Netherton flats row: Tenants' heartbreak over being 'forced from homes'
The heartbroken final tenants of 1960s-built flats in Netherton earmarked for demolition have hit out at being 'cruelly' forced out of their homes.
Dudley Council is speeding up the process of moving residents out of Arley, Compton, Manor and Wells Courts because of fears over the crumbling state of the high rise blocks and cost of repairs.
A total of 192 residents in Arley, Compton, Manor and Wells Courts are to be given clearance priority, taking effect from this month, which mean they will go to the top of the housing list.
Many have already been moved out with the majority of the flats – that once housed hundreds of people – now empty.
But those who remain are defiant with some saying they will not be moved. Steve and Jackie Jinks have lived in Compton Court for 41 years.
Mrs Jinks, 64, said: "It is cruel what they are doing. This is our home. We have memories here and all our belongings here.
"I'm not going to lose all that for anybody, so they can try and move us out in 12 months but I'm not going anywhere."
Her 63-year-old husband is chairman of the Compton and Arley Tenant Housing Association and said: "These flats are relatively large and the properties they are offering are much smaller."
Butcher Paul Shearwood, 58, who has lived in Wells Court for the past 11 years said he wants to remain close to his workplace less than a mile away on New Road.
"I'm not moving out of Netherton. If it's going to cost me more to go to work I'm not going to pay for the extra cost," he said.
Councillor Elaine Taylor who serves the Netherton, Woodside and St Andrew's ward said: "It is being speeded up because there are lots of problems with the maintenance of the buildings and repairs that need doing."
A recent public notice stated the tower blocks, built in the 1960s, would be demolished by December 18, 2023, but the council is now looking to rehome everyone within the next 12 months.
Council chiefs said they can no longer sustain the buildings because they require more than £9 million in repairs in the short term.
The cost of the demolition and compensating tenants and leaseholders will cost the council £3 million.