Council house rant....

Wee_Willy_Harris

silverchair wrote: »

Students get an extremely good education in this country. Unfortunately schools also have to do a lot more than teach because so many parents arent actually doing their job. Its all very easy to blame a lot of the problems this country has on kids not having a good education.

I used the word EDUCATION, rather than SCHOOL EDUCATION for a specific reason. We ALL have a duty to provide education, not just schools. Even these boards have a part to play and threads like this do nothing to present an accurate picture of social housing allocation.

silverchair

Wee_Willy_Harris wrote: »

I used the word EDUCATION, rather than SCHOOL EDUCATION for a specific reason. We ALL have a duty to provide education, not just schools. Even these boards have a part to play and threads like this do nothing to present an accurate picture of social housing allocation.

OK fair enough. I just feel that the "its not my responsibility & Im entitled to..." gets a bit much sometimes (this isnt aimed just at social housing) rather than trying to do things themselves.

Wee_Willy_Harris

silverchair wrote: »

OK fair enough. I just feel that the "its not my responsibility & Im entitled to..." gets a bit much sometimes (this isnt aimed just at social housing) rather than trying to do things themselves.

The irony is that it tends to be the very people who are against social housing who also promote the opinion that it is all for workless, !!!!less, single mums and present that opinion as a statement of fact. Then they will say that it's all the fault of the welfare state rather than looking at who is perpetuating the myths they are perpetuating.

Social Housing allocation is a matter of legislation. Allocation policies of individual providers are published and publicly available. I wish some would take the trouble to have a look at the facts before spouting their ill informed opinions.

Running_Horse

Being told I had no chance of even getting on the council waiting list was one of the best incentives I ever had to provide for myself. Hmmmm, rent a one bed council flat in a dodgy part of London, or own a three bed house and garden in suburbia?

Knowing someone who works in the system, it is completely bent, with up to 50% not even paying rent on some estates (despite getting benefits), and judges who refuse to do anything about it. The sooner council housing is replaced with incentives for private landlords to fill the gap, the better.

Local government have proved to be particularly poor landlords. Why would you even want to live there anyway? American cities are fast replacing their crime-ridden projects with mixed income communities. And guess what? It works.

Wee_Willy_Harris

Running_Horse wrote: »

Knowing someone who works in the system, it is completely bent, with up to 50% not even paying rent on some estates (despite getting benefits), and judges who refuse to do anything about it. The sooner council housing is replaced with incentives for private landlords to fill the gap, the better.

And this is exacly what I mean. Crap presented as fact.

Social Landlords are exempt from the change to LHA and always get the Housing Benefit paid direct to them.

geoffky

Wee willy harris....thank you for putting down the rabid angry people who are very very angry at something they know a very little about..spouting sterotypes will lead to a not very nice place and innocent people will be hurt due to ignorant bigots.

silverchair

Wee_Willy_Harris wrote: »

The irony is that it tends to be the very people who are against social housing who also promote the opinion that it is all for workless, !!!!less, single mums and present that opinion as a statement of fact. Then they will say that it's all the fault of the welfare state rather than looking at who is perpetuating the myths they are perpetuating.

Social Housing allocation is a matter of legislation. Allocation policies of individual providers are published and publicly available. I wish some would take the trouble to have a look at the facts before spouting their ill informed opinions.

Im not against social housing. Its very much needed. However, there are some inconsistencies & people that truly need it sometimes dont get it.

A friend of mine recently got a nice council flat (not in a block of flats, but in a converted house) with a garden. They dont have children & both have fairly good jobs. Yes they had been on the waiting list for a couple of years. However, they could afford to pay private rent (as can I, though would rather not have to too).
I just feel that it could have gone to someone in greater need. Social housing should be a safety net. This is also in an area which is classed as deprived & shortage of council housing.

What was rather annoying & probably a bit spiteful of me saying this, but I'll write it anyway was the fact that they complained that it was rundown & needed painting & that the council werent going to paint it & just replace the bathroom. This is what I meant by "its not my responsibilty & Im entitled to.."

Wee_Willy_Harris

silverchair wrote: »

Im not against social housing. Its very much needed. However, there are some inconsistencies & people that truly need it sometimes dont get it.

A friend of mine recently got a nice council flat (not in a block of flats, but in a converted house) with a garden. They dont have children & both have fairly good jobs. Yes they had been on the waiting list for a couple of years. However, they could afford to pay private rent (as can I, though would rather not have to too).
I just feel that it could have gone to someone in greater need. Social housing should be a safety net. This is also in an area which is classed as deprived & shortage of council housing.

What was rather annoying & probably a bit spiteful of me saying this, but I'll write it anyway was the fact that they complained that it was rundown & needed painting & that the council werent going to paint it & just replace the bathroom. This is what I meant by "its not my responsibilty & Im entitled to.."

Most people can afford to pay private rent, that's what LHA/Housing Benefit is for..... and why it isn't a deciding factor with social housing allocation.

Social Housing isn't there just to be cheaper than private rented. It's there to provide the security of ownership to those unable to do so. It's there to provide the same level of security to the poorer members of society that those who are wealthier already enjoy. Without it, the best that they could ever aspire to would be, maybe, 6 months security of tenure.

Isn't security the most important thing for MOST of us? Isn't it one of the main drivers to home ownership? So why should it be denied to some members of society just to satisfy the snobbery fueled prejudices of a few Daily Mail/Express readers?

diable

silverchair wrote: »

Im not against social housing. Its very much needed. However, there are some inconsistencies & people that truly need it sometimes dont get it.

A friend of mine recently got a nice council flat (not in a block of flats, but in a converted house) with a garden. They dont have children & both have fairly good jobs. Yes they had been on the waiting list for a couple of years. However, they could afford to pay private rent (as can I, though would rather not have to too).
I just feel that it could have gone to someone in greater need. Social housing should be a safety net. This is also in an area which is classed as deprived & shortage of council housing.

What was rather annoying & probably a bit spiteful of me saying this, but I'll write it anyway was the fact that they complained that it was rundown & needed painting & that the council werent going to paint it & just replace the bathroom. This is what I meant by "its not my responsibilty & Im entitled to.."

Years ago I knew someone on £70k a year quiet happily living in a housing association bedsit in Earls Court as it suited his travelling plans........

Wee_Willy_Harris

diable wrote: »

Years ago I knew someone on £70k a year quiet happily living in a housing association bedsit in Earls Court as it suited his travelling plans........

So, that's it, is it? You base your entire knowledge and opinion of social housing on this aquaintance who, as even you must know, could hardly be called a representative Social Housing tenant. One person out of the millions of social housing tenants. Are you seriously suggesting that this is typical behaviour? That there are great swaithes of social housing tenants who are also highly paid captains of industry? If that is the case then all I can tell you is that they spend their leisure time very heavily disguised!!!

Perhaps the affordable rents offered by social housing encouraged him to take that first step on the career ladder.