Higgy Posted January 3, 2007 Share Posted January 3, 2007 Firstly I will start by saying I do not have anything at all against people who live in council houses I know people who live in them for the right reasons i.e Can't afford a house of their own or have a poorly paid job etc. I get very disillusioned with the system when I see people in council houses with flashy cars and high paid jobs. They can afford these luxuries in life as they only pay a small amount of rent each week/month compared to people who pay for a mortgage etc.. I think their rent should be based on their salary. If you earn a lot you should pay more rent. I know people who are desperate to get a council house as they are in real need of a roof over their heads and can't afford a new house of their own. These people who take the piss don't deserve to have a council house Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tango Posted January 3, 2007 Share Posted January 3, 2007 Higgy I'm with you 100% I worked with familes and their kids living in Corporation houses all over the Island and it always made me angry. I know that there are some families who genuinely can't afford to buy or rent but most of the families I saw could afford to buy Buckingham Palace! And those muppets in upper Plumrose! "I can't afford to heat my house so you'd better give me a new one...." But you can afford Sky TV,a top of the range BMW and VW golf,pizzas delivered to your house every night and 4 holidays in Florida every year? I know that family. Means testing is the future. The more like Blackpool your house looks at Christmas could be a good starting guage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Higgy Posted January 3, 2007 Author Share Posted January 3, 2007 Higgy I'm with you 100% I worked with familes and their kids living in Corporation houses all over the Island and it always made me angry. I know that there are some families who genuinely can't afford to buy or rent but most of the families I saw could afford to buy Buckingham Palace! And those muppets in upper Plumrose! "I can't afford to heat my house so you'd better give me a new one...." But you can afford Sky TV,a top of the range BMW and VW golf,pizzas delivered to your house every night and 4 holidays in Florida every year? I know that family. Means testing is the future. The more like Blackpool your house looks at Christmas could be a good starting guage. Thank God i'm not the only one that has realised this. I was going to mention the Christmas lights in my topic but I thought it might get some peoples backs up. They can obviously afford the electricity bills Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmrbike Posted January 3, 2007 Share Posted January 3, 2007 What gets me even more is "hardworking family of 4" living in a one bedroom flat in Christian Road. (£600.00 per month). Sorry, no council houses available. Meanwhile single bloke longterm unemployed has'nt paid rent for 6 months in a three bed house. * I'm NOT apportioning blame on the bloke in the house on his own. If i was in his position, i'd be keeping quiet too !!. It is the fault of the government for not sorting all this out. * Sweeping generalisation not based on any actual persons living or dead. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Higgy Posted January 3, 2007 Author Share Posted January 3, 2007 What gets me even more is "hardworking family of 4" living in a one bedroom flat in Christian Road. (£600.00 per month). Sorry, no council houses available. Meanwhile single bloke longterm unemployed has'nt paid rent for 6 months in a three bed house. * I'm NOT apportioning blame on the bloke in the house on his own. If i was in his position, i'd be keeping quiet too !!. It is the fault of the government for not sorting all this out. * Sweeping generalisation not based on any actual persons living or dead. Exactly! Need I say any more Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigDave Posted January 3, 2007 Share Posted January 3, 2007 I've said for a long time that Council rents should be means tested and set on a sliding scale depending on how hard up you are. Not only would it discourge the better off keeping a house they didn't need, but would also help fund renovations and the building of new housing stock. Oh, and there should also be planning restrictions on installing satellite dishes on council houses. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
local skeet Posted January 3, 2007 Share Posted January 3, 2007 Just been through a Douglas Corporation council estate this afternoon and counted 3 relatively new Mercs parked outside some of the houses!! OK they may not belong to the occupiers but......one of them was a Mercedes Benz CLK Price Tag (Brand New) = £29,910 - £64,520 Source - Car Pages UK local skeet Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rhumsaa Posted January 3, 2007 Share Posted January 3, 2007 The best solution I ever read was from a poster (can't remember who sorry) on here who suggested that first time buyers get council houses and half their rent is saved away by govt for a deposit on their own property so they can move out after a year or 5 and the procedure can be repeated Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Foxtrotlima Posted January 3, 2007 Share Posted January 3, 2007 ..........Oh, and there should also be planning restrictions on installing satellite dishes on council houses. I must be missing something here, why? Sky TV is relatively cheap nowadays. Would you also like us to have incoming calls only on our phone lines and no internet access? Because god forbid any parent is trying to give their children educational opportunities so that they don't have to live the lives that they do. Apologies if I have got the wrong end of the stick, but I don't live in a council house through choice, I live in one through necessity. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tango Posted January 3, 2007 Share Posted January 3, 2007 ..........Oh, and there should also be planning restrictions on installing satellite dishes on council houses. I must be missing something here, why? Sky TV is relatively cheap nowadays. Would you also like us to have incoming calls only on our phone lines and no internet access? Because god forbid any parent is trying to give their children educational opportunities so that they don't have to live the lives that they do. Apologies if I have got the wrong end of the stick, but I don't live in a council house through choice, I live in one through necessity. I always challenge people who park in disabled parking spots. It's a 'win/win' situation... if you get my drift? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigDave Posted January 3, 2007 Share Posted January 3, 2007 Last time I looked Sky TV starts at £15. That's a week's food for two on a budget, or cumulatively is more than a year's car tax and basic annual servicing parts for my car. It would pay my house and contents insurance or pay for half my annual phone bill. All these things are essentials - the ability to watch pimp my ride on MTV is not. I'm not advocating imposing a spartan existance on the less fortunate - a telephone and internet access are pretty much essential nowadays, but subscription satellite TV is a pure luxury and those who are hard up and still indulge really need to re-evaluate their priorities. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Foxtrotlima Posted January 3, 2007 Share Posted January 3, 2007 I owe you an apology Big Dave, I think my previous post was a little defensive to say the least. I will be honest, yes I live in a council house and yes, I have Sky TV. I actually find having Sky saves me money. I very rarely go out to the pub, and it is even rarer that I go to the cinema, both of which I might wish to do if I didn't have the choice of entertainment at home. My children do watch Sky, and enjoy the documentaries. Having a dyslexic son means he is able to absorb the knowledge far easier than reading a book. If you will excuse the language, I find myself in a financial no man's land and it pisses me off immensely. Although in a single income house, I work full time in a reasonably paid job. Unfortunately it is no where near what I would need to earn to get a mortgage for a 3 bedroom house ( which is what I would need, having son and a daughter). I can understand the frustration mortgage payers must have in seeing some people's lifestyles whilst being in council accommodation, and I am sure I would too if I were in their position. I am finding myself in agreement with the means tested sliding scale, and would welcome it. I can't speak for any other districts, but Ramsey is now means tested should someone wish to go on the housing list. As of about 7 years ago they also brought in the ruling that should your circumstances change, ie, children move out, you have to move to smaller accommodation, which again, I think is a superb idea. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tango Posted January 3, 2007 Share Posted January 3, 2007 I've had this discussion with a friend who lives in Springvalley. He earns £30k a year,his wife earns £25k a year and they pay £48 a week rent. He thinks there is nothing wrong with that? Strange. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Foxtrotlima Posted January 3, 2007 Share Posted January 3, 2007 Dear god, with a (combined) income of 55k I would WANT to buy a house. Heh, with an income half of that I still do! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rhumsaa Posted January 3, 2007 Share Posted January 3, 2007 I have a collegue who lives in a council house, her and her partner are desperate to move out as soon as they save enough for a deposit. I can see the benefits of cheap rent etc but I would want somewhere I could call mine and improve upon etc not a little terrace next to some potential druggie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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