Non-Believer Posted December 6, 2014 Share Posted December 6, 2014 there's no maintenance costs, You don't live in social housing do you? No AB, I don't, but I have close enough connections to it. Social Housing residents may CHOOSE to get involved with their own maintenance costs - but they don't HAVE to. By rights, their landlords, i.e. their local authority have a responsibility to address any concerns their tenants raise. If the tenant isn't happy with the speed of response, or the choice of decor, for instance, they may CHOOSE to do it themselves, or pay to have it done privately. But the standard job from the authority doesn't cost them anything more, they're already paying for the work and fittings in the rent. Then at the other end of the spectrum you have the tenants who'll simply trash their accommodation and simply EXPECT to be moved to a nice, newly refurbished one - where they start all over again. And the due refurbishment is covered by the local authority, and as the social housing rents are unrealistically low, the rest is covered by the authority's income from the private rates. Simple fact. Sorry to be contentious. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Manxtrust Posted December 7, 2014 Share Posted December 7, 2014 Ashford & Callister fighting over rent hike for Local Authority Housing. Interesting points made. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Manxtrust Posted December 7, 2014 Share Posted December 7, 2014 Ashford & Callister fighting over rent hike for Local Authority Housing. Interesting points made. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Callister Posted December 7, 2014 Share Posted December 7, 2014 Social Housing Rent Increase The following open letter was drafted and distributed by Rob Callister, Onchan Commissioner, Email : robcallister@manx.net. Eddie Power, Malew Commissioner, Email : power.barrule@hotmail.co.uk Lawrie Hooper, Ramsey Commissioner, Email : lhooper@live.co.uk Hon. Howard Quayle MHK Minister for Health & Social Care 4th Floor, Markwell House Market Street Douglas Isle of Man IM1 2RZ Dear Minister, Re. Changes to Public Sector Rents We as individual Local Authority Elected Members hereby ask that you do not apply an additional 5% onto Local Authority Housing Rents. Although we are not representing or speaking on behalf of our Boards, we believe that any additional increase in local authority housing rents should be put on hold until the Department of Health & Social Care and the Local Authorities have had an open, honest and transparent discussion, in order to consider how to introduce a Means Testing system which is fair and equitable to the tenants, but at the same time is cost effective to both the Local Authorities as the Landlord and to the Department as the Regulator. This can only be achieved in our opinion through open consultation with all Local Authorities. In your media statements on Friday 5th December 2014, you confirmed that the majority of Local Authorities had agreed to an increase of 5% from April 2015. It is agreed between us all that this assumption that the Local Authorities deemed 5% was inaccurate and not tested. We ask that you clarify your statement, as our discussions with Local Authority members who reported back to your Department produced the following information: - General Housing - Rental Increase from April 2015 Onchan District Commissioners Zero Braddan Parish Commissioners Inflation or up to 5% Castletown Commissioners Up to 5% but no more Douglas Town Corporation 5% Peel Town Commissioners Inflation Port Erin Village Commissioners Inflation PSM Village Commissioners Zero Ramsey Town Commissioners Zero Rushen Parish Commissioners No information available Malew Zero to 5% Elderly Persons Housing - Rental Increase from April 2015 Castletown & Malew EPHC up to 5% Cooil Roi EPHC Inflation Marashen Crescent EPHC No decision made Peel & Western EPHC Inflation Ramsey & Northern EPHC Zero Onchan EPHC Zero We also fully acknowledge the statement made by the previous Minister Mr. Robertshaw MHK on 12th November 2012, in which he recommended "a minimum of 10% plus inflation in future years" and we are grateful that the Department has not applied this recommendation, which does not take into account the ability to pay on the part of the tenant. However, local authority tenants have seen their rents increase well above the rate of inflation year on year. Again this is without taking into account any form of means testing to establish their ability to pay, the direct charging being introduced by central government or any increase on the rates which tenants also have to pay. Since 1st April 2012 the Department has requested that the Local Authorities introduce the following rental increases:- April 2012 - 10% increase April 2013 - New points system 3% to 25% increase April 2014 - 5% increase April 2015 - 5% increase The comments made yesterday with reference to the Housing Deficiency Payments also need to be reviewed and considered by the Local Authorities. These payments are a joint venture between the Isle of Man Government and the Local Authorities, in order to ensure that a future local authority housing programme is provided on the Island. Without this vital support and partnership, recent projects seen in Ramsey and Douglas wouldn't have been possible. We ask your Department to reconsider their decision, and to defer applying an additional 5% from April 2015 in order to enable Means Testing to be fully considered and properly introduced. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lost Login Posted December 7, 2014 Share Posted December 7, 2014 EORH I think that Quayle probably ceased to be a farmer the moment he came an MHK. He maybe has rented out or something but I doubt he has time to do both but I may be wrong. In general we may MHKs a pittance as if you had a decent job in the private sector you would earn more. Consequently the HoKs is made up of the retired, independently wealthy or those who were in low paid employment prior to being elected. If you had a half decent position before becoming an MHK you probably would have had to take a pay cut to be an MHK and yet we will always want them to give up more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
manxie44 Posted December 7, 2014 Share Posted December 7, 2014 I don't understand why public sector tenants don't contribute to rates ? They do. Included in the rents Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Albert Tatlock Posted December 7, 2014 Share Posted December 7, 2014 Arguing for no rent rise is effectively arguing for a rent reduction...surely there should be some rise linked to inflation? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lost Login Posted December 7, 2014 Share Posted December 7, 2014 The commissioners do not need to increase the rents it is up to them as long as they can meet any shortfall from their own funds Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Albert Tatlock Posted December 7, 2014 Share Posted December 7, 2014 The commissioners do not need to increase the rents it is up to them as long as they can meet any shortfall from their own fundsNot really. ..they have to take the whole picture into account...a 5/10/20 year vision of expenditure and what's likely to come up. There's a lot of 2016 electoral posturing going on at the moment. ..don't underestimate that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alibaba Posted December 7, 2014 Share Posted December 7, 2014 I'm on Rob Callisters side. Chris Robertshaw can fuck off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
finlo Posted December 7, 2014 Share Posted December 7, 2014 I don't understand why public sector tenants don't contribute to rates ?They do. Included in the rentsYou don't pay much rent then. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nom de plume Posted December 8, 2014 Share Posted December 8, 2014 Could it be that irrespective of the planned implementation of means testing that the 'box standard' weekly local authority rent was simply too low & that the issue needed addressing pronto? My sympathies are with those in real poverty, tarnished with the brush that all tenants homed in such a way are freeloaders or piss-takers. Only means-testing can resolve this perception & judgement from those on the outside. Then an arbitary figure will need to be set for single, couples & family occupiers - Good luck with that one whoever takes it on! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2bees Posted December 8, 2014 Share Posted December 8, 2014 The only way it will ever work fairly is to have a sliding scale for rent. The poor people pay far less, the tax office can decide who is rich and otherwise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EORH Posted December 8, 2014 Author Share Posted December 8, 2014 EORH I think that Quayle probably ceased to be a farmer the moment he came an MHK. He maybe has rented out or something but I doubt he has time to do both but I may be wrong. In general we may MHKs a pittance as if you had a decent job in the private sector you would earn more. Consequently the HoKs is made up of the retired, independently wealthy or those who were in low paid employment prior to being elected. If you had a half decent position before becoming an MHK you probably would have had to take a pay cut to be an MHK and yet we will always want them to give up more. I don't think so, most come in on higher salaries than they were getting before, they are not getting a pittance, their on £56,000, plus £10,000 as a member of a department, plus expenses, all for working 22 weeks a year, most of the time is blocks of holidays, Easter, Christmas, summer recess, then there are the jollies as printed on this website, John Houghton asked the question, just look at the Speaker of the Keys trips what for?. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2bees Posted December 9, 2014 Share Posted December 9, 2014 I imagine Mr Thomas took a pay cut when he joined the HoK. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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