A MUM is furious after her family of four were homed by the council in a single room in a B&B.

Mandy Rawlings, 44, has been on the borough council’s bidding system for an affordable home for three-and-a-half years.

She had to sell her Kingsclere home in 2009 after struggling to pay the mortgage when her ex-husband was jailed for eight years. She moved in with her mother for 16 weeks, along with her two children.

But the conditions were cramped and when her father became seriously ill the family moved again into a rented home, using money from the sale of the house.

But six months ago the owner of their rented home died, and relatives wanted to sell the house, so evicted Miss Rawlings and her family.

With all her money gone, and unable to work full-time because of depression and stress, Miss Rawlings hoped the council would at last offer her an affordable home.

But from early July, Miss Rawlings, her 25-year-old fiancé Matthew Kidd, and her 14-year-old daughter and 13-year-old son, who she does not want to be named, have been put up by the council in a single room in Copper Beeches, Cliddesden Road.

Miss Rawlings, who works for eight hours a week as a carer, said: “I just think it’s disgusting. I lost my last job because of the stress of all of this and it is really affecting the kids.

“All we want is an affordable home, where we can put pictures on the walls and put down some roots.

“At the moment my children are in the same room, which isn’t right at their age and we’re all so cramped.

“It’s just not right. All I want to do is to get a full-time job again and be homed somewhere we can afford – somewhere we can call home.”

She believes the family is entitled to an affordable home based on the points system because of her health issues, the fact the children receive counselling and their educational needs, and the overcrowded conditions in the B&B, including her teenagers sharing a room.

The council’s Cabinet member for housing and regeneration Cllr Rob Golding, said: “The council works closely with all applicants who are homeless or threatened with homelessness to fully explore all the housing options available to them and assesses all housing register applications using the allocations scheme criteria.

“Whilst it is not the case that households placed in bed and breakfast would necessarily get awarded more or even maximum points, due to each case being considered on its own merits, if applicants consider their situation may warrant additional priority we will review their application.

“This has already been undertaken in this particular case and the council is satisfied its assessment is correct.”