Homeless people being kicked out of accommodation as A-list star visits London

Up to 30 homeless families are facing removal from a hotel they are being housed in, due to a famous singer visiting London.

A Travelodge in Enfield, may be forcing the people out at end of month as a series of Beyoncé concerts take place.

The removal comes after the local council failed to extend the families’ bookings reports The Guardian.

Beyoncé is scheduled to play five nights at the nearby Tottenham Hotspur stadium between 29 May and 4 June.

The singer is predicted to earn an eye-watering £1.6 billion with the Renaissance World Tour.

London’s homeless

London has had the biggest rise of rough sleepers in England according to government figures, with an increase of 34% across a 12-month period.

There were an estimated 858 people sleeping rough in the capital on a single night in autumn 2022, compared to 640 the year before.

The government data found that rough sleeping had increased in every region of England year-on-year since 2020.

Reality TV star Vicky Pattison slept out for a night at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show to highlight the reality of youth homelessness and the work done by Centrepoint to counteract it, reports The Evening Standard.

Reactions

1.

Councils spent a disgusting amount of money during the kings useless coronation to decorate the streets. But fail to use that fund to help house homeless families and get them into permanent housing. This is not Beyoncés fault this is the fault of the government and sadique Khan. https://t.co/gZUK0mPnTU

— cleopatra (@Cleopatra_24s) May 23, 2023

2.

Great story @SammyGecsoyler – absolutely awful on so many levels. Imagine if this was your family going through this… Surely @Travelodge should move the @Beyonce fans' bookings to the #WoodGreen branch and leave the families where they are? https://t.co/VLYMvFsall

— Gabriella Jozwiak 🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦 (@GabriellaJ) May 23, 2023

3.

"A number of families have been living in the hotel for months on end, far past the six-week legal limit."

Where to begin? Abhorrent but entirely reflective of a United Kingdom plagued by despicable Tory polices for over a decade. https://t.co/aoxz4yOLJq

— Ayman Khwaja (@aymankhwaja) May 23, 2023

4.

#UnintendedConsequences or mistaken priorities:
'100 rooms are booked by @EnfieldCouncil [for] homeless families, some live 4 or 5 people to a room.. the council failed to extend bookings of 30 families during the #Beyonce concert run, meaning they have to leave' #TheWrongHousing https://t.co/7JPZR9rUeN

— Action on Empty Homes @emptyhomes (@emptyhomes) May 23, 2023

5.

This is a distressing read, but it should be read. This, and worse, are happening here every day. https://t.co/TIj71kxQdm

— Uiɭɭiɑm 𐌼ɑc🍬ᚒᚔᚂᚂᚔᚐᚋ (@UilliamMacG) May 23, 2023

6.

https://twitter.com/LiamMBarrett/status/1660921911902126081

Responses

An Enfield council spokesperson said: “In the event that Travelodge is not able to offer rooms for individuals and families, we will do our utmost to find other suitable accommodation with as little disruption as possible.

“We recognise that hotel accommodation is not ideal for families which is why we continue to lobby for national action to address the fundamental shortfall of affordable housing.”

A Travelodge spokesperson said: “We have been working with Enfield council for many years to provide short-term accommodation. All parties understand that this is a temporary arrangement until the local authority can find a more permanent solution.

“At present we do have ample availability at our Enfield and nearby hotels for the dates in question that the council are welcome to book. Our rooms are subject to availability but we will always try our utmost to support Enfield council where we can.”

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