A meeting of the Surrey Police and Crime Panel on 4 February 2026 prompted Police and Crime Commissioner Lisa Townsend to agree to review eviction cases involving extreme vulnerability after councillors raised concerns about tenants with children and pregnant residents. Councillor Richard Wilson (Surrey Heath, Bagshot) asked why longer-serving officers were being asked to leave their force-owned homes in the middle of the school term, warning that the timing would add pressure to families already struggling with the cost of living.
The exchange took place during the Surrey Police and Crime Panel; panel members and local councillors highlighted the impact on households in Surrey Heath and elsewhere in the county. Cllr Wilson told the panel that “many residents in my area are already struggling to afford food, heating and rent. To add the threat of eviction to our own police families is the wrong move at the worst possible time,” and asked for extensions or protections for tenants with school-age children or medical needs.
The PCC and Surrey Police have said the properties are being prioritised as temporary, subsidised housing for officers at the start of their careers who face difficulty accessing the expensive local private-rented market. Surrey Police has said it wants to ensure its subsidised housing is available for employees “who are early in their service and meet our eligibility criteria” and has framed the action as necessary ahead of changes in renters’ legislation.
Notices were issued in late January 2026 (some tenants received letters dated 19 January) asking occupants to leave by 1 May — the same date the Renters’ Rights Act is due to come into force on 1 May 2026, which will ban no-fault (Section 21-style) evictions. BBC and ITV reporting, and the dossier of local coverage, noted critics who say the timing suggests the force is acting before the new law makes such evictions harder, and that experienced officers who have lived in these homes for years are being disadvantaged.
Local families affected say they are urgently looking for alternative housing in an expensive market and are awaiting the PCC’s review to see whether more time or exemptions will be granted for those with extreme vulnerability or dependent children. Community leaders in Surrey Heath have emphasised that any effort to make accommodation available for new staff should not come at the expense of the safety and stability of current officers and their families.
Surrey Police and the Office of the Police & Crime Commissioner have said those affected will have access to force support, and the PCC has been asked to publish the review outcomes and the criteria being applied.
