A bereaved brother has spoken out after council contractors threw his deceased sibling's belongings into a skip before he could collect them.
Simon Byrne was devastated to discover that most possessions belonging to his brother Chris, who died from a drug overdose at age 29, had been disposed of from his temporary council accommodation.
Byrne had arranged an appointment with Brighton & Hove City Council officials to collect Chris's possessions.
But on arrival, he found the accommodation had already been cleared, with only a small suitcase remaining in the caretaker's building.
Simon Byrne found his brother's belongings in a skip (file photo)
LONDON CITY WASTE CLEARANCE
"The rest of his things, including his bracelets and other tangible memories, had been thrown into a skip with no opportunity for me as his only surviving family member to go through them," Simon explained.
The search through a skip for remnants of Chris's life was humiliating for Simon, who was left with virtually nothing to remember his brother by.
"Councils will store belongings for those waiting to move into accommodation - people who are alive," he told The Guardian.
"Tenants who die are treated as if they never existed."
MORE FROM BRIGHTON AND THE SOUTH EAST:
Brighton and Hove City Council has acknowledged the error - but blamed a contractor who no longer works for the authority
And his case has shed light on significant inconsistencies in how councils handle deceased tenants' belongings across the UK.
Some local authorities accept proof of identity from next of kin to allow property access, while others insist on grants of probate - a legal process that can take up to 16 weeks.
In Cambridge, the daughters of a deceased council tenant were also banned from entering his flat by the local authority - despite holding a key and submitting proof of identity.
Ailsa Mackenzie and her sister were told that their father's belongings would be kept in a garage or disposed of if probate was not granted before the tenancy was repossessed.
Cambridge City Council said it was required by law to insist on a grant of probate if a tenant had not registered next-of-kin, and agreed not to clear the flat until probate was granted.
According to Ian Bond from the Law Society's wills and equity committee, relatives should not need probate to enter a property.
But even regulators are confused, with both the local government ombudsman and housing ombudsman unclear on jurisdiction.
"These situations are an example of where complex jurisdictional arrangements let people down," said Nigel Ellis, chief executive of the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman.
Brighton & Hove City Council has acknowledged the error, saying it occurred during property cleaning by a contractor who no longer works for them.
"During the process of cleaning the property and making it suitable for the next of kin to visit, some items were unfortunately disposed of by our cleaning contractor," said Gill Williams, the council cabinet member for housing and new homes.
Williams added: "We do understand how important someones belongings are to their friends and family and apologise for any additional distress and upset this caused in relation to this very sad loss."
