Uxbridge and South Ruislip Constituency Labour party have slammed the government for ending the ban on evictions, putting thousands of renters at risk of homelessness at time when COVID 19 cases are on the rise. On September 21st, the government’s 6-month long ban on evictions will formally come to end. The ban was introduced in March at the beginning of the lockdown. The Housing minister Robert Jennrick said this to ensure that “no renter who has lost income due to coronavirus will be forced out of their home”. The ban was initially due to end in June, but has been extended twice, firstly till August and then till September. Anyone served with an eviction notice since 29 August has been given a six-month notice period “to keep people in their homes over the winter months”. However, those served a notice between March and August will only receive 4 weeks notice. The campaign group Generation rent have suggested that up to 55,00 renters could be in this group. Commenting on the end of the ban, Uxbridge and South Ruislip Labour have said “this has come at a particularly poor time due to the threat of a second wave of COVID-19. It is paramount that people have access to stable housing to prevent further infections." “The time has come for the government to show some compassion and stop those who have lost their income from also losing their homes.” A spokeswoman for the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government said: "We've taken unprecedented action to support renters by banning evictions for six months, preventing people getting into financial hardship and helping businesses to pay salaries. "To help keep people in their homes over the winter months, we've changed the law to increase notice periods to six months and introduced a 'winter truce' on the enforcement of evictions for the first time." "In addition we have put in place a welfare safety net of nearly £9.3 billion and increased Local Housing Allowance rates to cover the lowest 30% of market rents."
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