Sovereign Housing threaten Lambourn tenants’ champion with legal action

A WOMAN campaigning on behalf of Sovereign Housing’s Lambourn tenants has been barred from the premises and threatened with legal action.

Victoria Sutton is a national campaigner and advocate for NHS whistleblowers, who took up cudgels on behalf of tenants in the Harris Close retirement complex and other properties.

The response of the association has been to ban her from the property and to accuse her of causing residents “harassment, alarm or distress.”

In March the Newbury Weekly News reported how Ms Sutton wrote to Newbury MP Lee Dillon, to police and to housing association chiefs, stating: “Over the last four months I have been aware that the situation at Harris Close for the elderly and more fragile residents would escalate as a consequence of the unmonitored behaviour (of one villager).

“I've been fact finding and assessed the number of residents there who are vulnerable either by age, physicality or mental health.

“These repeated call outs and police presence are causing enormous distress, obviously.

“The lift has been out, is a danger to elderly tenants and causing serious distress to families.”

Ms Sutton also alleged that one domestic violence victim in Close End “lives in terror of… known drug dealers”.

Sovereign Housing has now barred Ms Sutton from their premises under threat of legal action.

And, in a letter to residents, Sovereign has stated: “As you’ll be aware, we’re working with the relevant professional agencies to address the concerns you’ve reported to ensure a suitable and sustainable solution is sought for all involved.

“We appreciate some residents feel Victoria is a voice for the community; however the actions taken by her have caused concerns over the wellbeing of residents and has at times impacted our investigations and could holt [sic] these progressing any further.”

It added that Ms Sutton has been banned from entering the Harris Close complex and urged residents to deal with the agency directly instead of her.

Ms Sutton said: “I am absolutely disgusted that I have been accused of harassment…this is a very serious, perverse accusation.”

She added that she was consequently seeking legal advice and that the only times she had attended the premises were in response to a request from distressed residents who felt the housing association was ignoring them.