A pensioner living in Yealmpton has been left shocked by a significant increase in gardening charges at a LiveWest sheltered housing property. The tenant, who is battling Stage 4 cancer, claims that he represents many others who are equally affected by the fee hike. “Nobody is able to afford it,” he said.

James Macmillan, a resident at the LiveWest property for 16 years, recently received a letter informing him that the weekly gardening charge would rise dramatically, from £3.66 to £19. Mr. Macmillan is concerned about the added cost, especially as he is already facing rising energy bills due to his health condition, which requires him to keep his home warm at all times.

Mr. Macmillan believes the new fee is unfair, pointing out that it represents a 400% increase for what he considers a minimal service—“just looking after a bit of grass.” He explains that this significant hike will place an added financial burden on him and many of his neighbors who are also struggling financially.

“It’s affecting vulnerable people and it’s an injustice,” said Mr. Macmillan. “How can you justify a 400% increase for the same service? Everything right now is more expensive, including groceries and energy bills. I recently bought four lamb chops for £13—it’s just ridiculous.”

At 75 years old and undergoing chemotherapy treatment, Mr. Macmillan is both angry and worried. He shares that many of his neighbors are equally concerned about the steep new weekly charges. He believes the price hike is so excessive that it should not be allowed to happen.

“If you walked into a shop and saw something priced at £5 now costing £20, you’d be shocked,” he said. “LiveWest comes for just 20 weeks a year, and they only spend three hours every fortnight on the gardening. I’m waiting to see if I qualify for benefits to ease the burden, but regardless, this increase is unfair.”

Rebecca Smith, Conservative MP for South West Devon, has been alerted to the issue by Mr. Macmillan. He has a meeting with her scheduled next week to discuss the situation.

Mr. Macmillan was informed that a huge deficit in gardening charges had been added to the following year’s costs, which resulted in the steep increase. In response, James Reseigh, Director of Neighbourhoods for LiveWest, acknowledged that changes to service charges can be concerning. However, he explained that LiveWest, a charitable housing association, does not make profits from service charges and that the previous contractor had been offering services below market rates for years.

Reseigh emphasized that LiveWest had to find a new contractor for the gardening services due to the previous contractor’s decision not to bid for the new contract. He also pointed out that the contract awarding process was transparent and overseen by a panel from LiveWest and its customer scrutiny group.

Despite the increase, Reseigh assured that LiveWest had been in regular contact with its customers to explain the reasons for the changes and offer support where possible.