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?

Oh, those Cor Blimey Trousers.
Now I'm well informed of the attire, I as a lowly HA tennant should be wearing, could somebody tell me where I can purchase/thieve a pair?

Does anyone remember that thread where a woman came on to ask if it was unfair that the 'cancel' refused to pay her child's bus fare to private school?

Oh how we laughed.

Actually DH and I set out to have a big family with at least four children. We bought a large family house and had the means to support four or five children. We gave up after my fifth pregnancy that reached the second trimester and when we had two children because we couldn't face any more heartbreak. We still have a large house and two children.

It works both ways and I would give my right arm to live in a two or three bed council house if it meant ds2 could have survived at 27 weeks.

That's so sad, marriedinwhite. Fate is a funny old bugger.

And what really pisses me off is the way council tenants are treated at the council. Remembers the girl with two or three (very nice and well behaved children) with her trying to sort out her parking permit issues at the town hall and being spoken to as though she was a moron over a pedantic point because she couldn't produce a receipt for a document just because the staff thought they could. Oddly they had just looked up the fact that I had produced the same document on the computer because I had forgotten my receipt. Oh the look I got from the officious little git behind the counter when I went over to her booth and said they could look it up on the computer because because they just had for me.

sorry to hear that marriedinwhite

Marriedinwhite - funny how the things life throws at you makes you a more considerate person.

My DS is ASD. I'm definitely a nicer, more considerate, more helpful person because I know that what people end up with isn't always what they set out to achieve.

I love my son to bits, but by god, he's hard work. Makes me realise that other people who appear to have made their lives 'hard' may not have done it intentionally.

you are right. We had the good job, looking at buying a house, number 4 on the way. Then it all went tits up in a massive way and we're buggered for life now. Thank fuck for that saftey net the Tories would like to remove.

Sorry your post made ne spit out my tea

Was laughing at usualsuspect unless you where being serious

LineRunner i thought you was reet posh

I have a weird and potentially flameworthy question.

I don't mind admitting that I am hopelessly ignorant about social housing (I had my first child at uni in student accomodation and moved straight into boarding school accomodation after graduating so have never had to think about or look into housing of any kind.)

Until I joined mn I really did think that social housing was a) free and b) for people on very low or no income. That didn't annoy me, I thought it was a good thing that it was there.

But, and this is a genuine question, now I know that it isn't free and that lots of people with normal jobs live in it and pay full rent and council tax - it makes me wonder why it exists? Surely the purpose of social housing should be to help those who need help with housing? If the council just acts as a landlord then what is the difference between living in social housing and ordinary rented accomodation?

I am indeed eccentric, Unchartered. And I just feel like going down the Council tomorrow to claim the delights that must truly be mine. In my Cor Blimey Trousers.

manic I'm no expert, but as far as I know it is a bit cheaper than private rentals and doesn't require a deposit. So useful for those on low/no income

What a wonderful question, manic.

Social housing evolved so that the low paid could escape the clutches of unscrupulous landlords.

Posters on these threads often point out that the government would do well to legislate against the unscrupulous landlords - but won't. Too many vested interests, I suppose.

Social housing was first built to be affordable housing for all, and to house the people whos homes were lost under the slum clearance act.

My parents got their council house because they lived in a privately rented house with no bathroom

As did loads of people in the 50s and 60s

like this?

Social housing was trundling along just fine until some people decided a number of things.
1)Let's sell some off and not give the relevant council back all the monies so that they can build more.
2)Anyone who lives on a council estate is a criminal.
3)Let's give all the rights back to the poor landlords and sod protecting the tenants.
4)Let's force local authorities to hand over their stock to housing associations that offer less protection and fewer rights to the tenants.
William Waldegrave 1982. (numbers 2-4)

It's all maggies fault

Yes, Thatcher stole this country's housing future.

She sure did.

And her friends like Shirley Porter. I still fume at the thought of her (and avoid Tesco even though I don't know if she still gets her wealth from there anymore).

i live on a council-built estate (1960's) ..most are now owner-occupied by the original tenants who bought them when their BSC redundancy payments came through.

no-one wants to buy them when they become available, buyers can get new-builds with carpets/curtains fitted, so they are bought by private landords who then charge extortionate rents...the circle of a capitalist society in full swing

There used to be housing panels where local councillors (predominantly male) decided who was 'worthy' of getting a council house.

Fucking unbelievable. Can you imagine the promises made?

That's why the points and needs system may be flawed, but at least it's not as bad as what went before it.

Sadly, rent tribunals also got abolished - under Thatcher, what a surprise - they were good and set maximum rents for an area.

I have been a life long conservative and admire Margaret Thatcher in many ways for many things. The selling of council housing and the failure to address educational standards were wrong and I have no hesitation in saying so - often and wherever I can. I have said it to personal friends including the leader and the two previous leaders of my local authority and others who have been and are in government.