Council housing company closure 'kick in the face'

Rowan Perry-Lee said her family's situation was "emotionally draining"

About a hundred tenants are facing eviction after a council confirmed plans to shut down its property company.

Reading Borough Council set up Homes for Reading in March 2016 to cut the cost of putting up people in temporary accommodation.

But it said the property company would now be closed down, as running it was too expensive, and it had "a responsibility" to look after its finances.

One tenant told the BBC that the news was a "kick in the face" to working families.

Rowan Perry-Lee's family of six, two dogs and two cats have lived in Caversham since 2018.

She said her family had been "in limbo" after first hearing about the potential changes in February, adding that the confirmation of closure was "not shocking" but "just emotionally draining".

"We've been here for six years, we work nearby, our kids are at the local school and we've got connections - and it's all going to be gone," she said.

Reading Borough Council blamed expenses for the property company's closure

The council said the 101 properties owned by Homes for Reading would be transferred into the authority's mainstream housing stock when each individual tenancy ends.

The homes would then be made available to key workers at affordable rents, the council said.

Ms Perry-Lee said both her and her partner were key workers, adding: "We're moving out so that other key workers can move in and pay a fraction of what we're paying - it's a slap in the face."

Current tenants would be offered support finding alternative accommodation when their lease ends, the local authority said.

"I can't see how the council are going to help us - they've obviously got a shortage of houses as it is, which is why they're taking this [the family's current home] and using it as a council property," Ms Perry-Lee said.

In some cases, tenancies are not due to expire for up to two years, with Ms Perry-Lee's due to end in August 2025.

Councillor Matt Yeo, Reading Borough Council's lead on housing, said the authority had "considered" feedback from tenants but had arrived at it's decision having weighed up "every possible option".

“Ultimately the difficult financial circumstances all councils now find themselves in mean we have a responsibility to look after our finances to support the provision of services that residents rely on," Mr Yeo added.