Should council houses have long term tenancies?

[Titanic99]

Plans are a bit sketchy on this at the moment, but it seems that the new Government are looking to remove the rights to security of tenure for Council Tenants and their families.

 

So if I understand this correctly, you will spend up to ten years making your home into what you want it to be only for the Council to take it off you and to force you out into another home in the private sector.

 

Of course it will also mean that they can then sell the home you’ve spent your time and money on onto someone else and benefit from the vastly increased property prices.

 

Well at least we can rely on the Libdems standing up for the rights of long standing tenants, can’t we Nick?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-10855996

[Weazel2006]

Well on the one hand it makes sense, everyone would at some point have a roof over their head, but on the other hand it's like putting rats in a maze and shuffling them through it, in the end not everyone can or will succeed enough to buy a home or rent privately.

 

Won't see the light of day in my opinion, there is only so far you can push a society before it begins to rebel.

 

Wow this is a tough budget...what's next a ban on electricity?

[ricgem2002]

so are the people meant to buy a house after the term is up? or rent in the private sector at what rents the private landlords magic up ?also how many banks are going to give a mortgage to agency workers who havent a fixed term of employment because imo this is what this country is fast becoming a nation of workers without rights (you have been warned )

[HeadingNorth]

It has long been a bone of contention - if someone is not at the top of the priority list for, say, a three-bedroomed house because they live alone, they wouldn't be given one. Ergo, why would they be allowed to stay in one when they could be moved to a smaller property, releasing a large property for a family on the waiting list that won't fit in the one-bedroomed flat?

 

Or take myself. The council has spent a lot of money on this property to make it fully adapted to disabled use. I'm not disabled. If my wife leaves, or dies, should I be allowed to stay here? Or should the property be made available to someone who is?

[andrejuan]

Or is this just scare mongering????

[iansheff]

So are they going to check on peoples income and say, oh you are on x amount of money a year get out and buy your own house?

[rubydazzler]

It has long been a bone of contention - if someone is not at the top of the priority list for, say, a three-bedroomed house because they live alone, they wouldn't be given one. Ergo, why would they be allowed to stay in one when they could be moved to a smaller property, releasing a large property for a family on the waiting list that won't fit in the one-bedroomed flat?

 

Or take myself. The council has spent a lot of money on this property to make it fully adapted to disabled use. I'm not disabled. If my wife leaves, or dies, should I be allowed to stay here? Or should the property be made available to someone who is?

Quite. I agree with you. People seem to have forgotten that the original reason for the provision of council housing was for people in need.

 

It belongs to the local authority (ie us) and as soon as you no longer need the assistance of subsidised housing, you should move on. Obviously, if you can never afford to move on, you shouldn't be forced out, but you should be supplied with accommodation suitable to your differing needs. I know it probably seems harsh but that's life, sadly.

[hard2miss]

Don't worry about stories like this, the Govt will be forced out before they get to implement such ideas.

[HeadingNorth]

Or is this just scare mongering????

 

The plans I have actually heard of, involve such cases as the two I mentioned above; if a family has a three-bedroomed council house and all of the children move out, the remaining couple might be relocated to a smaller property, or if a person living in an elderly/disabled property because of his partner, no longer has his partner, he might be required to move to a non-disabled property.

 

It's possible that other plans are further-reaching, but it's also possible that anti-Tory stooges have made them up as a scare tactic.

[rubydazzler]

We all know there are people taking up council properties, especially in more desirable areas, who are well able to afford to buy a house.

 

I've never been able to understand why people seem to prefer to live in a council property in an area they moan about all the time, rather than take responsiblity for themselves and buy their own place somewhere that they like better?