A Green party council candidate is attempting to evict his Labour opponent from a house he owns using a no-fault eviction notice, despite his party's support for banning such evictions. William Pedley, standing for the Greens in the Victoria ward of North Northamptonshire council, served a section 21 notice in March 2024 on tenant Kelly Duddridge, who has lived in the property for 10 years. Duddridge is also his rival for the council seat, although neither was a candidate when the notice was issued.
Pedley says he needs the house due to a change in family circumstances. Duddridge remains in the property but says the threat of eviction has caused significant stress for her and her family. Labour has accused Pedley of hypocrisy, given his party's opposition to no-fault evictions. A Labour spokesperson said: 'This is yet more rank hypocrisy from the Green party. Threatening to evict a tenant via no-fault eviction while standing on a platform to abolish section 21 simply beggars belief.'
Duddridge told the Guardian: 'I am trying not to think about having to move away from the house. I love the neighbours and my four children are settled. But the reality is, once a section 21 notice has been served, there is not much I can do about it.' She noted that Pedley had first tried to evict her in 2016 but rescinded the notice three weeks later. In March 2024, he issued a new section 21 notice, giving her two months to vacate. Duddridge has not moved, prompting a legal letter last August warning her to leave after 12 October. She plans to remain until bailiffs attend, as advised that this will improve her chances of qualifying for council housing.
A Green party spokesperson said: 'We understand that Mr Pedley served the section 21 eviction notice almost a year ago. The order was served because his personal circumstances meant he required the premises for his own use.' Section 21 notices allow landlords to reclaim properties with two months' notice without tenant fault. Labour plans to abolish such evictions as part of its renters' rights bill, which has passed the Commons and is due for Lords debate. The Greens have also backed an end to no-fault evictions, arguing in their fair deal for renters that ending the practice will mean tenants 'don’t have their lives turned upside down on the whim of their landlords'. Carla Denyer, a Green co-leader, previously tweeted support for an immediate ban on section 21 evictions.
