Family's Struggle After Council Housing Closure

A mum of four has told how she and her husband are routinely skipping meals after being forced out of their Homes for Reading property.

Rowan Perry-Lee, her husband Raven and their daughters Talia, Aurora, Lorelei and Solstice had been tenants in Caversham Park Village. Homes for Reading (HfR) — a company owned by Reading Borough Council — closed in July 2024 after mounting debts, and the council absorbed all 101 HfR properties into its housing stock.

Existing tenants were told to leave at the end of their tenancies or face eviction. The council issued 53 section 21 eviction notices: 33 tenants have moved voluntarily into suitable alternative accommodation, 18 notices have not been complied with, and two notices have not yet expired. The Perry-Lee family moved out before eviction action and now live in West Reading.

Mrs Perry-Lee said: “Our current situation is not the result of poor budgeting or a lack of hard work; it is the direct consequence of the council’s widely documented financial mismanagement.

“We were forced from our original home due to these systemic errors, and the ‘solution’ provided has been a financial death sentence. We’ve moved to a property where the rent is £1,000 higher than our previous home—while simultaneously saddling us with a £7,000 loan—the council has effectively legislated us into poverty.

“My husband and I are now routinely skipping meals to ensure our children can eat.

“As a teacher and a teaching assistant, we are expected to educate and support children daily while suffering the physical effects of malnutrition.

“We are being punished for their mistakes, and our children are paying the price.”

Reading Borough Council has acknowledged the impact of the closure and says HfR became financially unviable with outstanding loans of £25.460 million.

A council spokesperson said: “RBC fully acknowledges the impact the closure of HfR has had on families and individuals, and is committed to helping all tenants find suitable alternative homes.

They added that the council supported the family to seek accommodation within its Rent Guarantee Scheme and local housing allowance levels, and that initial costs (deposit and first month’s rent) were paid where the property did not meet scheme criteria. The council said affordability concerns were discussed and lower‑rent options suggested, but the family proceeded with a higher‑rent, four‑bedroom property.

On HfR’s background, the council said: “Homes for Reading was set up in 2016 in good faith and as a direct response to the national housing crisis. At the time, councils were prevented by government from borrowing money to build council homes, known as the ‘borrowing cap’.

“The difficult decision to close in July 2024 was taken as a last resort and only after careful consideration of the company’s ability to repay the loans provided by RBC, its impact on RBC’s wider finances and an independent analysis of all the options.”

James Aldridge, Local Democracy Reporter