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Council house waiting lists slashed with a sweep of a pen
Judge Mental
Posts: 18,593 Forum Member
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http://www.theguardian.com/money/2014/feb/01/council-house-waiting-lists-slashed
At the end of 2013, the government gave councils statutory guidance on waiting lists, making it clear that it believed they should be looking at applicants' links with an area. The guidance said: "The Secretary of State believes that including a residency requirement is appropriate and strongly encourages all housing authorities to adopt such an approach. The Secretary of State believes that a reasonable period of residency would be at least two years."
The housing minister, Kris Hopkins, told the Guardian that the new guidance was "to ensure that people in need of social housing with a long-standing connection to the area, or who have served in the armed forces, are prioritised".
If we hadn't allowed all our council houses to be sold off and not replaced this wouldn't be necessary. And why on earth are the armed forces an exception? There are lots of people whose jobs require them to travel away from home.
At the end of 2013, the government gave councils statutory guidance on waiting lists, making it clear that it believed they should be looking at applicants' links with an area. The guidance said: "The Secretary of State believes that including a residency requirement is appropriate and strongly encourages all housing authorities to adopt such an approach. The Secretary of State believes that a reasonable period of residency would be at least two years."
The housing minister, Kris Hopkins, told the Guardian that the new guidance was "to ensure that people in need of social housing with a long-standing connection to the area, or who have served in the armed forces, are prioritised".
If we hadn't allowed all our council houses to be sold off and not replaced this wouldn't be necessary. And why on earth are the armed forces an exception? There are lots of people whose jobs require them to travel away from home.
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people on council house waiting lists have been campaigning for this for years (under both this and the previous government). At last someone has listened.
I don't have an issue with prioritising local people - I have a problem with those who don't qualify for whom there is insufficient affordable housing.
Voter sensitive.
But building more meaning more people could be helped would be better?
Yes it would. There was no shortage of council housing until the early 2000s when the population increased at the same time as housing supply decreased. People forget that little fact.
The reason council housing is in short supply now is because house prices have risen so far that people on low wages that historically have been able to afford to buy (all through the 90s and into the early 2000s) can on longer afford to do so, which has put pressure on the rental market that also can't cope.
Tempting though I'm sure it is to blame Thatcher, council housing is just treating a symptom of a wider problem that is purely of New Labour's making, and which they were warned about, and warned about, and warned about, ad nauseum (though the current shower have only made matters worse).
This move will be popular with those who have strong family ties to a district over generations.
Was the seed not sown back then when not only support for council houses was dropped, but that existing ones were permitted to be sold?
And no shortage of council housing in the early 2000's?
Travel away from home and being posted to another location for a few years is hardly the same.
Weren't the accession countries allowed to enter after agreement for them to join in the early nineties?
Wasn't the single European act signed by Mrs T, the bit that allowed free movement of labour and trade?
Labour?
I think that's right. 'Right To Buy' didn't reduce the overall housing stock; it gave working class people the opportunity to buy their own home. It's also worth remembering that back in the 80s our population was predicted to fall - immigration was low and the birth rate was falling.
I think the current housing crisis is largely Labour's fault for massively increasing immigration levels and failing to increase housing supply. England has had something like the population of Scotland added to its population - where are the new Edinburghs, Glasgows, Aberdeens etc?
2/3 of immigration has come from non EU countries. I may be wrong but it doesn't seem to me that Eastern Europeans are overly reliant on social housing. The housing estates in my borough seem to have very few European residents (including British).
So we're back to the Empire then.
Labour?
They will never be able to prioritise single people over families because of the lack of 1 bedroom homes. Even in the private housing market 1 bedroom home building is at a 20 year all time low.
What's being shot at got to do with priority for housing. They get paid enough not to need social housing.
I think the issue is that many soldiers struggle to adjust to civilian life once they have left the forces.
What's Empire got to do with it? We had an ex Empire in the 70s/80s when immigration was low.
Do you deny that Labour sought to increase immigration? If Labour had nothing to do with mass immigration then why have they felt the need to apologize for their handling of immigration?
Because they'll be deemed vulnerable should they seek social housing.
Many homeless men are ex soldiers.
And many aren't. Still don't see why a blanket privilege is being given to all forces personnel.
Well I thought it might be why so many immigrants from outside Europe have a right to come here. Is it not then?
Asking me to deny something that is made up by the right wing is rather desperate to be honest. Are you trying to seek confirmation of your own, or those of your party's, beliefs? Any comment made by labour is to try and balance out or negate the made up nonsense from Tories like 'Labour encouraged loads to come here and vote, then steal our homes, benefits, jobs and our swans'. It falls at the first hurdle.
Perhaps people feel that as they have fought for their country, they are most deserving of somewhere to live, when they return home. Army accommodation is not great and they may not be paid well.
Compare that against the needs of recent migrants, with a large family, who may have contributed next to nothing and just chose that area because it suited them, near their community etc..
Of course one of the council houses in said borough is occupied by the leader of a major rail union earning £130,000 a year. But thats the problem with social homes for life - even when you don't need them anymore. There isn't any for the poor who do!
What we have now is have the choice or buying an over-price house or renting an over-priced property.
Still some people are doing okay out of it. So that is what matters.