With the announcement yesterday that the Vestas employees carrying out the sit-in have been served with a possession order, with a court date of 29 July.
We could make a guess at what a possession order is, but didn’t know for certain, so have looked into it in more detail.
It appears that possessions orders are normally served by landlords on tenants to try and remove them from houses when they won’t leave.
As the Shelter Web site explains,
“‘Possession’ is a legal term that means the right to enter accommodation and prevent other people from entering it.”
When it comes to court, the judge has five options – make an outright possession order; make a suspended possession order; adjourn the case; dismiss the case; or make a money judgement.
If an ‘outright possession order’ is granted, a date is given when the property must be left by. This is usually in 14 days time, in some cases this can be extended.
If the property isn’t vacated by then, another visit to court is needed to get the baliffs involved.
Guidance is that this can take two to four weeks more before the bailiff can enter the building to physically remove the people from the building.
The summary: It appears that after the 29 July court date, it could be another month and a half before those carrying out the sit-in could be dragged out.
The other outcomes of a possession order are detailed on the Shelter site.
image: Thomas Roche
