An East London resident has spent almost two decades pursuing compensation from Hackney Council over a burglary at his home in 2007.
Anthony Burton’s claim began after a thief broke into his Regents Estate home in South Hackney at around 1am on 2 June 2007. The burglar used a crowbar to smash a glass pane and stole a bag containing a purse, cash, a television, a PlayStation, and other possessions worth over £2,000.
Although police arrived about 20 minutes later, no fingerprints were found and the suspect was never caught. Mr Burton, who had home contents insurance, believed a council-controlled CCTV system could have recorded the crime. However, the system was not operational, invalidating his insurance claim.
“It’s a bit like if you’re taking out car insurance,” Mr Burton told the Local Democracy Reporting Service. “And the insurer asks you if your car has an alarm on it – and you say yes. Then, someone nicks your car. The police find it, but there’s no alarm on it. Do you think the insurance company is going to pay you out?”
As leaseholders, the Burtons were paying service charges to Hackney Council, which helped fund a network of CCTV cameras on the estate. At least one camera overlooked the back door and the driveway where their car was parked during the burglary. In 2009, they discovered that none of the 16 cameras had been working for two years.
Mr Burton claims his insurance company told him the council was liable because he had been charged for the CCTV service. Since then, he has been trying to get Hackney Council to reimburse him.
Hackney Council advises leaseholders to take out home contents insurance and states that residents may still claim compensation if loss or damage results from council negligence. A police report confirms that no CCTV was operational during the burglary.
Over the years, Mr Burton says he was repeatedly told by council staff that he would be reimbursed, only for those staff members to leave their positions before any resolution. “It just goes on and on,” he said.
In 2010, he secured a meeting with Charlotte Graves, former head of Hackney Homes, and Judith Morrison, Head of Leasehold Services. He says they promised to reimburse service charge credits to all homes paying for CCTV, though the council says it has no record of this. The officers twice offered a £200 goodwill payment, which Mr Burton refused, seeing it as a refusal to accept responsibility.
The Burtons later pursued legal action. Solicitors initially confirmed they had a strong case but advised that the £2,200 claim was not financially worthwhile. After filing a Small Claims Court claim, Hackney Council disputed that the premises had been burgled and requested proof.
Mr Burton consulted further solicitors, who warned him that pursuing the case would involve excessive paperwork and costs. “They told me I was a fish in a pond, and I couldn’t swim,” he said.
Over the years, Mr Burton has kept police reports and correspondence with council officers and politicians, including former Mayor Philip Glanville. At one stage, he stopped paying service charges and council tax, prompting the council to take him to court. He later paid £1,800 in arrears plus £200 in court costs.
Conservative councillor Simche Steinberger, involved for many years, said the dispute could enter the Guinness Book of Records due to its length and the number of officers and councillors involved. “But the worst part of it is that officers keep saying ‘the matter is closed’. How can they say that with no justification?”
Mr Burton said: “It’s a disgrace – how many more people have been affected by this?”
Hackney Council said: “We sympathise with Mr Burton and have been in regular contact with him about this incident. Following our investigations, we have no record promising to reimburse service charges, as Mr Burton suggested. We now consider this matter closed. If Mr Burton remains unhappy with this outcome, he should seek independent legal advice.”
