Housing Minister Ray Harmer has pledged to ’try to ensure’ there won’t be a repeat of an incident in which a man evicted from his council flat - for a debt of just £302.04 - later died.

Ross Ward died in a private rented flat in Douglas on April 3. Charity Housing Matters had found him the flat following his eviction last summer from his council home where he had lived for the past 15 years.

Mr Ward had no previous history of rent arrears and the £302.04 debt had built up while he was serving a short prison sentence in 2017.

The issue was raised in Tynwald by social affairs policy review committee chairman David Cretney MLC.

Mr Cretney, who confirmed his committee planned to investigate the matter, asked Infrastructure Minister Ray Harmer whether there was a consistent approach across all housing authorities to ’intervene to avoid evictions’ and whether the issue would be reviewed.

Mr Harmer said the avoidance of eviction was an ’absolute priority’ for a housing authority, but department did not have the power to stop housing authorities from seeking an eviction - which was ultimately a court decision.

The minister said he had instructed officers to investigate the issues surrounding Mr Ward’s eviction and death, but his understanding was due processes had been followed.

He added: ’We will review this matter further. I can assure members the department will continue to work with public housing providers in order to try to ensure something like this does not happen again.

’It is absolutely vital we work together.’

Mr Cretney said: ’When a tenant has been contacted by local authorities it is very important there is a personal visit rather than just correspondence.’

Visits would be a key part of the review, said Mr Harmer.

Homeless charity Graih had highlighted Mr Ward’s plight shortly before his death.

Graih founder Michael Manning said: ’Douglas Council had evicted him for rent arrears even though benefits were paying the rent directly. He didn’t understand why he couldn’t go back to his old flat to reclaim his possessions. He had left with almost nothing.’

Mr Manning ended up in the rain helping Mr Ward trying to recover his possessions, which had been dumped in a skip.

Mr Ward did not appear to receive any support from the authorities until after his eviction, said Mr Manning, and Graih would have happily paid his rent arrears.

Douglas Council’s housing committee chairman Claire Wells has stated that eviction was always a ’last resort’. And effort was made to help someone in rent arrears, before legal action would be taken. A tenant’s vulnerability was considered by the council, she said, and could be directed to social services if necessary.

But she said: ’It needs to be remembered we are not social services. We will refer people if we think there is an issue but it is not up to us to deal with somebody’s social issues.’

Missed payment of weekly rent was flagged up immediately by the authority, with letters sent the week after and phone-calls would be made, Mrs Wells said.