Dozens of homeless families currently sheltering in a London hotel face eviction at the end of this month when the Beyoncé Renaissance world tour lands in the capital. The Guardian newspaper reports up to 30 families will be removed from a Travelodge in Enfield and placed in an alternative, temporary accommodation as their rooms have been booked by other people during Beyoncé’s stay in London. The report comes just days after the Grammy-winner made headlines on the news that she purchased a $177 million Malibu mega-mansion.
Beyoncé is scheduled to play five nights at the nearby Tottenham Hotspur stadium between 29 May and 4 June.
According to the outlet about 100 rooms, two-thirds of the hotel, are currently booked by the local north London council as the city struggles to deal with an accommodation crisis driven by the influx of illegal migrants entering the country.
They are occupied by families and individuals who reported themselves homeless to Enfield officials, some of whom live four or five people to one room.
The news of the forced family removals comes just two days after the performer and her celebrity entrepreneur husband Jay Z — known for their support of left-wing politicians like Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, and Joe Biden — took possession of the most expensive home in California history with their $177 million purchase of a new Malibu palace, as Breitbart News reported.
The couple are also long time Black Lives Matter (BLM) supporters which might be of little comfort to some of those families being forced out of their emergency accommodation in London.
Beyoncé and husband Jay Z have just dropped $177 million on a new house in Malibu, California.(Photo by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Roc Nation)
Families who have had to move out of the hotel for the duration of the singer’s stay say the process is incredibly disruptive.
As well as having to take all of their belongings with them, they say their children ended up missing school, the Guardian report sets out.
The newspaper said it understands Enfield council had private concerns about the impact Beyoncé’s upcoming tour could have on families being housed at the Travelodge.
A Travelodge spokesperson said: “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.”