The demonisation of social housing and the tenants who live there.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/budget-2015-george-osborne-to-axe-subsidies-for-higher-income-earners-in-social-housing-10366555.html

George Osborne to axe subsidies for higher income earners in social housing

Council houses in Islington, north London. As housing affordability drops many more people are predicted to join waiting lists for social housing. Photograph: Felix Clay

Rent benefits to be scrapped for those on more than £30,000

It is not really clear from this article whether the £40k in London and the £30k elsewhere, is a "household income" (dad,mum,working children living at home) or an individual, (presumably the person in who's name the tenancy stands), income. In either case, will the "savings" from this measure be sufficient to cover the costs of the bureaucracy needed to manage the new measures and to monitor the ongoing "means testing" necessary to implement it? Again a knee jerk and ill thought out proposal from this wretched government, designed to be popular with some parts of society rather than to resolve an extremely complex problem of which housing "subsidies" form only a minute part.
We should also explode the myth that "social housing" is only for the "poor people" in our society. The provision of social housing, which has been systematically destroyed under previous Conservative governments, was and should be now, geared to meeting the appalling lack of housing in this country, where hundreds of thousands of people are unable to find accommodation rented or otherwise, or are living in overcrowded conditions desperately seeking a home of their own. Adequate housing is a right for people and where government or the private sector is unable or most likely unwilling( because the lack of housing keeps prices high in the "market" and the new build and rented sectors)then society has the duty to provide houses for those who require housing not just "the poor".
It is government with its "friends and financial supporters" which creates the conditions for this shortage and then benefits politically and financially from the demonisation of social housing tenants.

Comments

Northern Ireland and Brexit. The return of "The Troubles"

Northern Ireland: police attacked in another night of disturbances | Northern Ireland | The Guardian When the "Brexit" debate was still filling our newspapers and our television screens, readers may remember why I had changed my mind since voting to leave at the referendum vote. Apart from the economic arguments, which had become crystal clear after peeling away all the lies and misrepresentations trotted out by Bozo Boris and his "Get Brexit Done" conspirators, there was always the problem of the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. Would it be possible to have a border between the European Union and the United Kingdom where people, goods and services could pass freely between the two nations without customs restrictions, tariffs, duties and all the other formalities? Would it be possible to have one part of the United Kingdom treated differently from other parts of the United Kingdom, particularly when Scotland for example had voted overwhe

The Parliamentary Labour Party conspirators are hatching another coup.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/corbyn-labour-leadership-rebel-mps-a7202641.html Labour MPs plan for Corbyn victory and plot how to confront an emboldened leader Even for the "Independent", the number and use of unnamed anonymous "sources" in this article is quite astonishing. However, amongst all the usual speculative delusion, there is one factor which causes concern to anyone who believes in the Labour Party, its principles and in he democratic process of the Labour movement. It is abundantly clear that elements within the Parliamentary Labour Party, are even now, planning another coup in the event that Jeremy Corbyn should emerge as winner in the current ballot. The failed coup of earlier this year, has now descended into a sham leadership election, because the conspirators still fail to accept the democratic decision of the Labour party membership and cling to

Plemont development or return to nature?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-jersey- A date has been set for a public inquiry into plans for Plemont Headland. This exceptional location must be sold to the National trust for Jersey, and returned to nature. Any other outcome involving development of the site, can only demonstrate the extent to which greed and self interest have become endemic in Jersey.

Agenda 2019

Search This Blog