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AIBU?

OMG!! The Council House Giveaway!!

234 replies

HeeHiles · 12/02/2015 09:42

It's IDS again!!

So, if you live in a council house and come off benefits for a year the Tories will GIVE you your council house. Now even though I could benefit from this I still think it's a crazy idea......we need more CH not give them away!!

All for a few votes?? It's that damn Dame Porter all over again!

Anyone think this is a good idea?

OP posts:

Report

FobDodd · 15/02/2015 19:45

I live in a council flat and have done for years and years. I started off in a "hard to let" and was supposed to help change the demographic of the block where I lived. There was an underground policy in some iinner london areas to house public sector workers in areas of high drug use

would it be worth my while to give up my job and go on benefits and then come off them and then and get given my flat ( not quite worth a million on the open market, but not far off)? Even for a staunch union activist it would be tempting. If I did it I would be the last generationof public sector workers to be able to live in the area. It's not the sort of job it's worth commuting for, money isn't good enough to cover train costs. So who will do the low level admin jobs in local councils, schools and Higher Ed' in aa London ? Screwy isn't it and bloody depressing and immoral, but I can see people going for it. I could sell it in 3 years and be a millionaire...sounds bad doesn't it but I know people who bought their council flats for £10k and now rent them back to the council , don't work, live on the rent....

The world is falling apart ....

exmrs · 14/02/2015 19:39

I can picture IDS advertising this scheme.

Huge picture of a nice house and a huge tick box to say yes I want a free house on one side and then

The small print terms and conditions on the other side in minute writing.

I council house scrounger can never apply for any benefit now I have my benefit house.
I will allow people to shout obscenities at me for getting a free house off the tax payer.
I will be reminded constantly that I am lazy, fat and not be able to drink or smoke or watch TV on a flat screen in my benefit house nor will I be allowed junk food.
I will vote Tory for as long as I live in the taxpayers house.
I agree to 24 hour camera monitoring to agree to the above terms

HedgehogsDontBite · 14/02/2015 17:47

How can they think this will reduce the HB bill?

HB on council properties is just shuffling money about on paper. Nothing actually gets paid out, it's still there in they system. Then when there is finally money coming in they propose giving it away. It doesn't make any sense.

If they're serious about reducing HB they need to come up with ideas for tackling what gets paid out to private landlords.

Arsenic · 14/02/2015 17:26

Yes Jilly, it would be wildly popular. Not with the MN demographic, perhaps, but then that isn't the target.

JillyR2015 · 14/02/2015 17:22

I think the plan will be quite popular with a good few voters.

Pipbin · 14/02/2015 17:15

I think they do that here too.
So if a property came up and, say, 10 families were entitled to that size property, f and they all bid for it, how is it decided who gets it?

bettyboop1970 · 14/02/2015 17:09

Yes Baddz our borough council use that system.
You apply to go on the register and if successful are given a number and are allocated into low, medium or high band, then bid for properties. Those in high band take priority. Those in low band could be waiting decades for a chance.
A friend of mine took 12 years to get a bed sit!

Baddz · 14/02/2015 13:08

I am confused a the talk of waiting lists.
In my borough you have to "bid" online for properties you qualify for (.e. 2 bed)
Then you might get a chance at a house if no one else wants it.
Thrn if you have been bidding for a year, you have to re register.
No such thing as a waiting list.

bettyboop1970 · 14/02/2015 12:48

New tenants applying for housing at my borough council have to provide proof of earnings, anyone with earnings or savings that amounts to more than a third of the average suitable property price is not allowed on the register.
Also you have to have a family member who has lived in the borough for 5 years and prove that you have lived in the borough for at least 3 out of the last 5 years.

SaucyJack · 14/02/2015 08:43

To be fair on Bob Crow, I think he would've been criticised whatever he did about his housing once he was in a good wage.

JoffreyBaratheon · 14/02/2015 01:25

Not all that many years back, our council tried to flog off our council houses to a dodgy HA. They had this huge campaign - even stooped as low as having a council worker knock on everyone's doors and come out with a sob story about losing their jobs if we didn't vote for our houses to be sold off to a HA.

They were going to charge the HA £2000 per house.

I have often wondered why if they were so desperate to sell my house over my head for only £2000, they won't sell their stock off to tenants for the same price? If they were content with £2000 per house, then why the hell aren't they forced to sell it to me for that?

Tenants voted to stay with the council - even though the council made it abundantly plain they didn't want to bother with the housing stock any more.

So the thousands of pounds they spent on the campaign to blackmail us to agree, were wasted.

I have mates who bought their parents' council houses for them. I wish my oldest son was allowed to - he has way more money than us, and would buy it happily to give his disabled brother some future stability. No longer allowed though.

HeeHiles · 14/02/2015 00:06

yes that was.Bob crow

I really admired his decision not to buy his CH. He stood by his socialist principles. Great man sadly missed.

OP posts:

HeeHiles · 14/02/2015 00:02

Pootrouble

HA as well - bet they will be might pissed off with this proposal too!

OP posts:

Greengardenpixie · 13/02/2015 19:39

What a corny idea!!!
Do they think people are just plain dumb?
Its as someone else said on the news 'pre-election mood music'
They are a disgraceof a party.
Clear it has no long term vision. They are so transparent.
Is this also a ploy at an attempt to claim that benefit claiments have reduced?
Just ridiculous!

Baddz · 13/02/2015 17:38

I think it's a way for he Local councils to get rid of their housing stock?
HAs haven't bought all of them, as a pp has stated.
Give it a few years...refuse collection, collection of council tax etc will all be done by outside agencies (privtae firms)
It's happening already within education and the NHS.

Pootrouble · 13/02/2015 17:33

Hmmm would this be housing association homes or just council?

Baddz · 13/02/2015 13:58

yes that was.Bob crow

PausingFlatly · 13/02/2015 13:32

A millionaire could apply. But whether they ever got high enough up the list (which is usually tiered according to different types of need) to get a house is another matter.

And it's not that surprising that someone who's risen through their work should be both well off and living in the same council house. Evicting people because they're earning more is seen as the wrong sort of incentive.

It's only since the grand sell-off that council houses have been treated as more precious than diamonds, only to be occupied by the poorest of the poor. They used to just be decent housing for citizens.

WhistlingPot · 13/02/2015 12:52

And YY HeeHiles, it smacks very much of Homes for Votes.

WhistlingPot · 13/02/2015 12:34

Pipbin - it seems to be aimed at those on HB who are working/have capacity to work (or borrow for a year!).

HeeHiles · 13/02/2015 12:27

Do you think the Tories have announced this to get the votes of people on benefits? (Ie people who either don't vote or vote labour)

Yes I do think that is one of their motives, it is afterall what the odious dame shirley porter did back in the 80's.

Although this could backfire and lose them votes, the homeowners struggling to pay their mortgages, the renters who should be in Council Houses but instead were forced to rent privately offering no stability and rocketing prices won't be happy that some people will be given the home next door for absolutely nothing.

OP posts:

tigerbar · 13/02/2015 12:25

"Does IDS mean housing association homes ?
As there are very few actual council homes"

There are 3.7 social rented households, of which 54% are housing association and 46% rented through the local authority (council homes) (2013 data), so that is hardly very few. Just because some local authorities sold all their stock to HAs, this didn't happen across the country so some councils still own a large amount of housing stock.

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Pipbin · 13/02/2015 12:18

Who was the union leader chap who lived in his council house even though he earned a very good wage?
Would he have been entitled to his house for free?

Baddz · 13/02/2015 12:05

I agree.it's dodgy btw
But I assure you people are doing it

Baddz · 13/02/2015 12:04

not sure in my aunts case but I know several.people.who.claimed they needed a ha bungalow due to ill health - but they could have bought one.privately. Maybe the ha prefer renters who aren't on hb?
In my aunts case she was eventually made bankrupt - but only after the money was all.gone
She died with about £100 to her name

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