'We cannot bring twins home to a hotel': Dad facing homelessness makes plea to council after being offered B&B miles away

A dad says he feels like Salford Council has ‘put a gun to my head’ as he faces being losing his home at the same time his partner gives birth to twins.

Mark Kirwin, from Swinton, told the Manchester Evening News that his family need to leave the home he rents while repairs are carried out, but his only offer from Salford Council is to move to a bed-and-breakfast in Harpurhey, some five miles away.

That’s ‘not adequate’, Mark says, because his four-year-old son attends a ‘special play group’ for children with autism in Swinton. The council says that its offer is ‘due to high demand and shortage of properties’, with nearly 100 people in a similar position to Mark.

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The authority, and Mr Kirwin’s landlord, also say they have attempted to complete the repairs for more than a year, but have been unable to get access to the home ‘for 18 months’. The landlord, Ian Hannah, has also said he will foot the bill for any temporary accommodation the family needs while the repairs are carried out.

However, Mark feels like he is in an impossible position. He said: “I feel like they have put a gun to my head.

“This has been going on for three years. My four-year-old son has lived here for four years and no one has batted an eyelid. A hotel is not adequate for us.

“I have been on to housing, and they have offered us a hotel in Harpurhey. My son has autism and he goes to a play group in Swinton, and he needs to stay there.

“We cannot bring twins home to a hotel. [The council’s] Housing team say we need to go there, but I have two other children that won't be able to visit me. It’s just a room, there’s no kitchen.”

Mark’s partner is due to give birth