OMG!! The Council House Giveaway!!

[HeeHiles]

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?

[bettyboop1970]

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.

[Baddz]

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]

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!

[Pipbin]

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?

[JillyR2015]

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

[Arsenic]

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

[HedgehogsDontBite]

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.

[exmrs]

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

[FobDodd]

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 ....