In 2011 the council illegally withheld my benefits for 9+ months resulting in my home being stated as possession being handed over to the landlord in January 2012 stating clearly on the letter that if I left the property at any time they were within their rights to take hold of the property and change the locks, this lead to me being unable to attend jobseekers sessions. Even still after that they didn’t pay any due benefits until months later, ignoring that I had made a rapid re-sign, 3 fresh benefits appications and numerous emails and office visits attempting to get due benefits paid. Even the amount paid months later wasn’t fully due benefits as they had neglected and ignored due benefits that should have been paid and only paid from the latest application, still the LGO doesn’t pay due benefits that should have been owed illegally deducting them from compensation due, also ignoring the knock on effects of being unable to attend jobseekers sessions and the years of my life they left me homeless without putting things right or giving me a home ignoring all attempts to get rehomed and all attempts to get them to put things right.
While they have finally upped the compensation from the pathetic £200 they were offering for losing all of my possessions destroying my life and relationships, leaving me homeless and suffering for over 4 years as well as the months of continued suicide attempts and whatever damaging effects these have had on my body and my brain (I know I have mental failures I never had before) This isn’t fair because the primary point that the government and the council owed me these benefits they were illegally withholding and still never paid them and in fact deduct them effectively stealing them from my compensation and saved significant sums of money by not paying due benefits I would have been entitled to even though I more than likely would have found work during that time period, it is horrible that they can deem what they have done to me be effectively only worth £200 for the 4+ years of my life they’ve stolen. Also the value of the things that I have lost let alone the detrimental effects on my health are worth significantly more than the compensation offered and I have a deep hatred and resentment of the council and the government and what they have done to me that I cannot resolve burning within me which fair compensation would have dissipated but I’ve had to suffer and fight so hard and get so stressed just getting something for what they have done to me, feeling suicidal often and repeatedly throughout the entire process that I need more to put right what they’ve destroyed out of me.
Throughout the entire experience the LGO have been less of a fair ombudsman and more of a council scapegoat giving everything to the council and ignoring the laws and clear evidence in front of their faces, along with the fact that the conservative government removed the ability to get legal aid in these cases around the same time they created these problems on a national scale because this happened to so many more people than me it’s surprising that more hasn’t been done by other nations to combat how illegally this country has acted, and with brexit on the radar now I can only imagine laws being revoked and oppression against young people and the unemployed rising as this country becomes a harder place to live and life becoming more of a struggle.
I continue my fight always even if this is eating me and destroying me, I need fair compensation for what they’ve taken from me and recognition for how much of my life and my soul they’ve destroyed.