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'Neighbours should be checking in on each other more', local MP says, after Bronson Battersby tragedy
18 January 2024, 10:59 | Updated: 18 January 2024, 11:02
Neighbours should check in on each other more, Skegness' local MP Matt Warman has told LBC, in the wake of Bronson Battersby's tragic death.
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The bodies of Bronson and his father, Kenneth, 60, were found by their landlady in Skegness, after nobody had heard from them in weeks.
A social worker visited the property on January 2 to carry out a scheduled welfare check, but left after no one answered. The police were called, but their bodies were not found until January 9.
Asked by LBC whether a family member should have raised the alarm about their welfare, MP for Boston and Skegness Matt Warman said: "This is obviously going to be an immensely traumatic time for the family, and I don't want to say anything that adds to that.
"The only thing I would say is that this isn't just a story about the police and social services - this is a story about communities and neighbourhoods and people being part of those communities and checking in on each other."
This "clearly didn't happen", Mr Warman added.
"There is something there that tells us partly why the community in Skegness is so traumatised by what's been an event that's captured so much of the national attention," he concluded.
While generally defending the UK's social services, Mr Warman admitted that "in this case...[they] clearly worked incredibly badly".
"Getting to the bottom of that is the most important thing. Those legal powers of entry are really serious - limiting them as much as possible is the sensible thing to do," he told LBC.
"But that's a reason to ensure that the system works in the way that it's intended, it's not to say we should find reasons not to do it properly."
Read More: Landlady describes 'horrible' moment she found Bronson Battersby lying dead next to father's body
A timeline of Bronson Battersby's final days
- Around Christmas - Bronson's mum, Sarah Piesse, last saw her son alive around Christmas, after having an argument with his father, Kenneth
- December 26 - A neighbour visits Kenneth and Bronson at their Skegness home
- December 27 - Kenneth messages his neighbour to say thanks for checking in on them. He also organised a social worker visit on January 2
- December 29 - The earliest possible date Bronson's father could have died, according to his post-mortem
- January 2 - A social worker visits the house but gets no answer, despite knocking on the door. The police are contacted
- January 9 - Kenneth's landlord gives a social worker access to the property, where she finds Kenneth and Bronson's bodies
- January 16 - Post-mortem shows Kenneth died of a heart attack. Bronson died from dehydration and starvation
"I found Kenny’s body, not knowing that his son was lying dead too behind him. It was a horrible tragedy and we are devastated," she told the Mirror.
"I cannot tell you how horrible it was. I never expected to find Kenny and Bronson like that. I don’t think I will ever get over it.”
