Council tenants are workshy spongers, let's kick them out of their homes.

[hecate]

apparently

The number of out of work people in council housing has risen dramatically and perhaps looking for work should be a condition of a council tenancy, according to Ms Flint. Why oh why are so many people in council accomodation not working. What's wrong with them? If they don't get a job they should be kicked out of their council house.

Well.

I'm no expert but I would like to hazard a guess that it is because there is such an extreme LACK OF SOCIAL HOUSING that only those people in the most desperate circumstances ever get anywhere near the top of the list, and these are the very people who are unable to work due to illness, disability, caring for disabled children etc etc.

Yet another kick people when they are down, attack the most vulnerable in the hope it's a vote winner, without actually looking what the problem REALLY is.

I have respite care for Dd2 3 saturdays a months. I can't get any more help, because 'Mrs and Mr XXXXXX are coping well with the situation'

I said to DH taht if we weren't coping with it all, we wouldn't get more help, they would properably remove the kids.

I think the government needs to kick the ass of people who will not work.

I resent being lumped into a catergory/stereotype.

My neighbour is 32 years old, has a son of 12. She spends her days going to bingo, going around other people's houses and getting pissed, getting beaten up on a weekend because she goes out on her own and scrounges, steals drinks in the pub. I despair of her.

I have offered to do her a cv, look on jobcentre website for her. She complains, I need a job...yet she cant be arsed to look for one.

What do you do with someone like that? She's not the brightest spark...has been told by jobcentre its not worth her while to work..of course it is...she has no reason not to.

It annoys me yes, I pay tax for people like her...but take her house from her? what exactly will that achieve?

oh so living in social housing is lovely? perhaps there should be stipulations on it then?

IME social housing is shit, shit areas, surrounded by shitness. ever slightly exagerated the area which your from becuase you dont want someone to judge you? but social housing is lovely - no stigma, repairs spot on, council workers ever so nice, HA workers never judge you or ask out loud in open office "WHY DO ALL OUR TENANTS STINK OF CHIP FAT?" i am sure they meant that naother way.

if i had a choice between living in social housing or actually living in an area without a reputation, without poorer health care, education, aspirations, career choices - then i think i would live in social housing

its great

I knwo they wouldn't really remove the kids, but I asked for extra help and they didn't want to know. I get no respite for DS1, just dd2. It drives me mad.

FioFio- Did you see Dispatches last night? Some old people are living in the most appalling conditions, truly awful shitholes.

To go off track a moment (sort of) a friend of mine who had a DS with MD and a DD with downs was talking to a group of mums at the school (we have very good senco by the way) and saying how hard it was to get enough help with the children so she could work part time, one of the mums pipes up with "why should you get help? you chose to have them if they are not right you should have got rid, not want special treatment" Friend was beside herself and I wont repeat what I said as I will be banned from mumsnet for ever.
Friend has since moved, working and paying for private nanny/helper. Seems so unfair that she did not get a lot of support from the agency's that are supposed to be there to help people like her.

kimi

gasping with shock at your last post!

were you on the chalkhill? ex wembley girl here.

Church end to start with then a place near wembley, knew people from chalkhill though, went to Wembley high.

I find it hard to be objective about this as I live next door (with a party wall) to a group of benefit claiming, non working for no obvious reason people. As I speak techno music is blaring through the house and the smell of pot wafting over the garden fence. She is in hospital having another child and has told me she wants the council to find her another house as she "won't compromise on space". Neither has ever done a days work and we live in central London so loads of jobs.

Of course feel sympathetic to those that need to claim benefits but cant help feeling abit about those that appear to choose not to work and then go on to make a nuisance of themselves.

my nns eyes fill with tears as she says how good she has it

as she sits in her poky council flat aged nearly 90

i think her expectations are very low - or shes had a shit life.

I think that generation is very good at not taking things for granted. I worked for a family from Czech who had had a lot of property confiscated by the Communists and when someone suggested they should go to court to try to get some of it back she said 'Why on earth would I? I have enough to eat, I'm warm enough, I couldn't wear any more clothes than I do.'
Used to visit an elderly disabled lady who lived alone and she said much the same thing.

i think some people have absolutely no idea about council housing at all. my parents lived on a council estate in the countryside, where the first bus ran into town at 11.30 and the last bus back was 4.00. luckily both my parents were drivers, but for some people living there, who can't get housed anywhere else, it's impossible to get a job (because who can work those hours?)