A FAMILY of four say they have been shoehorned into a house while more suitable council homes continue to go under the hammer.

The Hunt’s are adding a whole new meaning to the phrase tight-knit family.

For at 6ft, 15-year-old Samuel has no room to stretch out in his bedroom as his hands can touch either side of the walls.

The Hunt’s have criticised Gravesham Borough Council for selling housing stock at the expense of families squeezed into smaller properties.

Gravesend Messenger previously reported the council’s decision to auction some of its empty properties to help fund the maintenance of its other social housing.

This year alone, Gravesham council has sold seven houses, five of which are non-estate. Another five homes are scheduled for auction, two of which are non-estate properties.

There are more than 2,000 people on the borough’s housing waiting list.

Care worker Rachael Hunt, who lives in Oak Road with her mechanic husband, Alan, and children Samuel, 15, and Hannah, 14, says it is disgraceful to be selling off homes while families such as theirs are cramped or awaiting housing allocation.

The family were forced to accept the home three years ago - even though the third bedroom was only deemed suitable for a child up to the age of 10 - or face going to the back of the waiting list.

Rachael, 35, said: “If we didn’t take that one we would have gone to the back of the queue and my son’s bedroom didn’t look too small when we visited it.

“Now we can’t shut the door and he can’t have a wardrobe in there so he has to keep his clothes in our room which isn’t nice for any of us.

“I’m so angry. Instead of selling off not so nice properties, they’re selling off the nice ones.”

Gravesham Borough Council’s lead member for housing and operational services Cllr Anthony Pritchard said there is no other way to fund repairs until central government loosens its grip on rental payments.

Of the £20million GBC receives in rental payments from its 6,000 properties, £6million has to be sent back to central government.

He said: “What we’re doing is if you’ve got 10 houses to sell at £150,000, you’ve got £1.5million.

“Then we’ll put that on top of the money we’ve got for repairs. It will not cure it but it helps a little.”

What do you think? Are you affected? Let us know by emailing gravesendonline@thekmgroup.co.uk, calling 01474 564327 or writing to us at 7 High Street, Gravesend, Kent DA11 0BQ.

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