Luton’s Labour Council sponsoring mass evictions in Bedford Borough

"What happens to the innocent families who are compulsorily evicted under this process?" asks Luton Liberal Democrat Councillor David Franks. "It is an evil plan."

Liberal Democrat Councillors have called the Luton Borough Council's plan to evict innocent families from their homes in Bedford so they can take over 141 flats for Luton people in temporary accommodation as an evil plan.

The deal the Labour Council signed up to with housing provider Arpeggio Properties Ltd has the property company buying up blocks of flats in Bedford, evicting existing tenants and then leasing the empty flats for Luton Council to rehouse homeless people currently in temporary housing in Luton. "What happens to the innocent families who are compulsorily evicted under this process?" asks Councillor David Franks. "It is an evil plan."

We know Luton has a housing problem but paying a housing company to evict innocent families from blocks of flats in Bedford so the flats can be leased to Luton Council at higher rents is not the way to solve it."

Meanwhile, there are plans for huge blocks of flats to be built around Luton town centre and no plan to ensure they are bought or rented by local Luton people. Most will end up occupied by people from St. Albans and London where property prices too high for them to afford. We have no problem with St. Albians and Londoners, but first priority should be to house people who already live or work in the town."

Liberal Democrat Councillors have many times argued for a policy of Luton residents first, but the Labour run Council has made no progress at all on the proposal."