Taxpayer funds familys £1,600 per week rent - The Times

tommy75

No wonder he has a big smile on his face. Bet he's got a .... .. too..

drc

BACKFRMTHEEDGE wrote: »

"The richest 1% in the UK hold some 70% of the country’s wealth"

http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/finance/edmundconway/100002243/inequality-in-britain-is-of-developing-world-level/

Now that's something to really complain about. You're mugs, you're so busy chucking stones at each other you don't see whats going on under your nose. The Tory press are playing you guys for mugs.

Wake up and smell the coffee.

This family is getting over £82,000 per year (in unearned income). I would constitute that as being rich. Much richer than all those mug taxpayers working for virtually nothing in nu-Labour's utopia.

carolt

BitterAndTwisted wrote: »

Westminster should ship this family out Port Talbot or somewhere. I'm sure they'd be happy to pay the housing costs to the local authority there. Win/Win

Here's a question I don't know the answer to: the Somali/Horn of Africa community have the lowest numbers in paid work in the country. I'd be interested to know why this might be.

And here's another question: I've got some lovely neighbours living in a LA two-bedroomed flat with their three children. Both parents work full-time and they cannot get themselves moved to a larger property. The children of the family in the article were all born in this country so how or why did they manage to move up from say a one-bed to a two-bed etc. etc. Enquiring minds (well, this one anyway) would like to know.

I accept that life's not fair but the situation reported in the newspaper seems like a criminal waste of tax-payers' money any way I try to look at it.

The argument, I believe, is that the children's education would be interrupted - they'd have to move school. But given they've already moved from Maida Vale to Edgware Road, that obviously doesn't apply. Personally, if that was an issue, I'd offer them the choice of a small council place - or a couple, if they can't find a 4/5 bed, say, given they've already agreed to be split up as a family - in the current area, or if they didn't like that, a cheap but bigger place out in rural Wales or somewhere cheap.

After all, it's not as though they need to be near to their place of work. :rolleyes:

I thought there was supposed to be a ceiling on housing allowance or whatever it's called now? Surely £1600/week must be above any ceiling? If not - then clearly the madmen who invented the ceiling need to be locked up for all our sakes.

lostinrates

carolt wrote: »

The argument, I believe, is that the children's education would be interrupted - they'd have to move school. But given they've already moved from Maida Vale to Edgware Road, that obviously doesn't apply.

Like army families often face? Like people who relocate for their work? FC's daughter suffered this year when her school closed? Or like other children in closing village schools do?

Pffft to that argument I say!:D

carolt

Agree entirely, lir!

tonypop

This is an utter disgrace, no one can justify this, it doesn't matter who is running britain whether it is tories or labour,they are both completely clueless!!!

treliac

tonypop wrote: »

This is an utter disgrace, no one can justify this, it doesn't matter who is running britain whether it is tories or labour,they are both completely clueless!!!

Yeah, but don't forget it IS Labour who (tries to) run the country right now. :rolleyes:

lynzpower

carolt wrote: »

The argument, I believe, is that the children's education would be interrupted - they'd have to move school. But given they've already moved from Maida Vale to Edgware Road, that obviously doesn't apply. Personally, if that was an issue, I'd offer them the choice of a small council place - or a couple, if they can't find a 4/5 bed, say, given they've already agreed to be split up as a family - in the current area, or if they didn't like that, a cheap but bigger place out in rural Wales or somewhere cheap.

After all, it's not as though they need to be near to their place of work. :rolleyes:

I thought there was supposed to be a ceiling on housing allowance or whatever it's called now? Surely £1600/week must be above any ceiling? If not - then clearly the madmen who invented the ceiling need to be locked up for all our sakes.

IO dont know what you mean, Edgeware road and maida vale are basically the same area. I used to work in LG in Westminster and from say Edgware rd station to Maida vale is no more than 20 mins maximum. Different postcodes, nw8/w2/w9.

Problem is that housing has become very expensive. If for any reason as a LG officer, you have a legal obligation to place a family in the area, and this is what the local rates in the private sector are then this is what the taxpayer will pay. This was totally the purpose of LHA! It effectively allowed the ceiling of housing benefit to be lifted. I have looked on LHA rates in some areas of london and they are extremely generous. This in turn makes the market bubble even more- this government are great at that!

This is the eternal flawed thinking that Private sector is better and delivers lower costs than the public sector.

Westminster, as youll recall stands on an inherited scandal of council housing with Dame Shirley Porter. The stock isnt there.

Whats more is that many many young people, single parents etc, live in SHOCKING states of housing adn we the taxpayer pay upwards of 300pw for a hovel above a shop with no fucntioning boiler etc. The taxpayer seems remarkably quiet on this point.

carolt

But this is so simple to fix! You just set lower ceilings, and magically - the rents will be within that, as there's no way they'd find a private sector mug able and willing to pay these prices. Like the one in the story where the rent doubled :eek: when the taxpayer started picking up the tab.

PasturesNew

I was born here, worked all my life ... I've never even been inside the door of such a mansion... yet they get given it on a plate.