The head of Richmond council has expressed alarm at the mass eviction of tenants caused by a Labour authority’s plans.
Private tenants living opposite exclusive Kew Gardens in Richmond, west London, have been served Section 21 eviction notices by their landlord, the property investment company Dorrington.
The evictions will allow Dorrington to sell the homes to Labour-led Westminster council, which wants to use them for temporary accommodation.
Now Gareth Roberts – leader of Richmond council where the evicted tenants currently live – says: “What is happening is simply wrong.
“However it is dressed up, the outcome is the same: people – many of them older, settled, and part of a close knit community – are being told to leave their homes because a property sale is going ahead.
“That is not how a decent housing system should operate.
“These are not empty units. They are people’s homes – homes people have invested in emotionally, socially, and financially for many years.
“To force individuals in their 70s and 80s to uproot their lives at short notice, in order to facilitate a transaction, shows a disturbing disregard for residents’ wellbeing.”
Roberts continues: “We recognise that private landlords may make commercial decisions.
“But commercial decisions must never come at the expense of basic humanity.
“That is why we are urgently seeking immediate, senior level discussions with Westminster City Council to understand exactly what has taken place, why residents were put in this position, and what steps will now be taken to ensure they are properly supported.”
He says his priority is the people who live in his borough.
And he adds: “No housing deal – whatever its purpose – should ever begin with the displacement of an entire community.”
A spokesperson for Dorrington adds: “We were able to give residents notice in February 2025 of our intention to sell Garden Court and the majority have already found new homes in the year since then.
“Where residents have found the move less straightforward, we are providing support and flexibility and will continue to do so.
“Where residents have protections through their tenancies they will have the opportunity to continue living … under its new ownership.”
This article is taken from Landlord Today