give me shelter

[NS215]

well as a self employed bricklayer for 20 years after serving a 3 year apprenticeship i now find myself without work (due to the current climate)so after 5 weeks without any income decide its time to sign on the dole(for the 1st time in my life), only to be told that haven't paid enough NI contributions even though i pay my weekly NI by direct debit and when i get my tax bill every year i pay a percentage of my earnings as well.

should have been a loser from birth and never worked or been an immigrant then my kids who have never step foot in the country could get child benefit as well.

This country is one f*cked up place, the more honest and hard working you are the less rights you seem to have

 

[NS215]

and what makes it worse on the next street is a guy who's not worked for years but claims disability and is driving round in a new jag with private plates (i kid you not)surely benefits are there to help you get by not live a life of luxury, and if they can afford the luxuries then they shouldn't be able to claim benefits

 

[billyo]

tosser, the question was should people be given council house's for life or short term when they need it most, not as a right, you get a 4 bedroom house because your family is young, but as they leave, what about the next families needs , do you let THE FIRST lot keep the 4 beds for ever , and leave the next lot in flats for ever, or just keep building house's,and we all can have one for life no need to worry if you loose your job you wont have to pay rent. its got noting to do with council estates or poor housing, its how long do we owe you a house
NS215 posted , work for yourself pay your taxes get nowt of DHSS in the bad times ,wonder if they would conscript him in a war, or would they say, you have not paid enough N.I CONTRIBUIONS , no need to fight,

 

[mark vincent]

If housing people who can't afford to buy a house is left to the private sector then abuses start happening. Look what is happening in places like london greedy landlords are charging the government a fortune to house homeless people.

 

[^woody^]

The problem is that Thatchers government encouraged council tenants to buy the housing stock but at the same time prevented councils from building new ones, or even replacement ones.

Throw in some massive underfunding and lack of planning, and the hidden agenda to rely on the private sector to deal with social housing, and you get to the situation we are in today.

It can't be expected that a person is given a council home on some sort of short term lease, and then required to get out and find somewhere else to live.

Its not a case of any particular family living in a four bed property and thus holding up the whole population while they wait for this family to grow and move on to relinquish the house for someone else

There will be large families, small families, single people, death, births, movement, and this should be planned for.

Local authorities and government are required to plan ahead .... plan how many families will be living in the authority area - their size and needs, and then develop a strategy to house them

No-one should be made to feel guilty if they live in a council house while others are waiting to be housed - the responsibility for lack of housing lies with the councils and the government

 

[Shytalkz]

My God, Woody, I never knew you cared

 

[billyo]

OVER TO YOU JOE.90, WHAT ABOUT THE NEW COMERS what do we owe them by the way< Woody> labour have been in power for nearly 12 years so forget thacher, if they though it was broke why have they not fixed it,

 

[crockett]

I live in a council house, glad to have a roof over my head in these times

 

[mark vincent]

and what makes it worse on the next street is a guy who's not worked for years but claims disability and is driving round in a new jag with private plates (i kid you not)surely benefits are there to help you get by not live a life of luxury, and if they can afford the luxuries then they shouldn't be able to claim benefits

Urban myth, every one has a story about some one living the life of reilly on benefits. When i was unemployed i only got 80 quid a week to support myself and my wife, needless to say it took more than the 80 pound a week benefits to keep my porche in petrol.

 

[mark vincent]

OVER TO YOU JOE.90, WHAT ABOUT THE NEW COMERS what do we owe them by the way< Woody> labour have been in power for nearly 12 years so forget thacher, if they though it was broke why have they not fixed it,

If immigration continues at its present level it has been estimated that one million extra homes will have to be built over the next 20 years to house migrants that is one top of the 2 million homes required to house the indigenous population, where is the money going to come from to do all this.

 

[NS215]

and what makes it worse on the next street is a guy who's not worked for years but claims disability and is driving round in a new jag with private plates (i kid you not)surely benefits are there to help you get by not live a life of luxury, and if they can afford the luxuries then they shouldn't be able to claim benefits

Urban myth, every one has a story about some one living the life of reilly on benefits. When i was unemployed i only got 80 quid a week to support myself and my wife, needless to say it took more than the 80 pound a week benefits to keep my porche in petrol.

Not an urban myth its FACT
he is on disability and driving a new jag with private plates FACT
my point was as I made clear in OP that someone who can fund a new jag with private plates after years on disability allowance, should in my opinion be denied such allowances as they obviously don't need it

 

[kevnurse]

It should be quite acceptable for the local council to have the right to rent out houses for life. However, there must be legally enforceable conditions, in addition to the existing law (rent payments up to date, good neighbours, etc) that must be put in place. One such obvious condition is that the rent must be at market rates and not obviously cheaper than private rates; thus encouraging the tenants to continue to look for better deals. Furthermore, tenants must not under-accomodate the property, ie a married couple without dependants living in a 3 bed house, when they only need a one bedroom bungalow. These type of tenants must be moved out, at the councils expense, to appropriate smaller accommodation when it becomes available.

The Council should also have a standing "emergency accommodation" housing stock, where appropriate accommodation (from bedsits to 4 bed houses) is let out on short tenancies, at market rates, for 6 months at a time. At the end of the 6 months, the tenants must prove that they have been looking for accommodation and none is available, and that they are decent people, before another 6 months is allowed in the same tenancy.

This isn't rocket science....

 

[^woody^]

Not an urban myth its FACT
he is on disability and driving a new jag with private plates FACT

Disability payments are not that much. If you think that he is being paid some large amounts of money which is paying for his jag, home, food, essentials etc, then you must be mistaken.

 

[^woody^]

This isn't rocket science....

No .... its actually much more difficult.

Any old boff can design a rocket - its been done.

But no one has been able to deal with the complex social problems which currently exist

 

[NS215]

Not an urban myth its FACT
he is on disability and driving a new jag with private plates FACT

Disability payments are not that much. If you think that he is being paid some large amounts of money which is paying for his jag, home, food, essentials etc, then you must be mistaken.

woody i think you have also missed my point
the point being he runs a new jag with private plates and hasn't worked for years, thus meaning he either has a sizeable amount in the bank or has another good source of income to explain the luxuries

my point being why should someone with such resources be entitled to add to an already luxurious lifestyle, even if only by a pittance as you and another have mentioned