Conclusion

Just this week, i think it was Wednesday, we had a meeting with the council regarding this entire issue. It was more or less to set up when they are coming around to inspect the property and i guess to have a general discussion about it all.

This meeting went surprisingly well, and overall we are now pleased to have some sort of rapport with the council now, or at least on talking terms.

Regardless of what has been said and done, the overall consensus is this:

Always Read and Understand ANY contract or agreement BEFORE you sign it.

The above message is of high importance, in almost any situation, not just in tenancy agreements, but in pretty much anything you sign up to, for or with. To an extent, it also covers websites. On some sites, just the action of entering the site is enough to bind you to their rules. There are a number of ways to call it….Terms and Conditions, Rules, TOC, AUP, Privacy Policy…and so on. Each of these are basically rules that you agree to. Even blogger, which hosts this blog, they have rules and a privacy policy, no website should ever be without them simple ones at least.

This doesn’t mean you should take home the complete law book on rules and regulations just to be able to understand them, but what it does mean, is…that if you have any questions, it’s better to ask them BEFORE you agree to the rules, rather than after.

If however, your already in a contract, long term, short term…and term…..and you do have a dispute, then you should always know your rights. I’m referring here, to the general public of the United Kingdom, since i do not know any specific regulations in your country, that’s if your outside the UK.

I shall say it again though, to clarify: Know Your Rights. Regardless of any rules, you have a right to challenge them, if you think they are wrong. Even if your in the contract, you can still challenge them, although this can and will take time and effort, and of course, a lot of legal paperwork.

I would guess that most of the time, if it’s a simple enough problem, it can be resolved out of court. Example, our case, it was resolved out of court….there was no need to go to court and make an issue out of it, when it was easily corrected.

Sometimes though, when things get really nasty, that’s when the courts have to step in to balance the argument. If this happens, you can be assured that your case will be dealt with independently and without any favour to any side. So, on the bright side, it’s going to be dealt with legally and honestly.

Finally, something i have learned from all this NEVER Give Up. This is the hard bit, since most legal cases can drag on and on for years, it can seen debilitating and demoralising to everyone. There will be days you feel like giving up, but that’s what the other side want. We are British, we never give up. Well, that’s what i was told anyway, and so i kept going and going, I'm like the energiser bunny…no offense to you Duracell.

So there you have it folks, a beginners guide to how to keep sane..in an unpredictable world.

We Won!!!

Sorry about the delay in writing updates, but just recently, 10th March 2011, we received a letter from our Solicitor saying we can keep all 4 cats.

It’s been a hell of a struggle, and one that has proved to all the sceptics, that common sense does prevail, and that no matter how big you think you are, as a company or anyone, your rules can be challenged legally, especially stupid ones.

Since 10th March, we have been relaxing and celebrating, because to me, this is, or was a battle that not even the local papers thought we would win. We even had someone in the council offices at their headquarters say “ good luck” to us, in a sense that he thought we had no chance. I now laugh at them people, and their ignorance.

If anything, it was a gamble on our part, i was prepared to put everything on the line, for a chance we could win. sometimes these gambles don’t pay off, but this was one of those based on principal more than anything else.

I would however like to thank everyone that did support us, your thoughts and help are immeasurable, we couldn’t have got through this without you. You know who you all are:)

Your Help

It has been a while since i have posted, but nothing much has happened since last time. If anything, we have been highly stressed and even more depressed over this matter.

It has got to the stage now where we must consider all our options, and we believe the next option is to seek full legal help, via a solicitor / lawyer. Unfortunately Lawyers are not cheap, and for good reason, they are highly trained in the legal arena, and know the law regarding such issues almost inside and out. For all those years training and court cases come a cost, where us mere normal folk have to rely on what the lawyers say and do.

We don’t really want to have to do this, but in this world, you don’t get anything if you don’t ask. Plus, we have pondered all other actions and to find ways in which ordinary people, like yourself can help us, and could, in all theory, make all the difference.

Normally on the internet, there is not much anyone can do, other than sit back and wait for updates on this blog. However, there is many ways you can help, and with the prospect of a huge legal battle versus local authority, we will need all the help we can get.

So, how can you help? Simple, by making a small donation to our cause.

Myself, and my partner will not benefit from this, not 1 penny, as all funds raised will go directly to legal costs involved, and to challenge the local authority. Also, as soon as the legal battle is either won...or lost, all procedes from donations will go directly to an animal charity, which must be registered and legal of course.

So, as you can see, any help is highly apreciated and most welcome of course. Every penny counts, and will help out fight in this matter, and hopefully it will also aid others in the same possition to fight thier causes too.

Thoughts

There you have it folks, the letter i sent to them. their reply, in a nutshell, was to enforce that their tenancy agreement rules apply, regardless of what we say or do, and that’s all their is too it.

They basically posted to us all the events that happened since July 6th 2010, on their behalf. There was no mention of the challenge, no addressing of our concerns regarding the rules, and certainly no leeway in the matter. That’s typical council though, they just wont back down.

It’s looking more and more though it will go to court, whereby we will express our opinion and rights.

Of course though, our cats, and my family are first, then my allegiance to the general public to inform you all here, right on this blog, of the situation as it develops.

I will be writing to the council to put things in writing, so they are in no illusion that i will go as far as they take it, either way is good to me.

Pass the Ball–part 3

Unfair Contract Terms Act 1977

1977 CHAPTER 50

10 Evasion by means of secondary contract. E+W+N.I.

A person is not bound by any contract term prejudicing or taking away rights of his which arise under, or in connection with the performance of, another contract, so far as those rights extend to the enforcement of another’s liability which this Part of this Act prevents that other from excluding or restricting.

Explanatory provisions

11 The “reasonableness” test. E+W+N.I.

(1)In relation to a contract term, the requirement of reasonableness for the purposes of this Part of this Act, section 3 of the M6 Misrepresentation Act 1967 and section 3 of the M7 Misrepresentation Act (Northern Ireland) 1967 is that the term shall have been a fair and reasonable one to be included having regard to the circumstances which were, or ought reasonably to have been, known to or in the contemplation of the parties when the contract was made.

=============================================================

Implied Terms

Source: http://www.gillhams.com/articles/141.cfm

General Application to Contracts

The rule is of general application and terms may be implied into contracts of virtually any nature, involving arbitration, agency, building, technology licences, sales of goods, supply of services and real property. The implication of terms remains a matter of law for a court to decide with the guidance of established legal principle.

When Terms are implied into a Contract

Terms may be implied by the facts of a particular case, which are considered to reflect the parties’ intentions. The general principles are that an implied term must:

1. not contradict any express term of the contract

2. be reasonable and equitable

3. be necessary to give business efficacy to the contract, such that the contract cannot be effective without it

4. so obvious that it goes without saying, and

5. be capable of being clearly expressed.

The factual background at the time of formation of the contract is the relevant time to consider whether the parties probably had the term in mind but did not express it, but probably would have expressed it, had it arisen in the court’s view of fairness or policy.

We look forward to your reply on this matter, preferably within 14 days for an acknowledgement, another 14 for a reply, no more than 30 days at tops.

Signed

Pass the Ball–part 2

The following pages are for our and your reference only; they also form part of this whole report.

Misrepresentation

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Misrepresentation

Misrepresentation means a false statement of fact made by one party to another party and has the effect of inducing that party into the contract. For example, under certain circumstances, false statements or promises made by a seller of goods regarding the quality or nature of the product that the seller has may constitute misrepresentation. A finding of misrepresentation allows for a remedy of rescission and sometimes damages depending on the type of misrepresentation.

There are two types of misrepresentation in contract law, fraud in the factum and fraud in inducement. Fraud in the factum focuses on whether the party in question knew they were creating a contract. If the party did not know that they were entering into a contract, there is no meeting of the minds, and the contract is void. Fraud in inducement focuses on misrepresentation attempting to get the party to enter into the contract. Misrepresentation of a material fact (if the party knew the truth, that party would not have entered into the contract) makes a contract voidable.

According to Gordon v. Selico[55] it is possible to make a misrepresentation either by words or by conduct, although not everything said or done is capable of constituting a misrepresentation. Generally, statements of opinion or intention are not statements of fact in the context of misrepresentation.

Both an order for specific performance and an injunction are discretionary remedies, originating for the most part in equity. Neither is available as of right and in most jurisdictions and most circumstances a court will not normally order specific performance. A contract for the sale of real property is a notable exception. In most jurisdictions, the sale of real property is enforceable by specific performance. Even in this case the defences to an action in equity (such as laches, the bona fide purchaser rule, or unclean hands) may act as a bar to specific performance.

Related to orders for specific performance, an injunction may be requested when the contract prohibits a certain action. Action for injunction would prohibit the person from performing the act specified in the contract.

==============================================================

Misrepresentation Act 1967

1967 CHAPTER 7

Source: http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1967/7

An Act to amend the law relating to innocent misrepresentations and to amend sections 11 and 35 of the Sale of Goods Act 1893.

[22nd March 1967]

1 Removal of certain bars to rescission for innocent misrepresentation. E+W

Where a person has entered into a contract after a misrepresentation has been made to him, and—

(a)the misrepresentation has become a term of the contract; or

(b) The contract has been performed;

or both, then, if otherwise he would be entitled to rescind the contract without alleging fraud, he shall be so entitled, subject to the provisions of this Act, notwithstanding the matters mentioned in paragraphs (a) and (b) of this section.

2 Damages for misrepresentation.E+W

(1)Where a person has entered into a contract after a misrepresentation has been made to him by another party thereto and as a result thereof he has suffered loss, then, if the person making the misrepresentation would be liable to damages in respect thereof had the misrepresentation been made fraudulently, that person shall be so liable notwithstanding that the misrepresentation was not made fraudulently, unless he proves that he had reasonable ground to believe and did believe up to the time the contract was made the facts represented were true.

(2)Where a person has entered into a contract after a misrepresentation has been made to him otherwise than fraudulently, and he would be entitled, by reason of the misrepresentation, to rescind the contract, then, if it is claimed, in any proceedings arising out of the contract, that the contract ought to be or has been rescinded, the court or arbitrator may declare the contract subsisting and award damages in lieu of rescission, if of opinion that it would be equitable to do so, having regard to the nature of the misrepresentation and the loss that would be caused by it if the contract were upheld, as well as to the loss that rescission would cause to the other party.

(3)Damages may be awarded against a person under subsection (2) of this section whether or not he is liable to damages under subsection (1) thereof, but where he is so liable any award under the said subsection (2) shall be taken into account in assessing his liability under the said subsection (1).

Pass the Ball–part 1

It’s been a week, one that i have been eagerly awaiting, since giving the council a sort of update.

Here is what i sent them.

Dear Sir / Madam.

On reflection of the situation, we wish to advise you of the current status.

1. We wish to appeal against your decision to keep 4 cats.

• We strongly believe, and uphold our rights to challenge your decision, given the fact that we were misled or forced to sign the tenancy agreement under duress. Therefore, legally, the whole contract of tenancy comes under Misrepresentation Act 1967. We enclose a copy of that exact law for your reference.

• We strongly believe that we had permissions to have 4 cats since 2003, based on Implied Terms. To establish what Implied Terms mean, I have enclosed the legal definition of what a court of law would interpret Implied Terms as.

• We feel that, your rules do not clearly identify, nor do they give reason as to why anyone cannot have animals / pets in a certain property. This could easily be interpreted at Misrepresentation, since it does not clearly identify what any older tenants under old tenancy rules can do regarding pets they already have or obtained permissions for. Plus, many tenants that may have the old rules may not be aware of the new rules and so they too are misled.

• We also feel the entire ruling in the tenancy agreement is not based on facts. Therefore it’s unreasonable and not justified. It can easily be interpreted in favour of Blackpool Coastal Housing at any time they see fit, and therefore any tenant does not properly understand the full rules.

• We feel they are discriminating against those decent, law abiding people that would love a few pets to keep them company, and as Blackpool Coastal Housing have made us aware, you have also told a lady that is disabled that she too must remove her dog because of the rules. This we find rather disturbing from any housing group.

2. To date, and despite the continuous bullying, we have contacted almost every cat charity organisation that is legally and responsibly owned, to establish if there is any possibility of re homing 2 of our cats that you requested.

• We have been told, on more than several occasions, the situation regarding cat charities, including RSPCA, is excessively overwhelmed. Due to the severe nature and sheer numbers involved, the RSPCA have advised us that they no longer take in any animals at this time.

• Media coverage has also indicated on the more wider problem of re homing, and as a result, focused on the point that some places have to put animals to sleep, even healthy ones, because there is no room.

• Considering the current situation with re homing, and even the attempts Blackpool coastal Housing have made, to no avail, we are not in a position to throw bureaucratic weight around.

• We have even tried Facebook, twitter, blogs and other online medium, including a list of websites. Again, all to no avail.

3. At no point during any appeal or challenge will any of our 4 cats be removed or re homed. Since we have a legal right to challenge your rules, and since this is ongoing (has been since July 2010), all 4 cats will remain at this property until such time that it's been resolved legally and reasonably. This is not negotiable

4. If, and only if, we do have to re home any of our 4 cats, they will

• be re homed in an appropriate environment (and with as much time as it will take to re home them),

• be given loving and caring home, where they will not be put to sleep out of convenience.

• Again, there will be no time limits involved, since we are aware of the situation that animal homes and other places are under; it could take months if not years. This is not negotiable.

5. We feel that Blackpool Coastal Housing have failed to asses the situation correctly, and in doing so, are acting incorrectly.

• Blackpool Coastal Housing failed to asses if any of our cats had or have been neutered. To clarify, we have neutered all our cats; they are incapable of having any litters. So this solves the problem of any more kittens in the property.

• Blackpool coastal Housing failed to inquire if the cats were all female, all male or a combination. Again, to clarify, we have all female cats, another reason that they won’t produce any kittens; it's impossible for them to breed being all female.

• Blackpool Coastal Housing failed to obtain any facts or figures if our cats go out anywhere, even in the communal area. To clarify, we do not let our cats out, nor do we let any other cats in to our property. Our cats are perfectly happy, as things are, no pressures, no stress, plenty of love and attention; they get fed well and looked after by vets quite regular.

• Blackpool Coastal Housing failed to ask if we planned on getting any more cats, or any other cats when one or all of our current cats pass away. To clarify, we do not wish to have any more animals of any sort once our current pets pass away. We simply wish to look after the ones we currently have, and be left alone to do so.

• Blackpool Coastal Housing failed to recognise that as far as we are concerned, we had permissions, these permissions were Implied Terms. We took these Implied Terms as good faith and out of respect for the Council at the time.

• Blackpool Coastal Housing failed to inform or negotiate any sort of rules regarding pets or animals, at any time during our entire tenancy at xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx.

• Blackpool Coastal Housing along with social services deliberately forced my partner to sign the new tenancy agreement, without reading it or understanding it. As far as we are concerned, our old tenancy rules, including the new ones and the Implied Terms carried over to the new tenancy, and so this was agreed, that's the only reason my partner signed. Had we been aware of the impeding and ridiculous dispute, we would not have signed any agreement. This is a clear breach of the Misrepresentation Act 1967, in which we enclose for your guidance.

6. We do not accept the poor excuse of “ it's a shared entrance” to justify your rules. This is quite frankly ridiculous and we think made up on the spot. Our cats do not go outside our door, let alone into the communal area, so there no feasible way they use the shared entrance.

7. We also do not accept the excuse “it's too small” in regards to our property size and the amount of space a cat needs. Since we have had all 4 cats, there have been no problems with space for them to exercise and play. We are also looking into the legal requirements that a cat needs, so we request an adequate time to find such information.

8. Overall, we are very disgusted with Blackpool coastal housing and it's responses and how it's dealing with this issue, which in our eyes, and that of many other people, is quite frankly ridiculous and pathetic. We are considering moving home away from Blackpool coastal Housing, and Blackpool entirely.

9. The intolerable and unnecessary amount of stress, anger and upset this dispute is causing is beyond measure and having a detrimental effect on both our health and relationship. We are pretty sure Blackpool coastal Housing do not wish their tenants, in any area they have, to live in a miserable and unhappy home. By removing or re homing any of our cats, Blackpool coastal Housing is making our life a misery and difficult.

10. We have also set up a blog and on Facebook to ask the general public their opinions and thoughts. We have also contacted our local MP, and most national newspapers and TV channels. We want to get as many thoughts as possible.

Finally, I enclose the exact story, and up to date events that led up to this dispute, in an effort to show you and others where it all could have went wrong. The following has also been published to my blog at http://morethanyourjobsworth.blogspot.com and available at Facebook.

Blog post here http://morethanyourjobsworth.blogspot.com/2011/01/eviction-for-having-four-cats.html

Some Stats

I just been looking around, and stumbled upon some interesting facts, I'll try and make sense of them as i go along.
The total area of the United Kingdom is approximately 243,610 square kilometres (94,060 sq. mi)
(source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Kingdom)
Now, we need to know the rough guide to how many pets there are in the UK, and for this I'll base it entirely on cats and dogs only.
There are roughly About 10.3m cats and 10.5m dogs live in UK, that's 20.8 million just cats and dogs, not including any other species of pet.
(Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/feb/06/cat-and-dog-population-uk)

Now, given them facts, that would mean there is about 221 cats and dogs per square mile of land mass in the UK. The average pet needs, i would guess a minimum of half a square mile of territory, that's assuming there is no overlaps and territory disputes and assuming the very minimum if they were in the wild.
So in all theory, all our cats and dogs need 10.4 million square miles of territory, which is 110 times the size of the UK. Somehow, i don't think that's going to be feasible or practical, so something has to be done, otherwise the problem will get ever bigger and more desperate.

It gets better, i am even going compare just UK pets to USA land mass. First to find out what the USA land mass is.
At 3.79 million square miles (9.83 million km2) that is some huge land mass (Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USA), and here is where it gets interesting.
The UK land mass alone would fit into the USA 40.3 times. Even the USA, and this is not including their own animals as pets, or just the cats and dogs, the entire UK population of cats and dogs would fit into the USA 2.76 times.

There is no-one out there that can tell me there isn’t a problem in the UK regarding pets. Worst of all, we love our pets in the UK, and i feel it’s to a point we are loosing control of the pet population. The solution isn’t “lets just kill a few million and problem solved”…the solution is practical and responsible breeding, with lots of information and legal issues brought in by law.

It may come to the point the government have to step in to regulate it, or at very least oversee the control that it’s done legally and responsibly, and with the minimum of fuss and stress to the pets involved.
We all need to take that extra responsibility now, and see our pets as the companions they were meant to be, and not the commodity they are now. No more throw away pets, just because they don't match your curtains, stop being ignorant to that sort of attitude, and start being responsible.

Update for Council

Today was the day we served the council our update, i will enclose what i said to them in a later post, as soon as it has been acknowledged by the council. Don't worry, in case they say they never received it, we have 3 hard copies and unlimited digital copies, so there is no excuse for not receiving it.

Over the past few months, we have more or less been harassed by our local Housing officer, because she wants to “close the case”. I’m not interested what she wants, not what the council want, I'm looking after my family, that is that, and i will do what i have to do, in as long as it takes to do it., i wonder what they think of them apples.

Your all probably wondering what all this is about, your best bet is to read http://morethanyourjobsworth.blogspot.com/2011/01/eviction-for-having-four-cats.html , because this is what this blog is about. I know there are many other issues in the world that also have their own “more than your jobs worth”, and over time, I'm sure i can include a few, and aim to resolve them too.

If anything, i hate to see large corporations walk over the general public, just because they can, and now that the internet has taken off big time, we can all post our own stories, and make these companies aware how stupid they can be, and help to sack the individuals that are causing them problems.

I’m sure any company wants to be the best, and good at what they do, but to spoil it for the sake of 1 person, well, it deserves a swift and legal kick up the backside.

The Preparation

Today has, all be it boring, a day about preparing for the battle or battles ahead. Been to library and a few other places gathering the stuff i need, preparing the papers and getting ready to battle.
We may not win the war, but i wont go quietly, after all, it’s not about me, it’s about principal and standing up to the corporate war machine that is government.
Over the next few weeks, maybe months, hell, even years at a push, it will be decided weather or not we get kicked out for having 4 cats or not. If we are kicked out, then that will prove, beyond all measure, that the rules are wrong, and there are indeed just as stupid and irresponsible people to uphold them. You know the ones, the people that only want to achieve their targets, and not give a damn who gets hurt in the process, just so their boss gives them a pat on the back and a job well done.
On the other hand, if we win, or if there is a compromise, then all is well, and that will prove that councils can and do listen, and that they can be reasonable. It will prove, beyond all measure, that there are decent. respectful people, even in jobs with a lot of pressure, and maybe their bosses on their back to preform and get targets, but they still have a morale duty to the law abiding citizens, and appreciate the way things are or have been.
Either way, it’s going to be big, and hopefully it will end amicably, with as little pressure as possible.

Last few days

Well, to be honest, i have been running around, asking loads of people what their opinions are about our predicament, and a lot of sources have came to light.

First of all, i have contacted all the major TV channels, not that i expect anything they can help with, but hopefully they can at least highlight the underlying problem, and if this matter is a UK wide problem, then it certainly needs addressing, and possibly the law changed to accommodate it.

I know we are not alone in this dispute, there are many others that could be involved, and many more that it will affect according to their tenancy agreements across the entire UK.

We have also contacted a few national newspapers with the same facts, again we await their reply. Since the local paper isn’t interested, perhaps the national ones will be more investigative, and delve deeper into the story.

Also, contacted our local MP, we feel he needs to know, even if there is nothing he can do, then at least he is aware of the problem and can address it as he needs to.

Other than that, i have dug up some legal and law regarding contracts, and will forward this on to the council by Tuesday latest. I got a ton of information to sort out and put into a semi decent report.

The Underlying problem

So far, all i have done is what a majority of people would call whinging, it’s just another person with another problem, but where do i get it all from?

I’m going to try and explain the underlying problem i can see, which is one the entire UK should be facing, and one that is pretty much ignored, because it’s only to do with pets.

The problem is breeding. That’s right, just plain and simple facts of life, and it all starts there. Not just the types of animal, and select breeds, but generally, anyone in the UK can breed cats or dogs, or i guess any animal within the confines of their home. This needs to stop, and needs regulating.

This is something i find quite disturbing, not because anyone can get away with it, but because the consequences of taking no action to resolve this will be far greater than it is now.

Lets look at some statistics. On average, a health pair of breeding cats will have 5 or 6 litters a year, each litter again about 5 or 6, maybe more. Over a lifetime of the cats, they could produce about 5000 or 6000 cats, and that’s just 2 cats. Now imagine the current state of the UK pet population, on average i would guess it will double within 5 to 10 years, if not sooner.  So my question is…where are all these pets going?

Sure enough, pets do die naturally, and through many other means, but also a lot are being killed of, simply because some animal charities are so overwhelmed that they don't have a choice but to put them to sleep. The worst thing of all, there is nothing anyone can do about it. Or is there?

My solution is more or less simple in theory, as for practice, that’s something else. Anyway, the solution is…Controlled breeders. This can be achieved by making the most of some animal charities and use them as breeders, in a controlled environment, and with a licence. The building are pretty much already in place, it just needs an organisation to take control, and be the select breeder of pets.

How would this solve the problem? Simple, anyone not licenced to breed, should face fines and so on, depending on the severity or the continuous breach without licence. We must all be educated that we can no longer see a cat or dog merely as a commodity, nor as a celebrity pet, they are not toys.

The selected breeders would be able to inform the public and raise awareness of responsibility of a pet, plus, as it would be regulated, it would control any form of animal diseases, and also help protect local wildlife. Not only that, it would help put an end to abandoned pets, and cruelty, since in today’s society and technology, we can now microchip our pets, for identity purposes, so anyone caught can be brought to justice.

Select breeders would solve a lot of problems, and also solve the amount of pets that will probably get put down because they not wanted, and ultimately, this leads to my problem, as the breeders could send someone to our place, asses weather it suitable, and provide a pet as need be, and in accordance with the local authority ruling. So therefore it wouldn’t cause any stress or legal battles.

Phone call

Today, we had another phone call from our local housing office, and guess what, they are asking us to phone around the cat charities to see if there is any homes there for 2 of our cats.


I know the council are lazy, but doing thier dirty work for them, that's kind of ironic, don't you think? Perhaps i should charge them for the phone calls and food, litter and meds for the cats too. Since we are, in all efect, looking after them untill they get re-homed.

What's worse is, my mum, now has dementia, she don't know who i am, or anything much. I am in a lot of stress and this is not helping my depression one little bit. As if i haven't got enough to worry about, now i got to run round after the council.

What also gets to me is, they told me " your not in any trouble", well duhhh, if we not in trouble, what's the mystery. Also, they have aparently told many other households in Blackpool the same thing, and even told a woman, disabled and alone that she had to give up her dog. To me i found that sickening and very disapointing of a council that supposed to care.

Still, this issue continues, and will continue for a long long time yet, or untill our cats get a decent and loving home.

Eviction for having four cats

For the last 7, nearly 8 years, we have had 4 cats. Just recently, July 2010, we were abruptly told to remove them or face eviction. Here is the full story( it is rather long, so if you don't feel like reading it, then i understand ) :

In 2002 I moved into a new place in Blackpool, at the time, it was council owned, and there was no problems. A few weeks into my tenancy, I got 2 cats. I immediately went to the local office to inform them that I had indeed obtained 2 cats, and was it allowed in my tenancy agreement. The counter staff at that time reassured me that it was allowed and was OK providing they were informed, in which I was doing, so they were happy with that. I was happy with that too, so I continued as normal.

A year later, in 2003, my partner moved in with me, and we met some of the neighbours in our block. Our neighbours had 2 cats as well, but a smaller property. In due course, their cats had kittens, and so 8 weeks later, they were running around trying to re-home them. We were delighted at the sight of 2 kittens, and so we took 2 kittens off their hands. Both myself and the neighbour went to the local housing office to inform them of the situation and to ask permissions. Again, myself and my neighbour were reassured that it was allowed, and permissions were given by the counter staff.

At no point, either before, during or after signing the original tenancy agreement, were we told or reminded we had to have this permissions in writing, nor were we shown the exact ruling the council used at that time, or after. So since 2003, we assumed that we had full permissions to have 4 cats, and we were happy. At no stage were we consulted as to weather we had all female cats, and that we do not plan to have any other animals in this property. Nor did anyone bother to inquire that our cats are fully neutered and couldn't have kittens even if they wanted to. Nor did anyone consider that we have no plans to get any more cats after our current ones pass away.

Anyway, between that point and mid November 2009, I had to go into a different accommodation, to help with my depression. This involved social services and other medical professionals, in fact probably involved a load of folk I never even heard of. As part of this rehab type thing, I had to be removed of the tenancy agreement, because you can't have 2 tenancies at the same time.

My partner had to sign a new tenancy. This new tangency was with the all new Blackpool Coastal Housing. I was there when she signed it, and I swear down now, at no point was my partner shown or explained the rules of the tenancy. All they wanted was for her to sign it, without looking at it or understanding it. It was as if she was signing under duress. I was basically told to be quiet, because it was my partner that was signing it, not me. So even I didn't have that option. Even in the months leading up to this, social services knew we had 4 cats, and it wasn't a problem then either.

While I was in care, it was getting more and more evident, that there was no support for my partner, and I got frustrated. I got even more frustrated that my medications were being messed with, so I had a few disagreements. Finally in December I left, I had enough of the place, plus it wasn't helping me one little bit. They got annoyed that I so called "bribed" them into getting my meds back, but I wasn't there for medication review, I was there to get help. However, since December 2009 and July 2010, nothing was said, and as far as I’m concerned everything was back to normal. That was, until someone from Blackpool coastal Housing sent a letter saying..we want to come round to inspect the property. I never seen that before, and apparently they do this every year, so we let them come round, just out of curiosity if nothing else.

That was when the sparks fly, they came bursting in, and immediately picked up that we had 4 cats, and barked lout orders, in no uncertain terms " get rid of the cats or face eviction". As you could imagine, I went ballistic, I was in no way going to tolerate that sort of attitude from anyone..I don't care who they work for. There were a few other issues that needed addressing, which we have solved, that was the easy bit, but to come into my domain and tell us to remove our cats..I was having none of it. So I went to the local office, and I created an argument of my own, I returned the favour They didn't like it, so how do they expect me to like it.

After a few letters here and there, we had to put into writing that we want permissions to have 4 cats, so we did, and it was refused. I heard some pretty good excuses in my time, but the best ones were to come, including “ it's got a shared entrance” and “ too small”. In a few weeks we eventually agreed to 2 cats, and I put that in writing, and that was approved. So, we are at a crossroads now, where to re-home 2 cats, especially in a society that has far too many cats and dogs, even the animal charities are overwhelmed, to bursting. I had 1 place told me that if the council seen their place..it would be shut down due to overcapacity. That shows you the state of things.

Best of all though, I contacted the Blackpool Gazette, the local newspaper, as I thought it would be a nice story for them, plus to show my anger, and all they said was “is it in the tenancy agreement”...I replied yes, because we had been shown it after someone came round and explained it. They said they would send a reporter round...not heard from them at all. I thought it would make a nice story, since I’m not the only one affected by this issue in the whole of Blackpool, or if I am, then that's a whole new ball game altogether. It's as if the newspaper is bias towards the council, which would explain the response I got from a phone call about 3 days earlier, in which I was told “good luck” by a council employee, when I said I was going to the newspaper.

So what are we supposed to do? Personally, I think this is a load of bollocks, the economy is in crisis and all Blackpool Coastal Housing are worried about is if I got 4 cats or not. Someone needs to get their priorities right.

If anyone can help...especially in full English Law, weather there is anything I can do legally, then please contact me.

You may love or hate any animals ... but lets put it this way, some people, me included, love their animals, and do take care of them, sometimes better than myself, they are treated as one of the family. My question is this...what would you do if someone tried to take away your child or pets...without a genuine or reasonable excuse? That I leave to you.

Disclaimer:

Under no circumstances am I, or anyone else suggesting or claiming that Blackpool Coastal Housing is good or bad, right or wrong, I am only giving the correct and true facts that actually happened to me and my partner in this case, weather it's ongoing or not.

Welcome

First of all, before i get on my high horse and start exposing the complete noobs and down right idiotic people that are supposed to help and not make life harder, i would like to welcome you all to this blog.

This blog isn't much to look at really, but my aim is primarily to give you, the adoring public, a sence of what is really going on, and should the time come, to show you that today's society rules are just rediculous as the people that enforce them.

I know i'm not alone, but there is a fine line between what is right, what is wrong. The problem is, that grey area in the middle, where not even the courts know the difference, because no-one has a bloody clue what to do. It's also that grey area, where common sence and values don't count, because even the law can't work out what to do, as no-one has been criminalised for it.

It just seems to me, that the grey area is getting wider and wider, where even the most established rules are being put there, this is a deliberate attempt to confuse us all, as if we are not confused already. It all just adds up to a point of..." can someone be sued because of this rule?" if not..put that rule in the grey area, we'll come back to it.

Anyway, enough of my techno babble, over the coming weeks, months...hell, even years, i have no doubt this could go on and on for all time, i shall aim to give you all the updates from my part of the world...Blackpool.