Reading Lib Dems slam poor treatment of Homes for Reading Tenants
Reading Liberal Democrats are calling for Reading Borough Council to apologise for their treatment of Homes for Reading tenants being made homeless by the council
In 2016, the council took out a loan to create a wholly owned company called Homes for Reading, which would own private rented accommodation in the town to reduce the cost of temporary accommodation. Tenants were promised “homes for life”, and many spent their own money on improving or decorating the homes, having been promised they were theirs for 30-40 years.
Despite thousands of pounds of rent paid by tenants to the council, they decided to close the company in 2024 and evict tenants at the end of their rental terms. For many vulnerable tenants, this has left them homeless, and the support offered has been inadequate, often limited to over the phone despite requests for in-person meetings.
In a question to the council, Reading Lib Dems will call for the council to:
- Reconsider their decision to take vacant possession of the properties and evict current tenants
- Improve the support services offered to all current HfR tenants by offering face-to-face meetings with council staff
Simon, one of the affected tenants, said: “When we moved into these houses we were all promised long-term leases. It was even in the Homes For Reading literature: ‘A home for as long as you want it’. We didn't think for one second that we'd be put in the dire position that we now find ourselves in, through no fault of our own. It's like having the rug pulled from underneath you”
Cllr Meri O’Connell, Liberal Democrat Councillor for Tilehurst ward, said: “Homes for Reading tenants have suffered from broken promise after broken promise. It's about time that the Labour-run Reading Borough Council put it right”