A HOMELESS Minehead Hospital worker sleeping on her mother’s sofa after a relationship break-up has been refused a flat on a new social housing development being built for struggling people with ‘strong local connections’.

Louise Skriver, aged 55, had lived in Minehead for 14 years before separating from her partner, and has continued to work in the hospital, which is next door to Somerset Council’s Rainbow Way social housing development.

Ms Skriver went along to an open day the council held for the partially-constructed estate to express an interest in a property.

But, she said she was dismissed out of hand because the sofa in her mother’s home in Hollam Drive, Dulverton, has a TA22 postcode and does not share Minehead’s TA24.

Last month, the Free Press reported on retired postman Carl Clark being refused Rainbow Way accommodation despite living and working all his life in Minehead.

Ms Skriver said: “They said only people with TA24 are eligible and my TA22 postcode puts me at the bottom of the list.

“I was mortified.

“It is only unforeseen circumstances that have put me where I am.”

Ms Skriver said she had looked at renting privately, but one-bedroom flats were all in the unaffordable range of £795 to £950 per month, without adding bills such as council tax.

She said: “I am not saying I want one of those Rainbow Way flats, I will take any council property going.

“But when I bid on Homefinder I saw in the queue list I was 46th for one and 55 for the other one.”

Ms Skriver said the Homefinder website which lists available properties also restricted the number of times a person could bid, which was another barrier to finding a home.

She was particularly concerned when touring Rainbow Way on the open day to see people identified by lanyards as working in Butlin’s, in Minehead.

Ms Skriver said: “You do not know who is getting these properties, everybody in town is talking about it.

“If somebody comes from up north and works at Butlin’s and then gets a property there, how does that happen?”

A Somerset Council spokesperson ‘strongly emphasised’ the Rainbow Way homes were being let ‘in accordance with the local lettings policy’.

The spokesperson said ‘local connections’ meant living in Minehead or neighbouring parishes, or having ‘strong local connections’ with those parishes.

They said the open days, which had proven popular, were open for anybody who wished to attend regardless of eligibility.

The spokesperson said: “The council homes in Rainbow Way are the first in West Somerset for at least 30 years, so we know demand will exceed supply and leave some eligible applicants disappointed.

“More apartments will be released during April/May when they will be placed on Homefinder and become available.

“The council would encourage anybody who considers themselves homeless to make a homeless application so their situation can be assessed.”

The spokesperson said registered Homefinder applicants can make a maximum of three bids per cycle, Wednesday to Sunday.