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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Installing a swimming pool in back garden of a council house. WTF?

9 replies

Hammy02 · 04/03/2011 11:42

Seen in the news that a woman installed a swimming pool in the back garden of her council house at a cost of £4000 whilst having her rent paid for by the taxpayer. How on earth can this happen? Surely if her circumstances have changed so much that she has this much spare cash, she should have to move out, privately rent and allow a family that really needs accomodation to take over the council house? Also, surely it isn't allowed that she can change a property that isn't her own?

OP posts:
GrimmaTheNome · 04/03/2011 11:43

There's already a thread on this here

worraliberty · 04/03/2011 11:45

Assuming she had permission to install it...the money could have been a gift. I think you're allowed a certain amount of savings while on benefits.

The cost of the upkeep is bound to be steep though.

LadyThumb · 04/03/2011 11:45

I think you will find it was built with the illicit 'earnings' of her husband (burglary). It is not a 'permanent' pool, just a hole in the ground with a liner and a heater - a bit like my garden pond.

There are people doing far worse than her at the taxpayers expense I can assure you, and not even having paid into our system!

Ephiny · 04/03/2011 11:49

£4000 wouldn't go very far on rent though, it would seem a bit silly for her to have to move out, rent a house privately for a few months until the 'extra cash' ran out, then be re-housed by the council all over again. Might even cost more than it saves in terms of the administrative overhead and waste of everyone's time.

I can see why people are a bit Hmm, just saying having a bit of money as a one-off doesn't necessarily mean her income has increased long-term.

TattyDevine · 04/03/2011 11:53

From what I can tell from the article, she only started being on benefits when her husband went to jail, which was long after the pool had been installed. The Daily Mail would have you think taxpayers money funded it but it didn't.

(Though sale of stolen goods probably did!)

BaroqueAroundTheClock · 04/03/2011 11:55

well I've just read that her husband who works as a landscape gardener did it.....so I doubt very much she's getting all her rent paid for her

BaroqueAroundTheClock · 04/03/2011 11:57

ahh- have just seen the Sun and Mail articles which state he's now in prison Grin

BaroqueAroundTheClock · 04/03/2011 11:59

how bizarre - how did the Telegraph come up with the fact that he was a landscape gardener Confused

Birdsgottafly · 04/03/2011 12:08

She is now only on benefits because her husband is in prison, before that he was working. They used the money from a sale of a house for the pool. There seams to be little recognition from posters of the effect of unstable housing on families, she should most definatly not have her tenancy ended.

We were in a similar position (without the pool)Grin where we had to sell our house or be reposessed. We could not have afforded a private rental, i would have had to give up work, so we were awarded a HA house. Many people cannot get mortgages. I think there are sections of society that will not be happy until the workhouses are in opperation again.

The housing, unemployment and working poor situation in this country is what is the real disgrace.

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