Councils Move Families Out of Aziz Tower Over AC
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- Wandsworth Council said it is making "immediate" plans to remove its tenants from Britannia Point after the Guardian revealed families in temporary accommodation were told they couldn't use in-built air conditioning during heatwaves because it was "not been offered as an amenity" for them.
- Sutton Council has already stopped placing residents in the block and is helping remaining Sutton tenants relocate, while Croydon Council said high housing demand prevents removal but has raised concerns with the building's owner and is conducting welfare checks.
- Criterion Capital, set up by billionaire Asif Aziz, owns the 19-storey Britannia Point tower in Colliers Wood, south-west London; temporary tenancies are managed separately by letting agencies including Aura Assets Management, and Criterion told the Guardian it "encourage[s] leaseholders to work with local authorities to support tenants in these unprecedented circumstances."
- After the Guardian's report some residents received letters saying they could "feel free to use" air conditioning at £35–£50 per month, but multiple tenants said units have been inoperative for over a year; Benice Bodah said she keeps her working unit switched off because she cannot afford the extra cost.
- Tenant Sabrina Walters said her one-year-old daughter was overheating and her 12-year-old suffered cluster nose bleeds linked to overheating; her unit was only turned back on after she contacted her local MP, and she said a mother of two in the building still has no working air conditioning.
- Labour Merton councillor Stuart Neaverson, who has been assisting residents, called on other councils to follow Wandsworth's lead and asked how "this could ever happen" while temperatures hit 35C; earlier this year Criterion Capital was accused of attempting to mass-evict tenants before the UK's ban on no-fault evictions took effect, which it has denied.
Why it matters: Wandsworth's 'immediate' removal and Sutton's prior withdrawal pile pressure on Croydon and other councils still placing families at Britannia Point; the £35–£50 monthly AC charge and year-plus repair delays expose how Britain's temporary-housing system is failing to deliver basic cooling during the country's fourth heatwave of the year.
