Fylde MP Mark Menzies lobbies housing minister as Blackpool residents battle to avoid losing their homes

Around 70 leaseholders, many elderly, at Lindsay Court off Squires Gate Lane, could end up defaulting on their leases if they have to pay £30,000 each for repairs to the flats.

A housing tribunal at Blackpool Magistrates court earlier this month ruled the work should be carried out after decades of neglect of the buildings by previous management groups. The judge said the £2.8m scheme was the only realistic one, despite residents arguing for a cheaper scheme.

They say many are pensioners who would not be able to find £10,000 a year for the next three years or be able to get loans or mortgages from banks due to their low income.

Now Fylde MP Mark Menzies has backed the leaseholders.

He said: “At the forefront of my concern is the interest of the residents.

“Clearly, work needs to be done in order to improve these properties and to ensure they are habitable. However, the costs involved are simply not reasonable for many of the residents.

“The work needs to be done in a way that does not cause the anxiety that is currently the case.

“Overwhelmingly, we are dealing with people who are vulnerable, such as the elderly and disabled, and their treatment is just not on.

“I wrote to the minister for housing, and to the Homes and Communities Agency shortly before this court case to ask for help for these residents.”