High time for more council houses

toby3000

michaels wrote: »

A lot of the housing stock round here is ex council - given that there is a shortage of properties for sale pushing up prices I can not even imagine what private housing would cost if the council properties had not been sold off under RTB...

Cut would demand really be any higher? We can assume that people would still be living in those houses, and for the majority of the population there us a finite number of houses they want/need (1)

And lots of people are pushed into buying because rents are so high - as long as renting is as expensive as buying then people are going to be pushed into buying when they otherwise wouldn't

baby_boomer

I was astonished to learn that the Big Council House Sale was not just Thatcherite (left office in 1990) but continues (19 years later) at break-neck speed under New Labour 1997-2009.

Housing has been woefully neglected while New Labour stuffed the doctors' mouths & PPP/PFI businessmen with taxpayers' gold.

It's incredible that a Party which originally represented the working class should have allowed this to happen, as it impacts on so many ordinary people's lives. In addition the shortage of social housing also fuels racism - so it impacts negatively on another Labour core constituency. This is a party which needs to go away and have a think about what its purpose is.

Generali

Shakethedisease wrote: »

I guess you could poncificate about driving forces behind council housing etc etc.. but at the end of the day when lots of private rentals available can't/won't take on those on benefits, yet there isn't anywhere near enough council housing to go round ( waiting lists are huge).. it seems like a simple enough solution to build more to me. Would provide a lots of jobs/apprenticeships too if they did.

It's all about having a roof over your head isn't it ?

Possibly those looking for a council house could get a job and rent somewhere using their own money rather than someone else's.

Clearly not all can (due to disability or temporary ill health for example) but the majority could I would imagine (too lazy to look up the stats).

Just a thought.

blckbrd

I wonder what would happen if we got the exemplary home-owners/private tenants to do exchanges with all the 'scummy' council tenants.
Would the former be reduced to the behaviour of the latter and vice-versa? Or would everyone sprout a tambourine and live happily ever after? Or would all just become bitter and twisted at what they had had and lost or had never had but should have?

sjaypink

blckbrd wrote: »

I wonder what would happen if we got the exemplary home-owners/private tenants to do exchanges with all the 'scummy' council tenants.
Would the former be reduced to the behaviour of the latter and vice-versa? Or would everyone sprout a tambourine and live happily ever after? Or would all just become bitter and twisted at what they had had and lost or had never had but should have?

Thats too deep for a lunch time. I'll get back to you tonight, after some wine

Shakethedisease

Possibly those looking for a council house could get a job and rent somewhere using their own money rather than someone else's.

There aren't anywhere near enough jobs to go round either.. there's a recession on.

Just a thought...


If those that lose their jobs go onto benefits, and landlords can't/won't take those on benefits and there isn't anywhere near enough social housing to go round.. mabye we should just build more ? Get people off the dole too and young people learning trades.

Gorgeous_George

You could move some families into Mayfair and it would be a slum within a year.

We should build proper houses with proper gardens and change the beneits system to ensure we have proper families. Married person tax allowances for a start. Anybody choosing to live on benefits should not receive more than minimum wage.

GG

toby3000

Gorgeous_George wrote: »

You could move some families into Mayfair and it would be a slum within a year.

We should build proper houses with proper gardens and change the beneits system to ensure we have proper families. Married person tax allowances for a start. Anybody choosing to live on benefits should not receive more than minimum wage.

GG

You'd have to be in a pretty exceptional set of circumstances to receiev more than the minimun wage, I believe

I don't really see how being married is going to solve social problems, and if it's offered to all married couiples then it's just another regressive benefit

carefullycautious

A large new build estate by persimmon started building before the 'crash' occurred. They completed a large block of flats and a row of Town Houses. They have been furiously trying to sell the many off plan houses for months now.

I have recently read in the areas paper that the government are injecting millions to help persimmon finish this estate. The result will be a percentage of houses for low wage earners and it looks as if the rest will be housing association.

So the people who have brought at inflated prices are going to find themselve on a predominantly rented estate.

I think this is where the new 'council housing' is going to come from.

Talking to friends whos children brought newbuild flats this has happened with all the empty flats which did not sell. There are a lot of disgruntled home owners out there already who are in a minority within what should have been all private.

carolt

But what about all the newbuilds that were too low in standards to be suitable for council accomodation (too small, too shoddy)?

What is going to happen to them?