For those who may have missed the BBC news clip about Age Uk plans to sell Woodcot in Salcombe, it can be viewed here by clicking on the link below.
BBC news clip contains inaccuracies about Woodcot and Age UK
The news item has now been uploaded to support the Go Fund me Crowdfunder which will raise money to support the Save Woodcot campaign. If you want to donate to the campaign please click on the link below.
Viewers beware. The BBC, that bastion of impartiality, ever mindful of litigation have repeated Age Uk’s claims verbatim, without challenge - this is misleading - and could make viewers think that what they are watching is the unvarnished truth. The Save Woodcot campaign begs to differ and points out in the article below exactly where the truth is stretched by Age Uk’s media team
The first innacuracy comes at the start of the clip with the presenter in the studio giving an introduction to the news story. "Claims that the Woodcot 'needs major maintainance, isn't cost effective which is why they are ‘exploring’ selling’ …” This intro is clearly biased in favour of Age Uk’s position but the ‘claims' are in fact all false.
The property is in fact in very good condition because Age Uk have been maintaining their asset and besides, there are still six elderly residents living there and by law AGE UK as landlords have to keep it in good condition.
As for it not being cost effective: Age Uk have had a policy of not re-letting the flats when they became vacant for the last ten years. This was an active choice. Had they let the flats out they would have had a significant income stream.
In fact Age Uk have intentionally been running Woodcot at a loss for over a decade, despite there being clear evidence of need and demand.
There is a housing shortage in Salcombe for local people and despite Woodcot having been given specifically to address this purpose with a restrictive covenant on it requiring it to be used 'only as a residential home for old people’, Age UK are deliberately ignoring it for their own purposes.
The second frankly Big Fat Lie is that they, Age Uk, claim that there is no restriction on them being required to run it as a residential home for old people. There is. It is called a covenant and it clearly exists, it is currently tied to the title and despite Age Uk’s efforts to deny this it is a fact. It clearly states that Woodcot must only be used as a residential home for old people. Age Uk clearly lied to the BBC journalist about this in this clip and then had the temerity to blame the local people for having mistaken beliefs about this. Local people know the truth.
The Salcombe Town Mayor, a man who is elected by the people to serve on the council and is known to be a former legal professional of the utmost integrity tells the journalist about the covenant - there is no ambiguity about whether it exists as Age Uk claimed earlier in the clip? This is confusing and should have been made clear in the final edit.
The really appalling misleading statement made by Age Uk comes at 3:00 in the clip. The journalist reads Age UK's statement where they claim that there is 'no requirement that they must run the property as a residential home for old people'. That is simply untrue. There is a covenant. It was created in 1969, updated in 1976. Those are the facts. There most definitley is a requirement on Age Uk to run it in line with the covenant. To suggest otherwise is a lie.
Miss Jennings put the covenant on it to stop it being sold and to keep it as a residential home for old people. If she had simply wanted a charity to have the money she could have sold her house herself and given the proceeds to any charity of her choice. She didn't. She wanted to leave a lasting legacy - homes for old people - so, in line with her Christian beliefs, she left it to Voluntary Christian Services charity - which over time passed through several other charities who all honoured the covenant and passed Woodcot on, until it ended up in Age Uk’s hands.
Unlike all the other charities who have owned Woodcot at one time or another, all of whom chose to honour Miss Jennings wishes, Age Uk are now selling out for their own purposes, they are choosing to trash that legacy.
Even though a substantial regional charity has come forward and offered to take Woodcot on, to run it as the covenant stipulates and to continue providing a home to the six remaining residents and to open it up properly to more applicants. Age Uk have turned them away, all the while claiming that nothing has changed since they announced their plan to sell.
Instead of telling the truth about these facts, the BBC are playing safe… hiding behind their lawyers. Shame on them, as the nation's broadcaster, they should be at the forefront of news, informing the license payers in a timely manner, with well- researched investigative journalism. Instead they covered the story only reluctantly, two moths late, pandered to the Age Uk press office, and ever-fearful of litigation by a powerful charity played it safe..
Age Uk’s claims must be exposed for what they are - lies
Note. This news item was filmed on two separate dates and edited together; the first, an interview with the Woodcot residents and the local activist was filmed in July, the second interview, with the Salcombe Town Mayor where the AGE UK statement was read out disputing the requirements of Age Uk to honour the covenantand claiming that they relate to neighbouring properties was filmed in August.
The two separate films were broadcast on September 9th two months after the story first appeared in the Sunday Telegraph on 6th July.