Conservatives to make under 35s live in tiny rooms in shared houses (HMOs)

[chem1st]

I hope this assault upon social housing is mentioned on QT.

 

Caroline Lucas is on, so she will no doubt raise the issue.

[spindrift]

Philip Hammond is an odious, evil creature.

[Cyclone]

Actually I'm self employed and rent in the 'private sector' and do not claim housing benefit. Your original statement, I'll remind you, was that people claiming housing benefit should 'get a job.' I appreciate that the deficit has to come down, but, like most people, what I object to is that the extremely wealthy people who made personal fortunes out of the type of financial sector gambling which caused the economic crash are left totally unscathed. The cuts don't effect tjhem, and the amount of extra tax they are being asked for is negligable.

Really, did you actually work out how much they pay? That 50% rate on incomes over 150k doesn't sound negligible to me...

And when I said "the country doesn't owe you", that was the royal "you", ie anyone, not the personal "you".

 

These types are in the same social elite as the likes of Osbourne and Cameron. Many of them will have a large cross over in business interests with the political elite and know the same people etc. When you take this dimension into account, it becomes truly sickening the extent to which the losses incurred by people of this type are being off loaded onto the rest of us, while they continue on with the lifestyle to which they are accustomed. All in it together? Sure we are.

The cost of benefits is huge and unsustainable. It should have been reduced anyway whether or not the government was running a massive deficit.

Since it's being done alongside changes to provide a universal benefit, plans to increase the no tax threshold and a plan that means no one ever loses out by taking on some work, I can't see how this is anything but a good thing. Unless you (not the personal you, the general one), were free loading and see that easy ride disappearing.

[Cyclone]

This measure will likely increase benefits, yet people will live in housing of a lower standard.

 

Social housing ain't free, it generates profit. Housing benefit is the problem, and high rents and house prices.

 

Reducing the amounts paid in HB will have a positive effect then, as it will stop buoying up the market (as you believe it does).

[liza D]

 

If you want a house, YOU MUST BREED!

BREED FOR ENGLAND

We need more tax payers quick!

 

Is this not one of the reasons the housing situation has gotten so bad.

 

Children having children and then given houses. We had a young girl a few years ago move on the road. She was 16 with a baby. She couldn't cope and caused havoc on the street with her friends coming to stay over etc.

 

Result of that, a few decent people moved out and more baby-mothers moved in.

These youngsters don't usually stay long because they have no idea how to manage a home and the bills etc, but the damage they do whilst there can ruin a whole street.

 

I was 22 before I was given a council property, You couldn't get one under the age of 21 and then only a 1bed flat.

 

Of course there are other factors to the housing crisis but this culture of "Breeding to get a house" is a big one, in my opinion.

[chem1st]

Reducing the amounts paid in HB will have a positive effect then, as it will stop buoying up the market (as you believe it does).

 

For this to be tackled I prefer and welcome a fair cut across the entitlements.

 

Changing the entitlements to the largest cohort of people needing social housing (and generally needing 1 bed properties) will not stop this.

 

It could have an adverse effect on properties with more than one bedroom.

 

Weekly rate (monthly rate) SRR rate

 

1 Bedroom accommodation - £94.36 (£408.89)

[sRR] 1 bed HMO = £65 £-29.64pw

2 Bedroom accommodation - £113.92 (£493.65)

[sRR] 2 bed HMO = £130 +16.08pw

3 Bedroom accommodation - £120.82 (£523.55)

[sRR] 3 bed HMO = £185 +64.18pw

4 Bedroom accommodation - £155.34 (£673.14)

[sRR]4 bed HMO = £260 +104.66pw

5 Bedroom accommodation - £224.38 (£972.31)

[sRR]5 bed HMO £325 = +100.62pw

[sRR]6 bed HMO £390, +165.62pw

[sRR] +£65pw per room per week thereafter

 

If this is passed, then 1 bed flat values will plummet. Properties with two bedroom bought by people sharing perhaps, and properties with 3 bedrooms or more would be converted in HMOs, pushing up their value further as the stock dwindles.

 

Properties with more rooms should be reserved for families.

 

Perhaps the Shared Room rate and 1 bed rate are too high, or the rates of 2+ bed properties too low.

 

SRR = £65 per room per week

1 = £94.36 pr pw

2 = £56.96 pr pw

3 = £40.37 pr pw

4 = £38.83 pr pw

5 = £44.88 pr pw

6 = £37.40

7 = £32.05

8 = £28.05

9+ = further exponential decay..

 

The way I see it, we have a hell of a lot of single people and couples unable to access social housing or buy a property, ultimately relying on the private rental sector. One which I do not think adds any value to our economy.

 

 

Social housing for example being bought on a mortgage via RTB for £16000 (maybe £32000 with interest) in the 1980s, then being sold to a Buy to let investor in 200X for £100 000 (maybe £200 000 with interest [25 years @6% avg. repayment])

 

To then be rented back to people on HB who should be accommodated in the social housing sector.

 

For say £10140 a year housing benefit (3 bed HMO let at SRR), assuming no rent increase or repairs, there is already a 2.5% yield.

 

Consider that most rents rise in line with inflation and have currently being rising more than inflation for a while now (slowly eating up peoples income), I think we are heading for disaster.

 

The room rate must be expanded, we hear of couples with 12 children needing social housing, they are going to need 7 beds @2 to a room MINIMUM

 

A prisoner gets 48+ sq ft for crying out loud.

 

Prison Cells

 

Mr. Alex Carlile: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) if he will make a statement on the statutory minimum size of prison cells; [19333]

 

(2) what is the average cell size per inmate in prisons in England and Wales; and if he will make a statement; [19334]

(3) what is the (a) average cell size and (b) current average number of prisoners per cell, in each prison in England and Wales; and if he will make a statement. [19335]

 

19 Mar 1996 : Column: 155

 

Miss Widdecombe [holding answer 7 March 1996]: Responsibility for these matters has been delegated to the temporary Director General of the Prison Service, who has been asked to arrange for a reply to be given.

 

Letter from A. J. Pearson to Mr. Alex Carlile, dated 19 March 1996:

 

 

 

The Home Secretary has asked me, in the absence of the Director General from the office, to reply to your recent Questions about average cell size and average number of prisoners per cell in each prison in England and Wales and the statutory minimum size of prison cells.

Information regarding the size of cells is not collected centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

With regard to the number of prisoners per cell, the position at the end of January this year was that some 8,488 prisoners were housed two to a cell which was designed for one person. There were no instances of three prisoners sharing a single cell.

There is no statutory minimum size for existing prison cells, although Prison Service operating standards do lay down an ideal minimum size of 5.5 square metres. Section 14 of the Prisons Act 1952 requires cells to be certified as being fit as regards their size, lighting, heating, ventilation and fittings.

 

source

 

Ideal minimum = 5.5 SqM (59.2 sq ft)

 

And that is for the cell, there is also on site kitchens, laundry, eating, gym, library and outdoor areas etc. for the prisoner.

 

 

People need housing, and there should be social housing.

 

As it stands the first time buyer is 37 (38?), currently half of a working life of a homebuyer is spent living at home or renting privately.

The social housing waiting list is estimated at 22 years in Sheffield to clear, registration is only allowed from 16+. These people will be living at home or in private rented housing while they rent.

 

We need secure housing for people to breed and build decent lives. As it stands people must breed to access secure social housing and those renting in private housing cannot afford to breed or access a mortgage until 38 (You see the bizarre arguments against people having children on here and in the dailymail quite often). By which time, they might aswell not breed due to the high risk of birth defects.

 

 

The answer in addressing overpriced housing lie not in increasing the price of social housing (which has been increasing in price FASTER THAN INFLATION).

 

It lies solely in the need to build more housing.

 

As we value our green space we are compelled to build UP.

 

 

Lets hope it doesn't go through.

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-11616741

 

When it comes to housing, spatial awareness should be of paramount, benefit and prices should be based in an appropriate dimension. Person per Sq mature per week for example, with children or partners being counted as 0.5 for example.

 

Perhaps per room, if minimum standards are legally required, Parker Morris for example.

 

Our population is set to increase, so should our housing stock.

 

Due to the lack of of building and selling off, along with demolition of social housing we need to build in the millions. If we had had a bit of foresight as a sovereign state and were not motivated by short term profits we could probably get away with a few 100 000 per year.

[Cyclone]

What makes you think that our population is set to increase?

[Right a bit]

What makes you think that our population is set to increase?

Because a rapidly-growing sector of the population has very large families?

[chem1st]

What makes you think that our population is set to increase?

 

You know full well we have an increasing population.

 

For well over a decade the population of this city was in decline.

 

After 2002 this decline stopped and the population began to rise again.

 

The increase is mainly immigrant driven.

 

Since 2002 our social housing stock has lost nearly 20% of its units.

 

We now have a massive shortage of social and affordable housing.

 

Executive Summary

?

Sheffield’s population declined between 1974 and 2002.

o

570,000 people in 1974.

o

512,242 people in 2002.

?

Sheffield’s population began increasing from 2002.

o

Current Sheffield population 520,700.

o

Sheffield’s population projected to rise to 561,300 by 2029.

?

Numbers of households in Sheffield have been increasing constantly since 1981:

o

There were 203,100 households in Sheffield in 1981.

o

There were 227,100 households in Sheffield in 2006.

o

2006 household numbers represented a 10 percent increase over 1981.

o

Rising household numbers coupled with a shrinking population (up to 2002) is illustrative of shrinking average household sizes.

?

Sheffield’s population is getting older.

o

The 0-14 age group is projected to shrink until 2011.

o

The 65-79 age group is projected to increase in size by around 20 percent (10,000 people) in the next 20 years.1

o

The 80+ age group is projected to increase in size by over 40 percent (10,000 people) in the next 20 years.1

?

Sheffield’s BME population is increasing in size and diversity.

o

7 percent of Sheffield’s population in 1991 (36,500 people).

o

13 percent of Sheffield’s population in 2005 (69,300 people).

o

Increasing numbers of BME people from Eastern Europe.

?

Sheffield’s student population is increasing in size.

o

6 percent of Sheffield’s population in 1996 (32,000 students).

o

8 percent of Sheffield’s population in 2005 (40,000 students).

 

Source = Developments in Sheffields population

[Mecky]

Work bootcamp ghettos here we come