In 2011, Dr. Suzanne Dow, a respected university lecturer, took her own life after enduring relentless harassment from her neighbors. Despite multiple cries for help, her housing providerâBroxtowe Councilâfailed to act in time. The consequences were devastating.
Following her death, the coroner issued a Rule 43 report (now known as Regulation 28) warning Broxtowe Council that similar tragedies could occur unless action was taken. This legal mechanism exists to prevent future deaths by compelling authorities to examine and correct systemic failures.
This heartbreaking case, reported by Inside Housing, is not just a tragic footnote in housing historyâitâs a red flag for every local authority that fails to act when residents in crisis reach out.
We are now facing an alarmingly similar situation with Tewkesbury Borough Council.
My partner and I are both neurodivergent. Since moving into our current property, we have been subjected to persistent, distressing noise harassment from a neighbor. Despite making multiple reports and providing medical evidence of the psychological toll this is taking, the Council has refused to offer meaningful support or prioritise our need to move to a safer location.
Rather than intervening to protect us or offering any reasonable adjustment under the Equality Act 2010, the Council has instead treated us as the problem, threatening enforcement and applying pressure rather than solutions. This is in direct contradiction to their Public Sector Equality Duty, which requires them to take reasonable steps to accommodate the needs of disabled people, including those with mental health conditions or neurodivergent traits.
This is not simply administrative oversightâit is a systemic failure that could have life-altering or even life-ending consequences.
The Equality Act is not a suggestion. It is a legal obligation. When local authorities ignore it, they place vulnerable individuals at increased risk, emotionally and physically. If this situation continues to be mishandled, Tewkesbury Borough Council could, and should, face the same type of Regulation 28 warning that was issued to Broxtowe.
We are not looking for special treatmentâonly fairness, protection, and access to basic safety. If the Council had listened sooner and acted responsibly, this could have been resolved quietly and respectfully. But the longer it continues to delay or deny our needs, the more serious the consequences may becomeânot just for us, but for the reputation and legal standing of the Council itself.
Tewkesbury Borough Council must act now. Before another preventable tragedy becomes a matter for the coroner.
If you or someone you know is struggling, please contact Samaritans on 116 123 (UK, free 24/7), or reach out to a trusted mental health professional.
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