‘Disabled woman faces eviction threat over £6K bill for ‘disgusting’ meals she never even ate’

WinVisible is supporting Alice Talbot since 2021, who lives at Charlie Ratchford Court a supported living place run by Camden Council. She contacted us as she didn’t want the meals: Care dinners: Would you fork out £4.50 for this meal? She also wanted to challenge the high care charges, which are on top of rent and are taken from people’s disability benefits. Working with Centre 404 support workers, we helped her get £100 a week taken off her care charges by Camden. But Camden are pressing her to pay the meal charges which come under service charge for housing.

Shared from the Camden New Journal, with thanks. Thursday 24 April 2025, page 7

Woman faces eviction threat over £6K bill for ‘disgusting’ meals she never even ate

“A DISABLED woman has been told she will be evicted from the council’s flagship ‘extra care’ housing project after she refused to pay bills for food she has never eaten.

“Alice Talbot has been allowed to rack up a £6,000 debt after a three-and-a-half year dispute with Camden Council about compulsory charges at Charlie Ratchford Court, Chalk Farm.

She said she did not realise when moving in that a £4.50 cost of a daily hot meal was hidden in the small print of a tenancy agreement – arguing she would rather spend the money on better quality fresh food that she could cook herself.

The council says the daily meal has to be provided to all tenants to ensure they have a healthy and balanced diet and that this is part of the service agreement.

Last night (Wednesday) a council spokesman said talks were still ongoing in the hope of preventing a court action and to secure alternative accommodation for Ms Talbot.

Her mother, Alice Leigh, who has worked in sheltered housing for 35 years, said: ‘There is no logic to it. How could they let this go on for three-and-a-half years? How could they let her bill get up to £6,000? She has what they call learning disabilities and they have been sending her threatening letters.’

‘It has been a disaster from start to finish. The service there has not been up to the standards we had expected.’

‘And now they are going to evict a disabled woman, not over rent arrears but food charges.’

Ms Talbot, who is registered disabled with learning difficulties, received an intimidating legal letter this week saying the council was proceeding with a notice to quit on Monday – and she had four weeks to find new accommodation.

It is likely she will be rehoused in sheltered accommodation in Camden – a kind of housing that does not have the same community ethos as is supposed to be provided at Charlie Ratchford Court.

When it opened in 2021, Charlie Ratchford was said to be the standard bearer of modern-day ‘extra care’ facilities. Tenants living in the 38 flats with a range of conditions and needs were hoped to socialise together in ‘café-style space’ and courtyard gardens.

The New Journal first reported on Miss Talbot‘s case in December 2021 when she criticised the ‘disgusting’ food that ‘was hard to digest’ after the project first opened.

The food originally came from off-site and foam boxes in the style of ‘ready meals’.

After a proper kitchen opened at the housing project months later, the food quality improved. But Ms Talbot said she did not want to pay the compulsory £4.50 charge.

Claire Glasman, from the disabled rights campaign group WinVisible, said: ‘Alice has been put under a huge amount of stress from this. At one point she was worried about being street homeless.

‘Camden should have been offering her a choice from the beginning – they have a duty to provide choice under her disability rights. But instead they’re treating her like a cash cow.’

WinVisible also won a victory for Miss Talbot overturning thousands of pounds of unfair care charges that she was wrongly being charged by Camden each year.

This week the Council said the notice to quit has not yet been served and they were hoping to avoid any court action, adding: ‘We are working closely with them to address their concerns and are exploring other care accommodation options that may be preferable. Their wellbeing and independence is our priority and we want to find a solution that best supports them.’

Watch this space!