Vince Cable

Local residents, Simon Suckling and partner, Patricia Austin, have become the victims on what Vincent Cable MP calls a "scandalous loophole in the law which enables powerful property companies to take advantage of protected tenants".

The local residents are long standing protected tenants of a very big property company called Mountview Estates. Under the legislation, if the freehold of the flats is sold, tenants are have right of first refusal. However, Mountview have found a loophole whereby they sold the Suckling flat and that of another tenant on the same day separately to two different men who turned out to be connected to Mountview, who bought the flats from them on the same day. So Mountview finished up owning the flats; the tenants lost their protection; rents have been pushed up; and no repairs or improvements have been done.

Vincent Cable said "The company seem to have found a legal loophole in the law and a lot of local and other tenants are being stripped of their protection. I have asked John Prescott, as Deputy Prime Minister, to investigate. He acknowledges there is a loophole but isn't able to offer the prospect of early legislation. Meanwhile, Mr Suckling and Ms Austin can only protest or put up with an intolerable position."