Anthony Counihan and Isabel Counihan-Sanchez moved with their five children from Kilburn to Ireland in 2007, to look after Anthony’s dad who was sick. They signed away a council tenancy without the council advising them they could sublet for a year. In Ireland Anthony couldn’t find work and Anthony’s dad died. The family moved back to Brent and the Council eventually found them private housing in Kilburn with an extortionate rent. Anthony, a bus driver at Cricklewood, inherited land in Ireland from his dad and declared it to various agencies, resulting in complete cuts to their benefits over a period of 18 months, far exceeding the £18 per week income the land brought in. The Council landed them with a Housing Benefit overpayment bill of £46K!
Unable to afford the rent on Anthony’s £400 a week wage, evicted from their flat - Brent council found them temporary housing in Ealing; despite all the children attending school in Brent, despite Isabel’s mum being seriously ill with cancer in Kilburn and despite the fact the Council knew they couldn't afford this flat either! They are threatened with eviction there too. The Council have ruled that the family had made themselves intentionally homeless and are waiting on the outcome of the family’s housing benefit tribunal before undertaking their duty to house them, despite months of growing protests in the community.
Supporters of the family have described the actions of Brent Labour council as social cleansing, an attempt to remove working class families from the area so that Brent can implement a cuts programme proposed by the UK government. The Facebook page Counihan Battlebus has attracted 500 supporters after a week online. The family have launched a petition which has already attracted hundreds of signatures.
A meeting of South Kilburn residents and supporters of the Counihans held on 25th August unanimously agreed the following points:
1. That Glenda Jackson should support the family by putting pressure on Brent Council to fulfil its legal and moral obligations to house the family in Brent, and stop delaying and hiding behind departmental walls. The Council is ultimately, and urgently, responsible for housing the family, who are in extreme circumstances.
2. Public servants are being pushed into behaving vindictively, dishonestly, and punitively towards local residents in order to make cuts being imposed by the government. Labour controlled Brent Council are justifying further cuts and regressive policies on Housing by blaming the Tory government. The Housing issue needs to be championed by Glenda Jackson in Parliament, and we call on her to table an Early Day Motion in defence of their right to be housed in Brent.
3. Glenda Jackson should put herself in Isabel Counihan’s shoes for just one week, making the journey that Isabel makes to bring her five children to separate schools and back from Ealing to Brent. Unlike Isabel, Glenda Jackson is not due for a hip replacement, but this might help Glenda to understand the urgency of the issue for the Counihans, as her constituents do.

For more information contact Jim McIntyre on +44 (0)7958 157392