Douglas Council will stick to government rules on evictions rather than creating its own.

Leader David Christian was asked by new councillor Devon Watson why the council wasn’t voluntarily extending the suspension of evictions which was announced as part of the Covid-19 pandemic response.

Mr Watson told the council that ’the pandemic is not over’ and called on Mr Christian to commit to not evicting anyone at this time.

Fellow new member Sam Hamer asked Mr Christian to confirm that the last thing the housing authority wants to do is ’turn anyone out’.

Mr Christian said the issue of housing is a ’difficult subject’, but praised the council’s housing department for working to get tenants who are in arrears onto payment plans to ensure missed payments don’t create bigger problems.

’I don’t believe it is up to the council to steer its own course on evictions. It is better that we all stay united as housing authorities,’ he said.

He said that there are now just six tenants who are in arrears and are not in some form of payment plan or engaging with the council and that officers would be going out to make attempts to speak to them soon.

The leader added: ’Some tenants even contacted us saying they were flabbergasted that staff had rang them, not to ask about rent or money, but just to check they were okay.’

Mr Christian said that as well as contacting tenants, the council was working with charities to help tenants who may have struggled due to the pandemic and need extra support.