Family of 10 slam Luton Council for lack of dining room in offered house

Arnold Mballe Sube and his wife, Jeanne, moved to Luton from France in 2012, so that he could study mental health nursing at the University of Bedfordshire.

Both aged 33, they have eight children and their youngest daughter is just three weeks old.

After living in a hotel for almost four months, the Sube family were placed in temporary accommodation by Luton Borough Council, over the border in Bletchley, Milton Keynes.

Arnold said: “Me and my family have been neglected, we are living in a three-bedroom house and there’s not enough room for us to live – there are ten of us.

“It’s so cramped and the conditions are terrible, my children are starting school and we can’t stay here any longer – we need a bigger house

However after viewing a new, five-bedroom house, the Sube’s refused this property because of the lack of storage space.

Arnold continued: “There wasn’t space for the things of ten people, it didn’t even have a dining room.

“The council is trying to make things hard for us, my wife is a full-time mother and I am a student. They’re just making excuses, we need a five- or six-bedroom house with double rooms to comfortably fit our family in.”

A spokesperson from Luton Borough Council said: “Housing stock in Luton, is under constant pressure and on occasions we may have to locate families temporarily outside of Luton.

“Despite difficulties we managed to find Mr and Mrs Sube affordable housing in Luton that is large enough to house them and their eight children.

“After a generous offer on our part, we have done our bit and if housing is offered and declined without, what we judge, good reason, then we will offer the property to another family.”