Panorama; Council Housing.

Oliver14

Welshwoofs wrote: »

I watched the program and found myself shouting at the television. My thoughts about it can really be summed up as follows:

1. Don't have kids if you can't afford to provide for them. It doesn't take a genius to work out that if you live in a 3-bed house and you keep popping out rug rats, then sooner or later you'll have an over-crowding problem. It also doesn't take a genius to work out that if you don't work, you won't have the money to provide for those kids.

I don't think the program did it self any favours by using this family as an example. There are plenty of people out there in dire need of housing who would have put forward the problems with the lack of council provision a lot better.

Welshwoofs wrote: »

. If you are a healthy young lad of 19/21 and you happen to be unlucky enough to be in an area of high unemployment, guess what, you can MOVE. You have no ties so you can start job hunting nationally and when you find one, then rent a room in a house share. DON'T sit around on your fat backside moaning that you can't have your own free house because, guess what, the world doesn't owe you a bloody living.

A bit judgemental really. The program never stated if they were working or not. They could easily have been working and just not been able to afford the over inflated private rents. Also we have been in a recession even if they attempt to find jobs elsewhere they may not exist.

Welshwoofs wrote: »

. If you're a young couple who have no work, then try C.O.N.T.R.A.C.E.P.T.I.O.N. The #1 requirement of parenthood is being responsible for the provision of what that child needs......don't have children and expect the taxpayer to pick up the bill.

Most forms of Contraception aren't 100%. Accidents happen.

Welshwoofs wrote: »

4. If you're unemployed and pregnant and in a perfectly good rented flat, try to avoid blowing all your money on nick-naks, new furniture and exercise bikes on the catalogue never-never because you'll end up in something we call D.E.B.T. When you get into debt, don't then whinge and moan that you can't afford your rent....you CREATED that situation! When you move into your first house together...do what the rest of us did, second-hand shops and family hand-me-downs. Nobody NEEDS to have brand new everything!

Not sure you actually listened to what was said the major reason for the debts was the High rents. No one mentioned catalogues etc.

I'm quite dissapointed with your responses Welshwoofs you normally have well thought out responses. Even if I don't always agree your points are valid. This time you seem though to be adhering to those Daily Mail stereotypes and jumping to conclusions when we don't actually have the whole picture.

LittleJo

Hi,
I wonder what would have happened if we had not sold off all our social housing?
Wonder what appened to all the cash?
Lovely woman Margaret Thatcher.
Jo

alexandra_cmpbll

Hi all, id just like to add my experience of the dire shortage of council housing in the scotland. I was married and had been for a year before i had my first child and four years later my second child. my marriage broke down, we had bought our property after we got married. my now ex husband forced the sale of our home, leaving my two children and myself homeless. i realised at the time I could have fought to stay in the property until my youngest child reached 18, but having come out of an abusive situation and having my ex making my life a misery because i continued to live in the property with the children, i thought it best at the time that we sell the property so I could start a new life with my children. We both worked. I went to the council then, along with letters of support from womens aid, my gp and social work and my lawyer. That was seven years ago and I have still to be offered a home for my children and I. i have had to move five times due to my private rentals being unaffordable because I choose to work. I dont spit children out that I cant afford to keep . I work part time because i have been ill and am recovering and will be happy to work full time when my health allows. Eh, no, I dont get any disability living allowance, I get very little help with my rent which is 55o per month or council tax. Yes i get working tax credit and child tax creidt. By the time i pay my private rental accomodation and council tax, I have not a penny left. My ex does not pay any maintenance as he is retired due to ill health ( alcoholism ). I admit, I must have bad judgement to have chosen him as a husband in the first place, though I will say there were other issues that i had been brought up with and wanted out of the family home.I dont have a life, i merely exist. If i could get an affordable social house it would change my life. i even tried the lift scheme and the such likes that the so called government have put in place to help low income families own, part own their homes and was told i dont earn enough! Could someone please tell me what i am supposed to do? This situation is n ot going to change in my life time or my first childs. i dont know how much longer I can sustain in this situation.

Orpheo

Did anyone actually listen to the pragram? Or did you just shout at the TV? Does anyone have any comment to make on the cheats who are subletting council properties for private profit? Such as the fine, upstanding pillar of law enforcement and hard work, PC Holt?

ruggedtoast

I didnt watch this and it has annoyed me. But not because of the people so much. If you exist in a world of benefit dependency then its not that irresponsible to have kids when you know that the council / benefits office / dhss will provide for them.

Leaving aside the 'chavscum' headline makers I suspect this accounts for most benefit claimants. They know they should work, but cant really be bothered to work in Greggs for minimum wage when the social pays the same.

The real problem is well meaning establishment types responsible for these payments, who think this is an acceptable way to let people live.

A pat on the head for the proletariat who will never amount to anything now the factories have been closed and they wouldnt really be presentable in an office anyway.

Both Labour and Tory are equally as guilty with this corrosive thinking.

poppy10_2

Orpheo wrote: »

Did anyone actually listen to the pragram? Or did you just shout at the TV? Does anyone have any comment to make on the cheats who are subletting council properties for private profit? Such as the fine, upstanding pillar of law enforcement and hard work, PC Holt?

The other guy Ahmed that was buying up council tenancies was refreshingly honest - the councils are giving priority housing to those that aren't in real need, so he doesn't see anything morally wrong in what he is doing.

Welshwoofs

Oliver14 wrote: »

A bit judgemental really. The program never stated if they were working or not. They could easily have been working and just not been able to afford the over inflated private rents. Also we have been in a recession even if they attempt to find jobs elsewhere they may not exist.

I think we all know those 2 lads weren't working and the fact that the elder one has 'I R Teh Pwnz!.. I r PwN jOo!' under his Employment status in Facebook I think we can take an educated guess....especially as being young, able-bodied, male AND in employment would result in no chance of a council place and the BBC states they've since been offered one.

As far as there being no jobs anywhere - my answer is in my signature. On the point of 'over inflated private rents' - again, flat share. I grew up in a really rural area with no work at all so I had to move to London to find work at the age of 18. A group of us (4 girls) used to live in some right grotty places which were massively expensive...but that's what happens when you're young and on crap money. If you sit around whining and waiting for someone to come knock on your door with opportunities on a plate, you'll be waiting forever.

Most forms of Contraception aren't 100%. Accidents happen.

They're around 98% effective and in those rare couple of percent of cases there's the morning after pill ...or heavens forbid, an abortion if you know damn well you can't provide for a child.

Not sure you actually listened to what was said the major reason for the debts was the High rents. No one mentioned catalogues etc.

No it said that couple were in debt and it said their benefit didn't cover the rent and they had to pay the rest which they couldn't afford. However I am also in possession of a pair of eyes and I could quite clearly see the sparkling new nick-nacks, the exercise bike etc etc. This couple were both out of work, so where did the money come from? Now I'll know you'll come back with 'don't assume..it may have been family' etc etc but come on, let's not be naive here.

I'm quite dissapointed with your responses Welshwoofs you normally have well thought out responses. Even if I don't always agree your points are valid. This time you seem though to be adhering to those Daily Mail stereotypes and jumping to conclusions when we don't actually have the whole picture.

My conclusion is that the people in that program didn't work, they had bred irresponsibly and they clearly felt they were 'owed' social housing. Social housing is a very limited resource and one, I feel, which should be restricted to those really in need - those who can't work and stand on their own two feet. All those people were clearly capable of being independent if they were motivated to do so - but they were either too lazy or too stupid to do so. Either way they deserve little sympathy.

westv

Orpheo wrote: »

Did anyone actually listen to the pragram? Or did you just shout at the TV? Does anyone have any comment to make on the cheats who are subletting council properties for private profit? Such as the fine, upstanding pillar of law enforcement and hard work, PC Holt?

I thought that was meant to be the main point of the programme.

The other people (who seem to be the main subject of the discussion in this thread) I took as merely being selected examples of people who have difficulty getting a council property for whatever reason.

westv

poppy10 wrote: »

The other guy Ahmed that was buying up council tenancies was refreshingly honest - the councils are giving priority housing to those that aren't in real need, so he doesn't see anything morally wrong in what he is doing.

He was just spouting out the usual (incorrect nonsense?). I'd be interested in knowing the facts.

ILW

The problem of illegal subletting etc, is mainly down to the useless numpties at the council etc, not doing their job.