Copyright dailyrecord
A dad-of-four tragically took his own life after his home was subject to a compulsory purchase order by a local authority, an inquest has heard. Alistair Taylor, 34, died in his home in Blackpool in October 2024 after his family say he suffered 'extreme stress and hardship' from the local council. A successful barber, Alistair had run his business for many years at Abingdon Street Market before he was forced to relocate when Blackpool Council abruptly ended his lease. After finding a new premises, Alistair was often working more than 60 hours per week to cover the rent on the more costly location. Just one year later, he was issued with a compulsory purchase order for the family’s Milbourne Street home which had been painstakingly adapted to support his two disabled children. Blackpool Council intended to construct a new education campus in the area. An inquest held at Blackpool Town Hall on Friday, October 17 found a number of factors had contributed to a deterioration in his mental health, reports the Blackpool Gazette . Coroner Alan Wilson said that the loss of his house and business contributed to a deterioration of his mental health and that the council had "under-appreciated the potential impact" on him and his family. He said, among a number of factors, the “protracted legal process" of the compulsory purchase of his home from the council contributed to his death, with the impact of stress he felt exacerbating his mental health struggles. It was also noted that Alistair also was increasingly affected by "exposure to influences on social media", which came at "the detriment of his marriage". It was revealed during the inquest that Alistair was separated from his wife and that the marriage was under significant strain. He is said to have been "behaving erratically" during a "difficult exchange" with his wife shortly before he took his own life. Alistair’s father Paul felt his son suffered “extreme stress and hardship” in the years before his death by Blackpool Council, reports the Manchester Evening News . He 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. "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. "The relentless stress, lack of support, and inadequate compensation drove him to exhaustion, isolation, and despair.” 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." Coroner Alan Wilson, who heard evidence from Alistair's family and council officials, said that a number of factors contributed to his death which he recorded as suicide. 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."
