Latest news with #LucieLambourne
BBC News
22-05-2025
- BBC News
'Telling my children we can go home felt amazing'
A woman who won a battle to move into the house in which her mother was stabbed to death said it felt "amazing" telling her family the Lambourne has been describing how the support of her community forced a U-turn from a housing Housing, which owns the property, initially said Ms Lambourne, who had previously lived at the property, had no legal right to the tenancy as she was not considered to be "in housing need"."To be able to tell my children we could go home felt amazing," Ms Lambourne said. She said the decision felt like "a weight off my shoulders", adding: "I was expecting bad news to be completely honest."I didn't think it would go the way it did."She said she burst into tears when she heard the news. She said: "I've pushed and pushed for this, but with the support of the community fighting my corner it has made the difference." Rita Lambourne was killed in her home in Bexhill, East Sussex, in Lambourne had previously said she and her three children had left her mother's home because it was overcrowded, but the pair had agreed to swap her Southern Housing flat with her mother's property in a mutual exchange. Rother District Council and Southern Housing released a joint statement on Wednesday confirming they would now be allowing her to move said they took the decision given "the tragic and exceptional circumstances in this case".Ms Lambourne said: "Losing mum was the worst thing that could have happened. "This place was our last connection to her."A man is due to stand trial in August charged with Ms Lambourne's murder.
BBC News
21-05-2025
- BBC News
Bexhill woman wins fight for tenancy of home where mum was killed
The daughter of a woman who was stabbed to death has won a battle to be allowed to live in the family Lambourne was killed in her home owned by Southern Housing in Bexhill, East Sussex, earlier this District Council and Southern Housing initially said her daughter, Lucie Lambourne, who had previously also lived at the property, had no legal right to claim the tenancy of her mother's home as she was not considered to be "in housing need".But after a campaign backed by friends, neighbours and councillors, the council and Southern Housing had agreed to let Ms Lambourne succeed her mother's tenancy and move into the home. 'Finally going home' "Southern Housing called me this morning to tell me - I was overwhelmed, I was crying," said Ms Lambourne."It means the world to us as a family, it's everything we've been fighting for and it's the last thing we have of my mum's."We are finally going home."Ms Lambourne previously said she and her three children had left her mother's home because it was overcrowded, but the pair had agreed to swap her Southern Housing flat with her mother's property in a mutual following her death, Southern Housing said there was nothing on record to suggest they had been considering a swap. The council and Southern Housing released a joint statement on Wednesday confirming they would now be allowing Ms Lambourne to move in."We sympathise with Lucie Lambourne and have been working hard to find a resolution to this difficult situation," they said."After taking into account the tragic and exceptional circumstances in this case, Rother District Council and Southern Housing agree it is appropriate that the home is allocated to Lucie," they said. "If Lucie accepts, her current property will be returned to Southern Housing and made available to another family on Rother District Council's housing waiting list, based on housing need, as soon as is practical." A man is due to stand trial in August charged with Ms Lambourne's murder.
BBC News
16-05-2025
- General
- BBC News
'We've been through hell - let us keep family home'
"My family have been through hell - we've hurt, we've cried," said Lucie Lambourne, whose mother Rita was stabbed to death in February in the house where Lucie grew neighbours and councillors gathered at the house in Bexhill on Tuesday to support the mother-of-three, who is calling on Southern Housing (SH) to let her succeed the tenancy at the property where she lived at times with her children and mother."We're just hoping that [SH] will use their empathy and their understanding and their power to say, 'we can help'," Lucie said. SH said: "While we truly sympathise with her situation, Lucie is not considered to be in housing need and has no legal right to succeed the tenancy." The housing association spokesperson added in a statement: "We appreciate the emotional significance of a family home following the loss of a loved one. "However, we continue to be guided by policies that ensure fairness and prioritise those in greatest housing need."Lucie said she and her family had left her mum's home in East Sussex because it was overcrowded, but the pair had agreed to swap her SH flat with Rita's house in what is known as a mutual exchange. SH previously said there was nothing on record to suggest Lucie and Rita were considering a swap. Lucie said she understood SH was faced with a long housing waiting list."There's 2,000 people currently on the waiting list for housing, with a property I've already stated I will return back to them," she said."That's one more person that can have that property, and we can come home where we belong." Councillor Christine Bayliss, deputy leader of Rother District Council, said Lucie had moved from her mother's house to the flat just 12 days before Rita died."We would argue that these circumstances are absolutely exceptional and therefore [SH] can exercise discretion," she added. Rother District Council said it was working with Southern Housing to find a Winifred Warner, who has lived on the road for 51 years, remembers Rita and thinks Lucie should be allowed back to the flat."Then she's with her mother anyway, isn't she? I can't see anybody else wanting to live here, not after what's happened," she added.A man has been charged with the murder of Rita Lambourne.
