Forest of Dean District Council leader opens up on 'strain' of losing home

Tim Gwilliam lost his home in 2014 when he was unable to keep up with mortgage repayments

A council leader has opened up about the "terrible strain" of losing his home, to try to help reduce the stigma around getting into debt.

Tim Gwilliam could not keep up with mortgage payments while on long-term sick leave in 2014, which led to him losing his house.

He is now the leader of Forest of Dean District Council and is sharing his story to encourage others to seek help.

"You almost end up living a lie," he said.

"You end up trying to hide it from family. I hid it from my sister, Lisa (Mr Gwilliam's wife) didn't tell her mum.

"That's the hardest thing.

"If we had reached out earlier, we might not have got in that position," added Mr Gwilliam.

Tim Gwilliam became leader of Forest of Dean District Council in 2017

He had been living in the Forest of Dean with his wife and two children in a terraced house in Berry Hill.

Long-term health problems meant that he wasn't able to bring in a stable wage and ended up having to leave his job in a factory - at the same time as his mortgage payments were about to rise as his fixed-rate mortgage was coming to an end.

The family tried to arrange to buy his father's council house but the day the papers were requested, his father died.

Despite pleading with the mortgage broker, the fixed-rate ended, and they couldn't afford the house.

"Our mortgage was nearly doubling overnight and that was just the finish for us.

"We ended up selling it for the fraction of the value," he said.

Spiralling debts

Mr Gwilliam said he would do things like take out a credit card to pay for Christmas.

"You end up, not opening envelopes, you end up not answering the phone," he said.

"You end up doing all these kind of things and looking back now it's just ridiculous," he added.

At one point he said he even considered taking his own life.

"I never would've done it, but to even think about it - but I did think about it and it changed me as a person," he said.

The family kept their money troubles hidden from those close to them.

"That's the hardest thing. It's a terrible strain," said Mr Gwilliam.

Reaching out

Mr Gwilliam did not ask for help when he found himself struggling, but as mortgage rates rise and the cost of living crisis bites for many people, he is sharing his story in the hope that it might help others.

Forest of Dean District Council has highlighted his story and is now advertising services from warm spaces to financial advice and support.

"I still get up at three in the morning usually and that's a direct result of that time, where I couldn't sleep.

"I was trying to think of the next thing to do to get by," he added.

The council leader now lives in a different house with his family, in Coleford, and has faith that communities across the Forest of Dean will come together during the cost of living crisis, as long as people reach out for support.

"What I'm saying now is, take those steps just to say to somebody you know what? I could do with some help," he added.

You can listen to the interview with Tim Gwilliam, on BBC Radio Gloucestershire, here.

If you have been affected by anything in this article, you can visit the BBC's Action Line for advice and support.