‘Barton House evacuation highlights Barton Hill’s inequalities’

I was sitting scrolling through the news when I saw a national-level breaking news story happening ten minutes walk from my house. That story was the unexpected evacuation of over 400 residents from Barton House.

After a structural survey, which found “serious and immediate” structural issues with the building in Barton Hill, it was determined that the building was dangerous and the entire building was to be immediately evacuated.

As a local resident, I wanted to go and see what was being done to help people at the scene. What I was greeted with was a lot more intense than I expected.

It was a visual representation of the instability of living in Bristol’s council housing. I saw school age children, wrapped up in dressing gowns, struggling with suitcases full of belongings. There was so much confusion in the air, nobody knew where they’d be staying.

Imagine waking up in the morning to a normal day, and then ending the day not knowing whether your child would be going to school in the morning. Residents gathered at Wellspring Settlement, accepting food and other items. It was hard not to feel upset, seeing people so quickly reduced to such an unstable living condition.

This was happening ten minutes away from my house. Families whose children probably went to the same school as my neighbours faced the upsetting reality of being housing insecure for an unknown period of time.

The fact that many being asked to leave their homes don’t have English as a first language only created another barrier to understanding the situation. It felt chaotic and disorganised.

I understand the council couldn’t have expected this, and they worked very hard to arrange accommodation for as many people as possible. But, how did we get to this point? It doesn’t fly over my head that this is one of the most deprived neighbourhoods in the city.

The fact that Barton House got to this point – where surveyors assessed it would be disastrous if a fire occurred – is a shame on Bristol City Council. And it’s not just those immediately affected, but people who live in nearby blocks who are concerned about their own homes.

Through following the story, you see multiple reports of residents saying the building should have been condemned years ago. Why are council housing residents having to fight for liveable conditions? This will generate a huge lack of trust in the council from a community that is already sidelined and underrepresented. It highlights the lack of investment in Bristol’s less prosperous neighbourhoods.

It felt surreal to step away from this scene, having seen people so upset and in shock as they were kicked out of their homes. I walked down Church Road, it was bustling with people grocery shopping, sipping wine in bars and it felt unfair. The family you are born into is a lottery, but more can be done to help Bristol’s low income residents.

The government has a duty of care to people in council housing. In no circumstances should people’s lives be put on the line as a result of their income and where they live.

I was outraged to see such chaos and confusion, large families carrying as much as they could fit into bags. I couldn’t see anyone of authority helping people at the scene. People were sent on buses to their various organised accommodation, but more support at the scene was needed.

Small children struggled with suitcases, looking around confused and upset. They should have been in bed, resting for the school day. How could you focus at school whilst you worry about where you might be staying that night? Some families were staying with friends, some with family, some had absolutely no idea.

The government and local councils need to be assisting those in society who need it the most. What if that survey hadn’t occurred? What if there had been a fire? The Barton House evacuation only highlights Lawrence Hill’s inequalities. If that doesn’t cause outrage, I don’t know what will.

Hundreds of residents of Barton House were evacuated at short notice on Tuesday evening – photo: Ellie Pipe

Andy Leake is reporting on Lawrence Hill as part of Bristol24/7’s community reporter scheme, a project which aims to tell stories from areas of Bristol traditionally under-served by the mainstream media

Main photo: Ellie Pipe

Read next: 

• Hundreds of residents evacuated from Bristol’s oldest tower block
• Council criticised for handling of tower block evacuation 
• Barton Hill community rallies together in wake of tower block fire

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