To think: if you can fly first class, you shouldn't have a council house?

[Mexxo]

Facebook friends of mine (friends of RL friends really) making lots of comments this week about their impending holiday to Mauritius on which they'll be flying first class and staying in a 5 star hotel.

This couple have lived in a council house for many years (no kids yet), though this year so far she has got a new (not brand new, a year or two old but still v nice) BMW and he has a new Ducati.

One of their friends has commented on FB "Wow, did you win the lottery?!" and the wife replied "no we just saved a long time for our dream holiday".

First class flights to Mauritius are £4k each. A week in a 5 star hotel must be at least £2k and probably more. That's £10k for a week's holiday. AIBU to think that if people can squirrel away that much money for a holiday, they shouldn't be living in a bloody council house subsidised by taxes from the rest of us?

I could get quite angry about this thread, I live in a council house and yes i have holidays and I have been known to go abroad! However to get this property i went through hell! 10 years ago i was widowed whilst pregnant, I also had a 5 year old daughter at the time and sadly my partner left no will. He was young, healthy but life had other plans and took him suddenly. I had no money and lost the rented property we were in (long story) but to try and cut it short, I had to claim benefits and I went on the council waiting list. After 18 months i was offered a house which needed lots of work but i took it on and made it our home. I have since remarried and my husband is self employed and yes i still have the council house, and no we do not claim anything, my husband works hard but is not a high earner, i work part time cleaning, we save up and go away, we buy things for the home.
I really hate this attitude towards council tenants, its as if we are second class citizens and not allowed nice things. I agree with a previous poster who made references to Laurence Rees Aushwitz book.
Oh and by the way i have travelled first class but thats because my sister works for an airline and she got myself and my mother upgraded as a surprise!!

Oh and by the way my council house is in a very nice part of leafy Surrey with some great schools, perhaps some people should not judge everything by what they read in the Daily Mail.

prarie why shouldn't it if people work hard save their hard earned cash then why beacuse they live in social housing should they not be able to take holiday?

I'm sorry but the most expensive exotic dream holidays, a BMW and a Ducati are taking the piss and a whole lot different to a week in Cornwall which many,many people can't afford.A week in France would be getting on for 3K if you factor in spending money.Most people can't afford this.

Anybody with such large amounts of free cash just shouldn't be in social housing,they just shouldn't.The country doesn't have that much social housing just sitting around to let this happen

So if I worked full time and had the disposable income should I be made to pay for private healthcare instead of taxpayer funded NHS care?

Oh and I was just wondering, if they spent that money on a dream wedding and honeymoon, would that have made a difference?

ok but did you not read the op they saved for a long time!

how far do really think 10k would stretch on a private rent? not very far what with deposits in excess of £1500 plus rents of £800-£900 depending on the area would only get them 8-9 months of renting then where would they be perhaps they would have to give up their jobs and go on benefits to get help paying the rent.

what makes me really laugh i am aware that there is not alot of social housing as i have been on the waiting list in myarea for almost 6 years with no joy but i would still not deny people who live in these houses a holiday and what would you say about someone who is on benefits living in social housing who has saved up little bits of their benefits to go on a holiday kick them out on the street they don't need it either.

its stupid

It could all be on credit cards and hp... You don't know

Yes this thread is stupid, lets end it, im pretty good at killing topics, so i will have the last word!!

In addition to wealthier people paying for their own healthcare, let's also means test state education, road sweeping, refuse collection and all sorts of other things. If this thread has done one thing it has made the difference between benefits (which are no bad thing either) and services, paid for by those paying taxes or council tax. Some of those services are accessed by nearly everyone, some by very specific groups of people. But the greatest proportion of state provided services are accessed by people who pay into the pot as well as those who aren't. Why should council housing be any different? It's the lack of it that's the problem. If there aren't enough school places in an area, they don't start denying state education to those who technically speaking could ho private. They create more places. I know plenty of people who take up state funded services who could afford to go private if the gave up things like er...expensive holidays. (plenty also who couldn't of course) The government needs to build more homes. Using state funded services doesn't suddenly give you absolutely no right to spend your money as you would like.

I would be more offended with narcissstic people who have to go on Facebook and tell you every detail of their bloody lives. Its only done to make others jealous and its clearly worked!

Molehill mountain makes a good point, where does this attitude end?

Well you can afford BUPA so no NHS for you.
You can afford to send your children private, so no state school for you.

Even if the above would leave you with next to nothing.

The thing is I really don't care what people think.

They will never guilt trip me out of my home. I have as much right to be here as anyone else.

That school of though has bothered me today LST. Made me feel selfish and less socially conscious.

But, even if our income were to increase by a few hundred per month, going back into the roulette that is private renting, that kind of instability isn't exactly doing the best for your children, if you have an alternative.

Also, council renting used to be the norm, buying the exeption.certainly through the generations of my family anyway. (some of them may even have went on holidays)

terra my family are no.1 in my life. Not anybody else's. I had a pay rise in July. And now we are struggling as a company to keep a float. The economic climate can change in an instant and I am not giving up my house and stability for anything.

(unless I play the lottery and win)

Terra - I feel a bit the same. A bit selfish.

But then I look at the boxes here, listen to my son tell the lady at the shop his cars are in a box and feel my stomach churning with worry and I think that if a person won't take a moment to find out why I am in my situation then I'm not interested in their erroneous assumptions.

I'm going to stay in my Social House until I can be as certain as possible that the next place would be as secure. Because I cannot face this again. I can't.

I will be happy to downsize when my children are grown though.

I didn't feel that way until this thread.

And for all world I don't believe anyone saying they would give their council/social house back and go back into private roulette. Certainly not if they had children.

Facing homelessness was one of the bleakest times of my life and there is no way I would risk it again.

LST Exactly. I said it upthread - when it comes to housing these days you're on your own.

Kim, would have no problem paying more for it.
Have said that several times here today.

Oh, you weren't actually talking to me we're you, oops.

tantrumsandnappies have you recently changed into that name? It's just my friend Tantrum has tantrum but then different and I keep getting you two confused.....this thread is fairly evolving isn't it? Or is it not?

I agree Facebook is a big front at times for what people would like you to think is going on in their lives but if often not!