AS Mr G Pilkington (Letters, August 5) does not know the person concerned, he is totally unjustified to suggest that my former workmate deserved to be evicted.

His plight came about because his benefits were stopped 15 months ago. His sisters helped him out when they could and approached a councillor for help.

All he wanted was a reason as to why they had been stopped, but none was given.

When the council started to move tenants from Mill Hill flats in Blackburn, he was approached by a councillor who did offer alternative accommodation, but all he wanted was his benefits sorting out before accepting other accommodation.

I accept and know that Mill Hill flats were renovated with thousands of pounds of taxpayers' money, but both I and my former workmate were paying tax at that time.

As for Queen's Park flats, they were extremely sought-after. I had relatives living there at one time and you would not have had to ask me twice at that time about living there. But the downfall came with the people who were moved in by the council. They were lax about vetting them and slow to remove troublesome tenants.

So it was the council who spent thousands doing up the flats and then moved in unsuitable tenants who had little respect for the place they lived, with the result that tenants of six blocks of flats need to be rehoused and the buildings demolished.

Looking at the scale of events when bad tenants are moved in, the buildings becoming run down, the tenants getting rehoused then the buildings become scheduled for demolition, it suggests that Larkhill flats may be next in the pipeline.

Councillor Malcolm Doherty and Councillor Dorothy Walsh have both taken steps to help my former workmate with his benefit and housing problems and I would like to thank them both for doing so, especially Councillor Walsh, who went out of her way to both find and help him.

IAN DAVIES, Openshaw Drive, Blackburn.

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