Council tenants offered bribes
 

Council house tenants offered £30,000 bribes to move out - Times Online

I don't get the logic in this.

People being offered money to vacate social housing, because people are being made homeless due to repossession, and the demand on their housing stock is greater.

OK the money may be an incentive to some people, but why should people be asked to leave their homes to house victims of repossession, when they themselves can look in the private sector? :confused:

Re: Council tenants offered bribes
 

It seems daft but an irony is that if those in the house take the "bribe" then they have a fat deposit for a house of their own if they can get a morgage. Those that have had their home repossed might now be unemployed and have no other option. The money could be better spent but in a time of crisis those in charge take somewhat wierd decissions.

Re: Council tenants offered bribes
 

i was wondering when teh right to buy scheme woudl come back to bite teh councils in the ass and look how expensive its getting

if peopel were eligable for mortgages tehy shoudl have been told to buy a house and leave council property but instead a lot of council tennants got to pick up very cheap houses which they sold later for a huge proffit or rented out and charged teh council twice as much as what they woudl have been paying if they had not sold the property in the first place

the scheme was there to be taken advantage of and i dont blame peopel for taking advantage but simply put teh right to buy scheme shoud never have existed in the first place

Re: Council tenants offered bribes
 

Well i bought mine and lets just say that its the biggest mistake of my life so far! If they had offered me £30,000 before i bought it i would have snatched their arm off and run,

Re: Council tenants offered bribes
 

There are many elderly folk living in houses with unused bedrooms.
It would be better for them to move to smaller social housing.
The prospect of moving is traumatic when you are elderly and in failing health.
Rather than just throw money at them, what they need is a team of people dedicated to-
showing them other houses/flats and offering them the choice
taking on the organisation of packing/removal
and paying for all of it, including carpets, curtains and their fitting.
Then we may see more houses freed up for family occupation

Re: Council tenants offered bribes
 

Spot on there Margaret.

There are a great many in social housing that no longer need to be or are in bigger houses than they need to be.

Re: Council tenants offered bribes
 

I'll happily move house 3 times a week for 30k.

Re: Council tenants offered bribes
 

Once again Margaret you make more sense than the people who are PAID to make decisions, karma sent, what I want to know is, when are you going to stand for election to the local council?

Re: Council tenants offered bribes
 

I am flattered that you think that I could do such a job:o
...but when I recover my health (hopefully by Summer) I plan to travel a lot and
ENJOY BEING ALIVE AGAIN:D
selfish of me I know - but I'm worth it

Re: Council tenants offered bribes
 

I dont blame you Margaret, the chances are, someone with your common sense would not be appreciated there anyway!

Re: Council tenants offered bribes
 

Posted via Mobile Device
Margaret may be right but there is no where near enough houses to take the elderly. My mum has been on a waiting list for over a year for a bungalow near me and is no where near getting one despite having the maximum support possible from her doctor and hospital saying that her house is not suitable for here any more.

Re: Council tenants offered bribes
 

Social housing bungalows are hard to get, and to specify a location (near you) makes it even more likely that she never will get one.
The ground floor flats are harder to get than 1st floor flats, but 1st floor flats are worth considering if she can use grocery deliveries as I do.
At least I don't need to go up and down stairs to the bathroom, so only need to use the stairs a few times a week.

I recently websearched for flats and bungalows to let in the private sector.
Rents are near double that of social housing, but are worth consideration if she could qualify for Housing Benefit.
I found only one bungalow to let locally - on Livingstone Rd near the Stanley ground and that had 3 bedrooms - too big
There are several new build flats to let and some are ground floor.
Apart from Waterside(Puddleside) Accy (which has no ground floor but has lifts),
I found some on offer at Tinkerbrook Close Ossy, Roman Rd Blackamoor, and on the boundary between Rising Bridge and Haslingden.

Harwood Red recently posted that there will soon be some liason and swopping available between Twin Valley and Hyndburn Homes tenants and waiting lists..
Maybe you should register an interest at the Twin Valley BwithUs waiting list too.

Re: Council tenants offered bribes
 

Of course a lot of couples(partners)have 2 council/housing association houses/flats, just in case the relationship goes pear shaped.
But what the hell the council pay the rent and council tax.

Re: Council tenants offered bribes
 

Both darwendosser and I occupy separate housing association flats and we were once a couple in our owner/occupied house.
We were 'estranged' for 5 years and although we are now on friendly terms again, we do not regard ourselves as a couple and neither of us has any desire to cohabit again.
A relationship should not be judged by any person outside it - it may not be as it seems

PS I get no Housing Benefit

Re: Council tenants offered bribes
 

sometimes its better not to live together, i prefer my own space tbh and get annoyed when theres other people under my feet, i also like my own big bed and dont want to have to share it every night.

Re: Council tenants offered bribes
 

I have an adjustable single bed and no man will ever come in or between me and it:)

Re: Council tenants offered bribes
 

Telling people to get out of houses that regard as their homes would merely create Ghettos - as if we have not got enough of those already.An integrated community (unemployed and employes serves to keep the standard of their neighbourhood up.
forcing people out of their council houses would also serve as another dis-incentive to people to engage in paid employment.

Re: Council tenants offered bribes
 

I am sure that we allready have ghetto's in one form or another but were these have evolved the next lot will be created. They cant fix basic services for love nor money yet have the cash for this kind of stunt. Now who do we blame erm erm erm oh yes the panic merchants.

Re: Council tenants offered bribes
 

I don't think this is an entirely new policy.. a similiar scheme was used by Hackney Council in the early 90's.. I did hear of someone who took a significant amout of money from the council to give up his home..he used the money to buy a small farm in Eire along with his brother... 5 years later he returned and his wife got another rented property from the same council.... nice business if you can get it.

Re: Council tenants offered bribes
 

Perhaps the government are doing the same sort of gerrymandering that Dame Shirley Porter was found guilty of in the '90's, except in this case they want Labour supporters back in what was seen as their strongholds.

:rolleyes::D

Re: Council tenants offered bribes
 

How dare you even think of that !!!..the Labour party would not stoop so low!

Re: Council tenants offered bribes
 

that i would agree with, if their was a labour party these days.:rolleyes:

Re: Council tenants offered bribes
 

Well Nu-Labour went so far to the right to secure middle England, they've got to come up with something for all the Little Englanders who deserted the traditional voting patterns, by voting for Thatcher, and bring the once safe seats back into the fold.

:D

Re: Council tenants offered bribes
 

No "safe" seats no more.. the battle is on..we must rely on the spin.. AndrewB is the worst spinner I have ever come up against.. he is Tory ****.. but there are more profitable Tory spinners out there..alive on this web.. I'll not mention now

Re: Council tenants offered bribes
 

Are there?

I'd say they aren't doing a particularly good job then.

Almost as badly as you're doing for Labour.

;)

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When and if it did go ahead it will be as bad as boundry changes to "embed" certain voters in certain areas. It is starting to look like manipulation of voting to benifit those in power. This would only make the divide in this country wider and alienate a fair sized proportion of the populace.

Re: Council tenants offered bribes
 

Getting back to the thread.

I have no problem with money being paid to people who are living in houses that have more bedrooms than they may now need, due to family growing up and moving out.

I don't think they should be forced to move, but moving house is always expensive, so money should be available so that they aren't out of pocket if they do decide to downsize, and free up accommodation for those who need more room.

Re: Council tenants offered bribes
 

If the money is paid then who ever decides to move should be given the best help possible. Should the councils that decide to go ahead with this have a select band of solicitors estate agents etc on the books so to speak to make it as smooth as possible? They cannot just dump those that do go ahead with the move once the keys are in the council office.

Re: Council tenants offered bribes
 

I agree.

There is so little social housing stock that in reality there will probably be very few people willing to move, if suitable accommodation isn't also on offer, besides the money to make a move smoother and cost free.