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Inverness family says home life is ‘unbearable’ and are pleading to be rehomed saying cramped conditions at their current address are placing a strain on family life


By Ian Duncan

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Claire Louise Bates and partner Kevin Johnston with children (from left) Kenzie, Kevin, Kobe, Klaine, and Kyler.
Claire Louise Bates and partner Kevin Johnston with children (from left) Kenzie, Kevin, Kobe, Klaine, and Kyler.

An Inverness couple is pleading to be rehomed saying cramped conditions at their current address are placing an “unbearable” strain on family life.

Kevin Johnston (35) lives with 32-year-old partner Claire Bates and their five sons in a two-bedroom property in Slackbuie Road.

When they first moved there, in 2016, they had just two children – Kenzie, now aged eight, and Klaine, who is now six years old.

Since then, however, they have had three more offspring – Kevin (3), Kyler (2) and eight-month-old Kobe.

It means some of the family need to sleep downstairs on couches.

Tenants with Cairn Housing Association, they originally applied to Highland Council for a move to a three-bedroom property in 2018, but say they were told that their paperwork had been lost and they would have to reapply when they contacted the council two years later.

Mr Johnston said: “We would not have known about the council losing the application if we never contacted them – it would have just left us thinking our application was active.”

He said the situation was now “unbearable” and added: “It is also affecting our mental health and putting strain on our relationship.

“We have three boys in one room and I sleep in the other room with our second youngest. Claire sleeps downstairs with Kobe.

“Some days the three youngest and Claire sleep downstairs in the living room on a couch as the kids want to be with their mother.”

In April last year, they contacted Inverness MP Drew Hendry to enlist his help, but still nothing has changed.

A Highland Council spokesman said they could not comment on individual cases, but added: “Highland Council operates a common housing register with the main registered social housing landlords in Highland. It is a needs-based register with applicants allocated properties based on their housing needs and the supply of housing available in their areas of choice.”

He said allocations were not made based on length of application time and applicants were encouraged to keep in contact with the local housing teams who could offer advice and assistance.


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