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Original poster

The £1 houses

27 replies

PhelanThePain · 21/02/2018 21:38

Is anyone watching this programme?

I feel very angry for the people who have been given houses with a restriction on it meaning they can’t do any work at all. What a complete fuck yo by the scheme operators. Why on earth didn’t they just exclude those houses from the scheme instead of giving people false hope? How frustrating.

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Snoopyokay · 21/02/2018 21:46

I am watching. Feel very sorry for these people they have been mislead it seems and the councellor last week what a jokr admitting he wants people in the houses so that the council will benefit from the council tax.

Would not have touched these houses with a bargepole if it were meSad

Snoopyokay · 21/02/2018 21:47

*joke

KatyMac · 21/02/2018 21:48

I can't work out what the restriction was - did they say?

ineedaholidaynow · 21/02/2018 21:48

Can't believe people would ransack a house like that Shock

And I agree I can't believe some people have had to wait months before they can do anything. How incompetent , should get contribution towards the extra costs.

Getting the feeling that this was not a well thought out scheme. Those poor people not being able to have contents insurance

KakunaRattata · 21/02/2018 21:49

It's awful, he just avoided her question about why they weren't told about the restriction. Feel so sorry for her.

KakunaRattata · 21/02/2018 21:50

katy the restriction was that the government funded the purchase of those houses on the condition they were demolished for new housing iirc, now the council want to use them and not demolish them but their terms of the purchase say they can't.

KatyMac · 21/02/2018 21:52

So what about the people who are nearly finished? they can't move in?

Original poster
PhelanThePain · 21/02/2018 21:52

The restriction is to with the grant that was give no to the council 13 years ago to buy all the houses. They were originally all bought by the council to be demolished and a new housing development built. The council received a grant to partially fund the purchase and the condition of the grant was that the houses had to be demolished. Then the other funding for the new housing development fell through and the council were stuck with all the houses. They decided to start this scheme but either didn’t realise or realised and didn’t let on that the condition of the grant still applied. They say they are trying to work around it. Meanwhile people can’t touch their houses and can’t get council housing elsewhere as they technically have a home.

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Original poster
PhelanThePain · 21/02/2018 21:53

Some of the houses seem to have escaped the restriction. I’m not sure how.

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KatyMac · 21/02/2018 21:55

TBH as a born & bred scouser.....the council incompetence/negligence (either they didn't know or didn't care) really doesn't surprise me - & I left in 91!

Original poster
PhelanThePain · 21/02/2018 21:57

I have to say, I would never enter into an arrangement like this with the council. I’ve seen how the council red tape cause problems and insane delays. My dad carries out contract work for a local council and the amount of heel dragging and “don’t know who you need to speak to about that mate” going on is absolutely crazy. It takes him ten times longer than it should to do basic work and he is getting hired to do piddly 5 minute jobs that take all day because it has to wait on X,Y and Z signing off and opening locks etc.

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Dowser · 21/02/2018 22:18

Feel so sad for those residents who can’t move in. Seems a really badly organised scheme...and the people who had their homes broken into and trashed.

howrudeforme · 21/02/2018 22:27

So, the people who brought these units were missold by the LA?

Original poster
PhelanThePain · 21/02/2018 22:37

It looks that way howrude

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HelenaDove · 21/02/2018 22:40

Absolutely shocking.

Munchyseeds · 21/02/2018 23:00

Feel so sorry for all these people - the council just didnt think things through and they pay the price in all sorts of ways!!
The council should not have allocated houses that then couldnt be worked on, they should have also provided some sort of site surcurity whilst work was ongoing.

purpleme12 · 22/02/2018 00:56

There was a thread on this last week.

I feel Tony was just useless as a spokesperson for the council. He just had no oomph about him and seemed like he was flummoxed by them all

Original poster
PhelanThePain · 22/02/2018 09:36

Yes purple he was totally useless. But he’s also been given a shitty situation to manage. There is no easy way round this as he is dealing with the funders V the little people. We know who is going to suffer there.

I don’t understand why they didn’t release the streets in stages rather than the whole area in one go with a house being renovated in one street, two in another, one in another. Why didnt they do one street at a time so people were all moving in together and building relationships and communities together rather than 4 or 5 families living alone all spread out. It would have provided far more security as well. Those poor people have had thousands of pounds worth of appliances and fittings stolen plus all the damage caused all because the houses all around them were empty so no deterrent to burglars. And those people had no contents insurance because the houses weren’t technically theirs yet. It’s so bad.

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hesterton · 22/02/2018 09:43

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Original poster
PhelanThePain · 22/02/2018 09:55

She was brilliant. I was cheering her on from the sofa. But of course he fobbed her off with “i’ll Be emailing you” Angry she has no power over him so he doesn’t need to produce results for her. He answers to his bosses and the funders.

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purpleme12 · 22/02/2018 10:02

Yes I agree the situation is useless and everything but i just think it's really obvious he isn't the right person for that job.

Original poster
PhelanThePain · 22/02/2018 10:08

Oh definitely. They need someone who can actually answer their questions, give them a timeframe, Settle their concerns. He just flustered over some words and left them hanging in an awkward silence.

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Vitalogy · 22/02/2018 12:37

I just watched the first episode, bloody shame for those people. The council has let them down big time. Loads of people needed to be starting their renovations around the same time. The council should have provided security and grants to help. Disgusting.

Redglitter · 22/02/2018 12:40

Why didnt they do one street at a time so people were all moving in together and building relationships and communities together rather than 4 or 5 families living alone all spread out. It would have provided far more security as well

We were saying that last night too. The way they've allocated the houses seems mad. Starting with one street would have made much more sense it would have slowly started bringing in the sense of community everyone wants. Instead they're all isolated. That woman moving in on her own has to be admired. She's braver than I'd be

Vitalogy · 22/02/2018 13:29

Exactly. What the heck were the council thinking! It's just common sense, haven't got any obviously. Or maybe the council have got some other weird plan. Who knows.

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