyone is inside or not. They would have to be careful not to endanger him, eg by lifting out a boat that is liable to break in half, but beyond that they can move his boat with or without him inside.

[LadyG]

4 minutes ago, nicknorman said:

Perhaps you should review my re-post below, paying particular attention to the words I have highlighted?

 

 

I don’t see why CRT can’t remove the boat with him inside. The BW act allows CRT to remove a boat that is moored without lawful authority, it doesn’t say anything about whether anyone is inside or not. They would have to be careful not to endanger him, eg by lifting out a boat that is liable to break in half, but beyond that they can move his boat with or without him inside.

The crane would not be insured for that, and it is standard english law that applies not some minor by-law.

[kris88]

Looks like he’s still there for now. 

[nicknorman]

3 minutes ago, LadyG said:

The crane would not be insured for that, and it is standard english law that applies not some minor by-law.

Im not talking about a crane, I’m talking about towing the boat away, maybe off CRT waters or at least to somewhere where he is causing less of a nuisance.

[MtB]

5 hours ago, kris88 said:

I’m not sure what the solution is to situations like this. But you would hope the welfare of the boater figures in it somewhere. 

 

Given the state of his boats, eviction is the kindest thing.