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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:

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PausingFlatly · 13/02/2015 10:42

Carpet bagging.

Baddz · 13/02/2015 10:43

My mum has just bought her council house. (I have checked, you are correct, it was 70% discount)
I don't agree with it, but under current laws it's her right.
I know many people around here (inc my late aunt) who bought a council house, sold it years later for huge profit and then started renting a HA property.
It's quite common where I live.
On mums road I would say half are now privately owned/let.
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)

keepitsimple0 · 13/02/2015 10:51

The cure is to tax BTL landlords heavily. They would be forced to sell, lowering house prices, meaning working people like us that are stuck in soical housing are able to buy and leave our home for someone else in need.

that might help a bit, but that doesn't actually make more units of housing, and the shortage is the problem. that might help a bit, but there are other targets that might both be bigger and help more. A lot of foreign buyers buy their properties (in particular in central London) and leave them EMPTY. We can start by taxing that. In fact, why not tax all foreign buyers?

What we need are way more houses. reducing planning permission, not just downloading onto councils, would greatly help. give people incentive to build. Reduce red tape.

keepitsimple0 · 13/02/2015 10:54

I know many people around here (inc my late aunt) who bought a council house, sold it years later for huge profit and then started renting a HA property.

that's the logical thing to do. it's just crazy to sell off the housing.

cottageinthecountry · 13/02/2015 11:29

That's not the logical thing to do, it's fraudulent to say you are homeless when you're not and you have to be homeless to get a HA property so your late great aunt would have had to lie to get it.

Someone better watch out they don't get required to pay back the proceeds of her ill gotten gains.

cottageinthecountry · 13/02/2015 11:33

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)

good point, that's probably why, also they would win the immigrant vote as a lot of immigrants, particularly refugees with leave to remain have council properties.

funnyossity · 13/02/2015 11:35

But if you have spent the money...

cottageinthecountry · 13/02/2015 11:35

If it's 'quite common' for people to buy a council property and then get another one then that's something that needs to be cracked down on.

There are plenty of homes in the UK, the extreme demand is in London. The blighted areas of the UK need jobs and regeneration in order for a natural spread of housing demand. The economic pressure on people to live and work in London is unbalanced.

cottageinthecountry · 13/02/2015 11:38

funnyosity if you have spent the money you have deliberately made yourself homeless. It depends what you've spent it on. If you've spent it on a property portfolio or art or gold then it's an asset that can be seized.

There is a dilemma in that social housing isn't means tested so a millionaire could technically apply for a council home. It's a loophole that needs to be filled but it goes against the old Principle of housing for all. Nuts really.

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

Baddz · 13/02/2015 12:05

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

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?

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.

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:

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!).

WhistlingPot · 13/02/2015 12:52

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

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.

Baddz · 13/02/2015 13:58

yes that was.Bob crow

Pootrouble · 13/02/2015 17:33

Hmmm would this be housing association homes or just council?

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.

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!

HeeHiles · 14/02/2015 00:02

Pootrouble

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

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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:

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.

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.

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