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A loving father-of-four tragically took his own life after his family say he suffered 'extreme stress and hardship' from a local authority, an inquest heard. Alistair Taylor, 34, had successfully run a barbershop for many years, but was forced to relocate when Blackpool Council abruptly ended his lease at a local market. Just a year later, he received notice from the council saying they intended to seize his family home under a 'Compulsory Purchase Order' to construct a new education campus. This devastating news came after Alistair had painstakingly modified the house to accommodate the needs of his two disabled children. The inquest at Blackpool Town Hall on Friday (October 17), covered by the Blackpool Gazette, found a number of factors had contributed to a deterioration in his mental health. Coroner Alan Wilson stated losing his house and business was one of several factors that led to his mental health deterioration in the preceding months, but the council had "under-appreciated the potential impact" on him and his family. He also noted that in the months leading up to his death, Alistair also was increasingly affected by "exposure to influences on social media", which came at "the detriment of his marriage". The inquest revealed that Alistair and his wife were separated, and that their marriage was under significant strain. Mr Taylor is said to have been "behaving erratically" during a "difficult exchange" with his wife shortly before he took his own life. On October 4 last year, he died after hanging himself with the intention of taking his own life. But his father said his son suffered 'extreme stress and hardship' in the years before his death by the local authority. Alistair's family said he had initially been left "blindsided" when Blackpool Council acquired Abingdon Street Market, where he had run his successful barbers business for eight years. As part of plans to refurbish the market, they said the council terminated Alistair's lease without notice and he was forced to find alternative business premises. And, a year after losing his lease, he was told the local authority would be purchasing his home in 2022, as they wanted to acquire the property to build a £65m 'multiversity' education campus. Alistair had bought the home, on Milbourne Street, in 2016 and had adapted it to meet the disability needs of two of his four children. Discussions about the purchase of a new home for Alistair's family followed - but he tragically took his own life with the matter still unresolved. His dad, Paul, said: "Alistair was a devoted father and a hardworking man who we witnessed suffer extreme stress and hardship as a direct result of Blackpool Council's actions. "Over a three-year period, the council imposed three major life disruptions over which Alistair had no control: the loss of his job, his income, and his home. "Research shows that any one of these factors significantly increases the risk of suicide. Experiencing all three can be catastrophic. Surely, this isn't the way to treat council tax payers." Paul claimed his son felt 'intimidated and bullied' by the council. He added: "Although Alistair and his agent, Gateley Hamer, engaged constructively with the compulsory purchase process, we believe the council repeatedly failed to properly consider his family's vulnerability." His devastated relatives said his mental health continually deteriorated over the last two years of his life, with so much uncertainty hanging over the family. They said the council made "derisory" offers for a new house, with the process taking two years before Alistair finally accepted an offer. "The relentless stress, lack of support, and inadequate compensation drove him to exhaustion, isolation, and despair," Paul said. 'We feel he was intimidated, ignored and belittled' Alistair had managed to find new business premises after his lease was ended, but his family said it left him having to work tirelessly to rebuild from scratch - often working more than 60 hours per week, having taken on more costly premises. Alistair's brother, Stephen, said: "Alistair and [his wife] should have been amongst the first families offered support, and a suitable home should have been found for them as soon as possible. "This did not happen. As a council tax payer and local business owner, Alistair should have expected to be treated with respect, kindness and care. "We feel he was intimidated, ignored and belittled. What happened to Alistair must never happen again to any other family. "Alistair told me how scared he was when he had a meeting with three officials at his home. He owned his home. He couldn't understand why they weren't helping look after his boys as they were meant to. "The sheer amount of stress this placed Alistair under, wondering how he was going to house his family, led to him working 12-to-13-hour days, six days a week. "He became fully absorbed in making the money to support them, unfortunately to the detriment of his relationship with his wife. "He refused to seek support for how rapidly his mental state was deteriorating and became increasingly distant and agitated. It all simply got too much." Number of factors led to Alistair's death, coroner says Coroner Alan Wilson heard evidence from Alistair's family and council officials. He said that a number of factors had contributed to a deterioration in his mental health in the months preceding Alistair's death, which he recorded as suicide. He said this included the "protracted legal process" of the compulsory purchase of his home from the council, with the impact of stress he felt exacerbating his mental health struggles. Gareth Hancock, of Hudgell Solicitors, said: "Alistair's family were left devastated at seeing his mental health deteriorate as so many factors caused him to suffer from increasing levels of stress." He added: "With plans underway to demolish more homes using compulsory purchase order powers, they hope that the council will now reflect deeply on the impact on Alistair and his family, and ensure adequate support is provided for vulnerable families, especially regarding their mental health, when imposing significant life changes on residents, such as demolishing their homes." Cllr Lynn Williams, Leader of Blackpool Council, said: "This is a desperately sad situation. Our thoughts and condolences are with all of Mr Taylor's family. "As the coroner has ruled, there were multiple reasons behind Mr Taylor's death. "We will carefully review the findings to understand what learnings we could take on into any future works." For emotional support you can call the Samaritans 24-hour helpline on 116 123, email jo@samaritans.org , visit a Samaritans branch in person or go to the Samaritans website.
