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?

You can feel consoled, OP, by reflecting on the fact that Mauritius is a dump and they are wasting their money.

Love the notion that if you are on a low income, you shouldn't try and save money for something that you really want. She said they had been saving for a very long time, I don't really see the problem (if the OP is not full of shite).

Mexxo, their house is not subsidised. And for all you know, they own it! A LOT of people bought their council house and in the past, it was possible for people to inherit a tenancy from a parent and then buy the house - in fact, some people here on MN have done that.

Secondly, why not just delete them? They're obviously not friends if you spend time calculating their holiday budget and then post on a net forum about it.

If they bought the home, then it's theirs.

But that's neither here nor there because, without knowing their full circumstances, you class them as 'welfare spongers' and are spiteful and mean-spirited.

Life is too short to feel such emotions.

Er, no, expat. Perhaps read the thread. I have explained right at the start that they do not own it, and that I know that because they have recently told me so. I know it is subsidised because they are also very open about how lucky they are to live where they do so cheap. Therefore it MUST be cheaper then commercial rents.

How do you know that all the people who have sworn at you live in council houses?

Is that your superpower?

Why is it your business what they do? Why not focus on your own life and leave them to theirs!

I know plenty of people who live in social housing and who have several holidays a year. They work, they pay very low rent= lots disposable income.

I grew up like this too. Of you want low housing costs, go on the waiting list, no one's stopping you.

I used to claim child tax credits. When I earned more, I stopped. Because I did not NEED that benefit any more.

Now, I understand that the council house system may be set up in a way that means people do not actually HAVE to move on when they are financially able to. But that doesn't mean that they shouldn't, morally. The MPs' expenses system was widely recognised as set up to make it perfectly permissible for MPs to claim expenses they did not actually need to claim, and when it all came to light, the public didn't say "oh well, they've done nothing wrong, because the system allows this". The public was outraged that money was being paid out which clearly did not need to be.

So why is council housing for people who have ££££ ok? Is it because you live in a council house and need to justify it?

WHAT ! EH seriously you taking the piss ? they can't go on a nice holiday because they live in a council house WHAT , behave yourself

People have explained to you on this thread ad nauseum that council housing is not subsidised. You still seem to enjoy classifying such people are spongers and assuming everyone who disagrees lives in a council home (most are now no longer owned by councils but by housing associations) because they have more than you (no kids, either).

But continue spending time calculating how much these Facebook people spend - odd - on stuff and being hateful about it because they live in a council home.

By all means, waste your time and energy on spite.

I think the OP has a point and I think most people who agree with her won't post because of all the vitriol on here. I nearly didn't.

She is not against council housing. If there was plenty of it for ALL those in need then there wouldn't be a problem.

But they don't need it as much, as many on the waiting lists - many of whom are desperate for affordable housing and will probably be waiting a very long time.

Whose need is greater?

Social housing is not just for 'those in need' it's also for those who want it. 30 years ago it was not unusual for people to live in council housing - I lived in the same street as a man who was 'high up' in the foreign office and had pots of money. He loved his council house and never moved.

op when i lived in a council house we took the children to disney world

It probably is cheaper than commercial rents, but the system was set up so that in theory, everyone could have a council house.

The fact that there is now a shortage of housing so allocations have to be made based on need is irrelevant.

Why should another family be more entitled to council housing than this family? They have paid tax, they have as much right to be provided for by their government as anyone else does. If anything, they should have more entitlement than a family where no one works if they are healthy enough to be able to.

I understand your point about not taking what you don't need, and I strongly believe people should provide for themselves if they can. But at the same time, this is the system we have, and if you pay in, you can fairly expect to take out. If they don't have children then they are taking a lot less out than other families. They don't deserve to be penalised because of choices that other people have made.

But, how did you know those that liberally peppered their posts with swear words were council house recipients?

Surely you weren't making assumptions there OP?

GolfOscarLimaDelta I don't recall saying that ALL those who swore at me lived in council houses. However some have stated that they do (such as LST).

So no superpowers, but I can read.

Social housing is not just for 'those in need' it's also for those who want it. 30 years ago it was not unusual for people to live in council housing - I lived in the same street as a man who was 'high up' in the foreign office and had pots of money. He loved his council house and never moved.

100 Xs this

Presuming they did spend 10k on the holiday, so what? 10k won't get you anywhere wrt to buying your own house these days, do you actually know how much you have to put down as a deposit!

Mind your own beeswax!

'The public was outraged that money was being paid out which clearly did not need to be.'

and yet the MP's are still doing it!

A significant pecentage of councils have transferred what stock they had to housing associations.