Up to 30 homeless families to face hotel removal during Beyoncé tour in London

Homeless families are facing removal from their emergency accommodation in Enfield when Beyoncé performs in London on the UK leg of her Renaissance tour. 

Up to 30 families are reportedly set to be removed from Enfield Travelodge – which acted as a temporary home for people, sometimes for months – when the star performs at the nearby Tottenham Hotspur Stadium between May 29th and June 4th.

Enfield Council has not extended the booking of around 100 rooms to house homeless families and individuals, which comprise around two-thirds of the available accommodation in the hotel.

According to The Guardian, some families are living with four to five people in one room and now face being moved to another hotel as their booking ends around the time of the concerts. Families have explained that the council regularly waits until the very last day of their booking to extend, with Travelodge rooms only available to be booked for 28 days at a time before extensions must be made.

Homeless individuals and families have previously been made to leave the hotel to temporarily go to other accommodation further out when the council failed to extend their booking in time, the publication reported. 

It is understood the local council have concerns about the impact the tour could have on homeless families staying in the hotel. If removed, families will have to pack up their lives and potentially take their children to other schools.

One woman, Colette, lives in one room with her four-year-old daughter and two-year-old twin sons, who have autism. She explained to The Guardian that she was told on Monday that she would be moved to Hertfordshire this week and would not return until June 4th.

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 in regards to the news: “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.”