to think that people who choose to have more children whilst living in social housing shouldn't expect to be given a bigger place?

[balsamicfundamentalist]

I am a member of another pregnancy forum and there is a woman there who has just had her 5th child (by choice). Neither her nor her partner work and she is complaining that the council will not giver them a bigger house (she is in a 3 bed). All the other members are sympathising with her but I don't understand why. Surely if you choose to have a child when you know your home is not big enough, you shouldn't expect the council to give you a bigger one, especially when it is sought after subsidised housing?

It's a total myth that only the poor have large families.

quite marriedinwhite. Friend of mine is very wealthy. Hubby a lawyer. They have 12 kids.

Yes, I recently met a surgeon with 9 children. I suspect he's pretty well off.

"HOusing associations can break even with properties being rented which is good. But that doesn't take into consideration building the properties in the first place. Someone elses taxes has paid for that."

this isn't my area of expertise, but my understanding is that the homes and communities agency is prividing a grant for development. the grant will be paid back - development of social housing has in the recent past been much down to something called section 106's where a a developer must develop affordable housing alongside housing for sale. the affordable housing is then usually managed in partnership with a housing association.

In my experience, developers loathe this element, and at a place i went to see recently, there is a (imo tasteless) aesthetic pond in the centre of the developemtn. The onsite development staff told a social housing resident that the pond @ wasn't for her, only the private residents@ i dont know how this could be enforced, but it gives you an idea of the ongoing disdain in which social housing residents are held

the children issue

1. poor people have more children = misnoma perpetuated by lazy red top or spin by right wing press

2. i think this is about hope and dreams. the question needs to be asked - why is this your dream to have 3 children by the time you are 21? Why didn't you dream bigger, why couldn't you action it.

Custardo you are right.

When powers were withdrawn from councils to build new council houses, the main impetus for building new social housing came (and still comes) through levies imposed on developers, many of whom argue every step of way with Planning Authorities about the level of provision.

Housing Associations tend to manage these new homes. HAs (which are charities) also build social housing of their own from their reserves.

Council tenants' rents go into a local authority Housing Revenue Account to pay for maintenance, some playgrounds, and other facilities that benefit those residents.

May what I meant is that reducing benefits won't stop these very large families in poverty.

You are right, they are the product of chaotic families but reducing benefits will solve nothing and the families will continue to be large, albeit with less money coming in.
Tackling the root causes takes converted effort and schemes which will all involve investment - not likely with the current austerity measures so they will just be large families receiving less investment than they do at the present time....nothing is likely to change anytime soon.

In Scotland at least, development of new ha stock is grant dependent. The level of grant in the last five years has reduced from approx 70 k per unit to approx 35k. This is grant not loan and is not repayable.

The levels it is now set at make it practically impossible for even financially secure ha' s to build at present.

The English situatin is very different but I am a charity trustee of a Scottish ha and understand the system very well.

Yep, HA stock is not to be paid for by taxation.
This is why anyone in social housing on moving to a new property has to now set 'affordable rent' at 80% of market rate (that's not affordable but never mind).

Those not moving will have it increased at their next rent review. Someone I know has been in their house years but their rent is increasing £500 a month...and they are in work.

Yes, im glad someone didnt think i was ignorant. Its just the way the poster said 'Uncontrolled' well, No-ones epilepsy is controlled, but uncontrollable, suggests they cannot do anything to control it. Which is terrible, but my medication doesn't seem to be 100% working, but swings and roundabouts, im happy and healthy in every other way!

Custardo I have come across that attitude recently from a colleague. She has been looking at new properties and the comments about not wanted to live near to the people in social housing has shocked me. Apparently if they stick all the social housing at one end of a development private buyers are all desperate to buy at the other end.

I was met with complete disbelief when I pointed out my sister was in HA flat as a teacher and colleague couldn't believe that (a) any professional would need social housing and (b) she was actually paying rent plus mortgage payments on her share not scrounging

Is very depressing. Fortunately I work in a big enough office to now be able to completely ignore this fuckwit.

Unless I am mistaken the scenario is this:

Woman wants bigger house

Asks council for biggerhouse

Council say your current house is big enough, you can't have a bigger one.

op gets her knickers in a twist for some unfathomable reason.

op has knickers twisted because woman dared to ask. Dared to fucking ask!

I mean, how dare the very poor ask for things?

The very nerve of it.

Knoweth they not their place upon the firmament?

What! She actually asked with her own fucking mouth and lips? Outrageous.

Dies she not know that it is mandatory for benefit claimants to adopt a servile cowering demeanor?

I hope they chuck her and her 5 street urchin offspring onto the street, preferably at midnight. In the snow.

Dh and I waited until we could afford to have children before trying to conceive. There is a dodgy entitlement mentality amongst some in society. Benefits should be a safety net, not a lifestyle choice.

Yanbu.

What! She actually asked with her own fucking mouth and lips? Outrageous.

Dies she not know that it is mandatory for council house occupiers to adopt a servile cowering demeanor, in fact it is the first line in the contract.

I hope they chuck her and her 5 street urchin offspring onto the street, preferably at midnight. In the snow.

A family of 10 children have just arrived from another country, with no English, and enrolled several of their children at my school. They have been given a big house in an area of the city that most of the teachers cannot afford to live. Sadly the only bit of English the parents had at the registration meeting was 'free meals?'

YANBU (dons my industrial strength hard hat and hides under the nearest anderson shelter)

I am practising what I would look like if I adopted a servile cowering demeanor and it's all gone a bit Quasimodo, to be honest, with the self-fondling hands of Uriah Heep.

But will that get me the mansion of my dreams?

chloekitten, I'm not doubting that Stuff Happens, but how on earth can you know so much about the private business of another family?

You know: how many children; their address; their housing tenure; the confidential details of the parents' registration meeting.

I would hate to have that information about me posted on a website by a school employee.

happymummy benefits? We are talking about social housing, not benefits...... You do know they don't come hand in hand don't you!??

Coming over here eating all our free meals

Likewise - Happymummy - just because I am in social housing does not mean I claim benefits, it isn't obligatory.

And btw I waited to have DS until we could afford it too.

I didn't know he would be autistic
I didn't know his father would walk away

So shoot me for needing a roof over my head.

line runner I'd advise a bit of forlock tugging, but when I tried tugging my forlock in a council housing office, I got arrested.

smells eau de shit round here somewhere....