Housing Benefit in London

terryw

Have I got this right? You have experienced racism in the North West (which I am very sad to hear) but feel that the only place where this will not be a problem is Southwark in London, and you are concerned about the high level of rents in that particular area.

Are there no other areas of the UK where racism might not be problem? And where LHA would pay the full amount of your rent.

terryw

Your post has crossed with mine and you have answered some of my points.

I am truly sorry that you have experienced racist behaviour. But please believe me when I say that there are many many places where this does not happen.

Best of luck anyway finding somewhere.

Big_Poppa_2

terryw wrote: »

Have I got this right? You have experienced racism in the North West (which I am very sad to hear) but feel that the only place where this will not be a problem is Southwark in London, and you are concerned about the high level of rents in that particular area.

Are there no other areas of the UK where racism might not be problem? And where LHA would pay the full amount of your rent.

The only places in the world where, obviously generalising highly here, that racism won't be a massive problem of day to day life for someone like me are London, New York, and Africa. I'm a born and raised in England so I'm lucky to have London here and I want to take advantage of that. Imo the world's best city now, and I spend alot of time there. Absolutely anywhere else in the UK you are looked upon as a 2nd class citizen, and life is dangerous. Since I left school 9 years ago 2 of my schoolfriends have been murdered. One of the lads murdered was white, and stabbed to death because he lived with his grand-dad who was mixed race. Cars drive past me daily throwing bricks and shouting the N word. A car swerved to try and run me over 2 years ago, while hurling racial abuse out the window.

In London due to the fact it has had years of integration and a cosmopolitan city, while the general crime rate is higher as all Capital cities, i'm less likely to suffer this sort of abuse. I know this for a fact, due to having spent alot of time down there.

England is no place for a minority unless you are in London, i would only take notice of another ethnic minority on that matter too. Because I know what I'm talking about in this instance.

Southwark seems good because it's not too ambitious, it's just about affordable, with decent links to Central London so that I will be able to gain employment from a place in Central London or NorthWest London etc without them thinking I live too far away. I just think the Benefit should be around the 105 mark for here, to make it fair.

I will continue to apply for many jobs before I move down, just looking into moving down before then, and claiming HB for a month or two until I get a job. I feel it will be easier to get a job, or even 2 jobs, if I am based there 24 hours a day with my own bed and roof over my head. I have some savings, but they'd run out if I didn't manage to get a job for a long time. So can't risk it. Nothing sinister. I saw that story about the Afghan family on 5000 a month benefits to live in Chelsea or something, disgusting. I agree.

Fire_Fox

Big_Poppa wrote: »

I'm just after an Area in England that I won't be murdered, abused for walking down my street or attacked for my skin colour anymore and London fits the bill. Specifically South London. I don't mind being murdered or attacked to be robbed for my phone or something, but the whole racism themed gig really gets tiring after 26 years of it.

My mates live in Hackney, but I can't afford it for now. Until I work my way up.

Oh also alot of the jobs keep asking how far I need to travel on the forms. Hence why it can't be too stupidly far away from Central London. Otherwise that may stop me getting a job. Somewhere like Southwark or thereabouts fits the bill. As it's much cheaper than North London and West London. So that's why i'm looking there to start with.

I used to live in the London borough of Newham, I can assure you that there are plenty of non-white faces there (try Stratford or Forest Gate rather than East or West Ham). I currently live in Bradford where again there is a good ethnic mix, you could try Birmingham or Leicester. It's very sad to say but you will find racists everywhere you go. IME the most prejudiced seem to be the UK equivalent of white 'trailer trash' and young Asian lads who have been born in Britain (obviously not all of either group!!).

Big_Poppa_2

Fire_Fox wrote: »

I used to live in the London borough of Newham, I can assure you that there are plenty of non-white faces there (try Stratford or Forest Gate rather than East or West Ham). I currently live in Bradford where again there is a good ethnic mix, you could try Birmingham or Leicester. It's very sad to say but you will find racists everywhere you go. IME the most prejudiced seem to be the UK equivalent of white 'trailer trash' and young Asian lads who have been born in Britain (obviously not all of either group!!).

The mix in Bradford is actually appalling, though. the idea that you think, or have been led to believe by the local council and local BNP that there's a good ethnic mix makes me laugh it's around 9 for every 1. Same for Burnley and all the other famous north west hotspots. And I'm black not asian, so I would be looking at about 500 to 1, in my case.

I've lived in the same city in the north west my whole life and I would tell anyone who wasn't White-Christian the same thing & not to move here under any circumstances unless you want to be a 2nd class citizen and have children and old people gawp and stare at you in amazement anywhere you go.

All due respect but it has to be London. That's the only city. I've never once been racially abused in London. Here in my home city I am racially abused every day. And I have had 4 racially aggravated attempts on my life. 3 with a brick, 1 by the car trying to run me over while hurling abuse.

Can this happen anywhere? yes, I suppose. But the racially aggravated aspect of the attacks is lessened to an absolute minimum in London. Due to nobody caring that you're a minority. There's millions of them. People don't bat an eyelid.

Fire_Fox

Big_Poppa wrote: »

All due respect but it has to be London. That's the only city. I've never once been racially abused in London. Here in my home city I am racially abused every day. And I have had 4 racially aggravated attempts on my life. 3 with a brick, 1 by the car trying to run me over while hurling abuse.

Can this happen anywhere? yes, I suppose. But the racially aggravated aspect of the attacks is lessened to an absolute minimum in London. Due to nobody caring that you're a minority. There's millions of them. People don't bat an eyelid.

My experience of London (I am white, but all bar one of my teenage friends were Asian, the other was black) was that it depends very much where you go. I hope you find your forever home in Southwark/ Hackney! :A

Fire_Fox

Big_Poppa wrote: »

The mix in Bradford is actually appalling, though. the idea that you think, or have been led to believe by the local council and local BNP that there's a good ethnic mix makes me laugh it's around 9 for every 1. Same for Burnley and all the other famous north west hotspots. And I'm black not asian, so I would be looking at about 500 to 1, in my case.

I think you edited your post to add the above as I was replying otherwise I am losing the plot! I am talking about Bradford the city and I think you are referring to Bradford the district??

I live in the city centre, which is a real mix - my block is just fifteen flats and we have a pastor from Africa, Chinese students, an Arabic family, a Greek single mother and her East European partner ... There's a good mix all round the university too. Move north of the city centre and you pass through whole swathes of the city which are largely Pakistani, other areas which are white trash.

My information isn't coming from the BNP, as I don't have those sort of associations! :rolleyes: I am very involved in a local community group and have worked with Bradfordians since I moved here - currently in the NHS so I try to use stats not council propaganda. This isn't exactly what I wanted to copy and paste but just off out so apologies for half a discussion:

"Approximately 70% of these communities live in the area covered by the former Bradford Primary Care Trust. A large proportion, 60%, of the Bradford population describe themselves a Christian, whilst 16% describe themselves as Muslim, 1% as Sikh and 1% as Hindu. The district has the largest population of Muslims and Hindus of any in the Yorkshire and Humber region.

A study commissioned by Yorkshire Futures estimated that between 2005 and 2030 there would be 0% population growth in the white population group, 90% growth in all Asian sub-groups combined and 39% in Black ethnic groups combined. They also estimated that the proportion of the population classified as white would fall to 62% in the same period, with the proportion of population from Asian sub-groups growing to 32%."
http://www.bradford.nhs.uk/observatory/Documents/2.2%20%20Ethnicity.pdf

Big_Poppa_2

Yeah I didn't mean it that way so apologies. I just meant the local councils up here and the local nutters make out that it's culturally diverse. But in the town of Burnley which is the most famous hotspot up here for aggro the mix is 9 'christians' to 1 Muslim. It's just that people notice the minorities more, as we tend to stand out for better or worse. So it seems like there's more of us that there is.

All that stats in the world aside. The Northwest will never be an enjoyable place for a black man or any kind of minority. I've always hated pulling that card, but unfortunately after 26 years here I have seen it proven true. I will always harbour a great anger towards my parents for raising me here, i've said this many times. And my mum's admitted she made a serious error of judgement that's basically ruined my life and given me no opportunity, due to the overwhelmingly 'English' and backwards area i've been brought up in. I Can't get to London fast enough personally. It's almost become an obsession over the last few years and now that i've saved the cash to start me up there, i'm close.

Big_Poppa_2

Oh, found a place for around 95 pounds earlier, in the area i want. looks really good. Going to ring up tomorrow and try for it I think. Took ALOT of searching though. Found it on the off chance. Hope I'm not too late and that I can strike some sort of agreement, gonna be hard in my case without a job. I'll be happy to eat humble pie on here if i get the place or similar.

Sharon87

Yeah, you really need to search around for a good place.

If you can't find anywhere you like for the price you want in the area you want, expand your horizons. East London is particularly cheap. I would recommend a house share, the more people in the house the cheaper it is. However I've found 5 people including me is all I can handle lol. Have a look at the web address below. I done a search on Gumtree for a house share with a maximum of £91 - although in other areas the HB will differ - sometimes its more it is in Brent (I used to claim £400 a month when I was unemployed for the shared room rate)