Union resistance prevents ‘beloved’ community worker’s eviction

Dozens of members of a housing union turned up in east Bristol to prevent a community worker from being evicted from his home and made homeless.

George Francis inherited the terraced house on Washington Avenue, Easton, from his uncle and has been living there for a decade. But earlier this month, he received a letter notifying of the planned eviction by mortgage company Together.

Francis believes the dispute is over an unpaid loan taken against the house by his uncle, worth £27,000. He contacted Together asking for a chance to repay the loan via a payment plan, but it refused, ACORN said.

On Tuesday morning, a group from ACORN, a membership organisation and union for communities established in 2014 to tackle social issues such as evictions and homelessness, staged a human protective bubble around the house while Francis remained inside.

Despite whispers of sightings of bailiffs further down the street towards Bellevue Road Park, it became clear that the resistance had deterred the enforcement agents and the threat of eviction through its actions.

ACORN Bristol member defence organiser Sam Kidel told Bristol24/7: “Francis got in contact with ACORN members to come and stand with him to block the way when the bailiffs come and keep him safe in his home”.

“And that’s just happened: the bailiffs arrived, took one look at this group of people standing in front of the way and got on the phone with their boss and disappeared.

“We think that’s the last we will see of them today.”

Francis is a volunteer at Glen’s Kitchen and co-founder of St Paul’s Community Forum and Bridging Histories, a major project which invites individuals and communities across Bristol to explore their past, present and future in the aftermath of the historic moment that saw Colston’s statue toppled.

Ash Bond, an ambassador from Bridging Histories, called her eviction-threatened colleague “at the beating heart of projects that elevate and celebrate”.

Kidel added: “No one deserves to be evicted from their home. We are in the midst of a housing crisis and cost of living crisis – actions like helping people threatened with street homelessness.

“It’s crucial that people across Bristol and the country get together to fight back for each other and say: ‘people over profit’.”

ACORN members have triggered a social media campaign demanding that Together negotiate a payment plan with Francis.

The day of action comes as ACORN continues its latest campaign to end the practice of rental bidding wars in Bristol, with the aim of making it the UK’s first ‘bid-free’ city.

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Read more: ‘ACORN is a community union that has landlords on the run’

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In a statement emailed to Bristol24/7, a spokesperson for Together said: “Whilst we have every sympathy with Mr George Francis’s situation, it is important to recognise that he is not a customer of ours and has never owned or demonstrated any legal rights to the property (60 Washington Avenue, Bristol).

“We have to act in the best interests of our customer, who is the court appointed administrator of our previous customer’s estate after his passing in 2017. We are therefore unable to engage with Mr George Francis about the loan accounts relating to the property.

“Any right to occupy the property or payments relating to it would be for Mr George Francis to agree directly with our customer and we are not aware of any agreement being in place during the last six years.

“As a responsible lender, we will take every step possible to help customers who are struggling to pay their mortgage, and focus on providing the best outcomes for them. It will always be a last resort for us to apply to the courts for a possession order when all other options have been exhausted.”

All photos & video: Betty Woolerton

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• Family evicted despite community resistance

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