Council House Waiting List Queue Grows

[Ash4781]

http://www.lgcplus.com/News/2009/01/counci...ueue_grows.html

The number of households on council housing waiting lists has increased by 100,000, according to new government statistics.

The Department for Communities and Local Government's latest local authority housing statistical update, shows that there were 1.77 million households on local authority housing waiting lists across England on 1 April 2008, an increase from 1.67m at the same point a year before.

The overall figure had increased from 1.04m in 1999 to 1.77m in 2008.

The Local Government Association estimates that the nearly 1.8m households contain 4.5m people, equating to one in 12 of the population.

Paul Bettison, Local Government Association housing spokesman, said: "Even when the economic good times were rolling, councils saw ever increased pressure on their social housing stock.

"Now that the credit crunch is upon the country it appears that many thousands more people will be looking to councils to provide them with a permanent home as they either find it impossible to get on the housing ladder, unable to afford private rented housing or see their home repossessed.

"With more households joining the ever increasing social housing waiting list over the seven years, experience has taught us that demand will grow even faster. Although house prices are falling, they are still beyond the reach of many."

Leslie Morphy, chief executive of the homeless charity Crisis, said: "Worryingly, today's figures show a widening gulf between local authorities' supply of social housing and demand pent up in their waiting lists. This leaves people in limbo in often sub-standard temporary accommodation."

The statistics also show that the number of dwellings owned by English local authorities has fallen from 3.18m in 1999 to owned 1.87m last year.

But the number of local authority dwellings across England failing the decent homes standard has fallen from 617,600 in 2007 to 489,400.

So say they need 1.8mn homes and say these would cost 100K each. This is close to number that has been sold off since 1999. I don't think they can reduce this list by buying houses at today's prices it'll be too expensive. Building 1.8mn homes could take 10,000 years according to the quote here. (not checked the maths lol)

Councils currently only build a few hundred council homes a year, with the majority of new social homes being built by registered social landlords. The consultation proposals would seek to boost this build rate by removing some of the financial barriers stopping councils from building new properties and increasing their housing stock.

http://www.communities.gov.uk/news/corporate/1125206

Do they really only build a few hundred a year?

In other news the 200mn pound mortgage rescue scheme is 'expected to help up to 6,000 households avoid repossession over the next two years' http://www.communities.gov.uk/news/corporate/1120159

Edited January 24, 2009 by Ash4781

[interestrateripoff]

No surprise here that housing waiting lists are growing.

Perhaps they could turn luxury apartments back into flats and house them there? Haven't the value of these crashed should be able to pick them up for about £60k each much cheaper than paying £100k to build a house.

[InternationalRockSuperstar]

plenty of empty vacant houses in UK.

mass-squatting is the solution.

[aa3]

With masses of construction guys being put out of work, with building materials piling up like the mass of bricks piling up I read about, with a real need by many human beings for a place to live.. with the price of building materials at lows not seen in many years..

The logical thing would be to go on a building spree of 4 story commie block style housing. If 1.77 million dwellings are needed(make it 3 million soon needed), and for arguments sake 60 dwellings per commie block, that would be 3 million / 60 = 48,000 commie blocks needed nation wide.

Make it so >90% of the materials used are produced internally so it won't affect the balance of trade/value of the pound.

Imagine the people we'd put to work if we built 48,000 new commie blocks. From building materials factory workers, construction guys on site, water and electrical work, roadwork, transportation companies, excavation (aka real actual jobs, where actual work gets done)

Chance of our government taking action = none. Meetings will be had, studies will be done, paperwork will be shuffled, hefty bonuses will be given, dirt moved = 0.

[interestrateripoff]

I've just had another idea, as Ponzi Brown is running out of tax revenue why not tax those on the housing list at a higher rate to raise some cash.

I mean if they need social housing they should contribute something to the cost of building it.

[cartimandua51]

No surprise here that housing waiting lists are growing.

Perhaps they could turn luxury apartments back into flats and house them there? Haven't the value of these crashed should be able to pick them up for about £60k each much cheaper than paying £100k to build a house.

Most of them don't meet social housing space standards!

The sale & rent-back proposals would be rather more useful - the ex-OOs lose their equity (if any) in the house, but stay put & rent from the Council /HA. This would also have the social benefit of mixing up types of ownership rather than having social housing ghettos. Would also bring more HOUSES into social ownership, rather than flats.

Edited January 24, 2009 by cartimandua51

[interestrateripoff]

Chance of our government taking action = none. Meetings will be had, studies will be done, paperwork will be shuffled, hefty bonuses will be given, dirt moved = 0.

You've forgot the big wages for everyone attending these meetings. You have to remember the magic formula of the more meetings you attend the higher your wage because you are obviously more important.

[Umiapik]

Imagine the people we'd put to work if we built 48,000 new commie blocks. From building materials factory workers, construction guys on site, water and electrical work, roadwork, transportation companies, excavation (aka real actual jobs, where actual work gets done)

Chance of our government taking action = none. Meetings will be had, studies will be done, paperwork will be shuffled, hefty bonuses will be given, dirt moved = 0.

I dunno, if things get really bad, it could happen! (It would probably require a change in government, though.) If there's a complete economic catastrophe and there's riots, mass squatter camps of homeless people etc, then that would be a powerful motivator for the government to take action by building as much cheap accommodation as was required.

I personally think though that the government would start using legal action to requisition the 1 million plus empty properties that we have in the uk; desperate times need desperate measures and so on.

[interestrateripoff]

Most of them don't meet social housing space standards!

The sale & rent-back proposals would be rather more useful - the ex-OOs lose their equity (if any) in the house, but stay put & rent from the Council /HA. This would also have the social benefit of mixing up types of ownership rather than having social housing ghettos. Would also bring more HOUSES into social ownership, rather than flats.

Do you think that was planned in the design stage?

[Umiapik]

Do you think that was planned in the design stage?

I doubt it. The builders just saw that there were plenty of idiots who'd pay inflated prices for anything, no matter how small and how poorly constructed, so they went ahead and built accordingly.

[Grime- skint wouldbe ftb]

As we've suffered 10 years of society-destroying, unsustainable immigration under Labour, perhaps their "Communities" quango can explain how real British families suffering due to the Labour economic depression will fare in terms of competition for social housing.

They'd better come up with an answer quick as the mood of this country is about to turn seriously ugly.

[durhamborn]

You've forgot the big wages for everyone attending these meetings. You have to remember the magic formula of the more meetings you attend the higher your wage because you are obviously more important.

Another problem with social housing is lifetime tenancies.For instance a single mum with 3 children gets a 4 bed house.The children all leave as they get older but the woman gets to stay in a 4 bed house even though there is just her.

Really it should be on need.Once you only need 1 bedroom the council\HA should end your tenancy and offer you a 1 bed flat,freeing up the 4 bed for a new family.

Its madness that this doesnt happen,especially as the tax payer is probably paying the rent for the person in the 4 bed who doesnt need it,and a family in bed and breakfast because no houses are available.

Another way is rents need to be increased closer to market rents.This wont affect poorer households because of housing benefit,but it would encourage people whos finances have improved to instead buy.

Its crazy that some people stay in council housing on subsidized rents when they are earning a good income.

As anthing the government is involved in council housing is a shambles and by its nature will never work.

HAs are worse.The money in those goes in huge salaries for the top brass and is a total scam.

My local council moved its housing to a HA.The housing boss took redundancy of over 100k,then got the job with the HA on a 50% higher salary.

Nepitism at its finest im afraid in social housing.

[Tummybanana]

Ooh, an opening.

Found out yesterday about a family with seven kids; friends of the wife's. There were no properties big enough for them in the area so SHE FOUND THE LAND AND GOT THEM TO PURPOSE-BUILD A BRAND NEW HOUSE

Seriously, a six bed detached house in a non Local Authority area with Housing Benefit paying the rent, Council Tax paid for by the state, inherited rights for the kids and right to buy - as it's council rather than housing association. Kitchen the size of our entire downstairs, Oh, and he's signed off work with "Depression."

You couldn't make it up!

Still, in all other things they haven't had it easy - one child's excluded, one's been arrested, and the kids all approached the mother the other week and told her they needed to kick the dad out as he's no good for them.

[durhamborn]

Ooh, an opening.

Found out yesterday about a family with seven kids; friends of the wife's. There were no properties big enough for them in the area so SHE FOUND THE LAND AND GOT THEM TO PURPOSE-BUILD A BRAND NEW HOUSE

Seriously, a six bed detached house in a non Local Authority area with Housing Benefit paying the rent, Council Tax paid for by the state, inherited rights for the kids and right to buy - as it's council rather than housing association. Kitchen the size of our entire downstairs, Oh, and he's signed off work with "Depression."

You couldn't make it up!

Still, in all other things they haven't had it easy - one child's excluded, one's been arrested, and the kids all approached the mother the other week and told her they needed to kick the dad out as he's no good for them.

Kick the dad out.But the dad is the taxpayer,Gordon is father to them.The other guy is just someone who tags along.This country simply can not carry on like this.A pensioner who has worked all their life gets £125 a week.They get around £800 a week for lifestyle choices.

The welfare system is in desperate need of reform.The chances are it will get it soon enough.The tories will have the perfect cover.The country is bankrupt.People swallow it after Labour governments.

[Prescience]

And all of this current and rapidiy escalating fisco, of course, is the result of Thatcher's wondrous RTB legislation: and her insistence that LAs not be allowed to use funds released from stock sales for building new stock....................

Thatcher focused on the HA sector since it was more private economy driven.

Exceping HAs gained their funds from the Housing Corporation via HAG (Housing Aid Grant).

Then later, the new Tory Wunnderkind was to tell HAs to borrow their funds from the private sector: i.e. banks. At market rate: yet still be expected to create Social Housing at "Affordable" prices: since it would be propped up by Housing Benefit!

Fat bloody chance at the moment!

Ah well, Godron, what's another few hundred billion when you own a money creational factory...........

[5 year plan]

Imagine the people we'd put to work if we built 48,000 new commie blocks. From building materials factory workers, construction guys on site, water and electrical work, roadwork, transportation companies, excavation (aka real actual jobs, where actual work gets done)

Chance of our government taking action = none. Meetings will be had, studies will be done, paperwork will be shuffled, hefty bonuses will be given, dirt moved = 0.

Mind you, you can't blame NuLIEbour for being soft on that idea. Given their perceived (at least by me) communist reputation. IMHO it's probably not the sort of thing they want to leave as their (hopefully final) legacy!

[Ash4781]

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/poli...icle5614919.ece

I know there is another thread on this but

There have been intense discussions on Labour’s National Executive Committee about how to help the 4.5 million people waiting for social housing and to get the construction industry back to work, The Times has learnt.

....

The main reason for the building decline is that, since 1989, councils have had to give back at least 75 per cent of the income they receive in rent and sales to the Treasury. But so many people are now on waiting lists — and the figure is likely to rise to five million as the recession kicks in and more homes are repossessed.

So there are 'other' waiting lists so 1.8mn to 4.5mn plus additional 1.2mn calculated in negative equity as at now!

[aa3]

Mind you, you can't blame NuLIEbour for being soft on that idea. Given their perceived (at least by me) communist reputation. IMHO it's probably not the sort of thing they want to leave as their (hopefully final) legacy!

You have a good point. It would be a lasting legacy as the buildings would stay.

Maybe they could announce a locked in rate they would pay for monthly rent for council recipients. And let developers and investors figure out what they can build that would make the specifications and regulations and be able to make a profit.

One problem is that there is so much bureaucracy it could take many years before the first project got started and the amount that actually got through could be quite small. Thus not much stimulus for construction and manufacturing companies. Its one reason why I'm bullish on China, their massive stimulus is going to be hitting the economy hard and fast as they move so fast from proposals to construction. In fairness for Britian stimulus could be just in the form of cash, but it seems to be a nice way to have actual construction happen out of it when there is shortages.

Edited January 30, 2009 by aa3

[NatTurner]

Another problem with social housing is lifetime tenancies.For instance a single mum with 3 children gets a 4 bed house.The children all leave as they get older but the woman gets to stay in a 4 bed house even though there is just her.

Really it should be on need.Once you only need 1 bedroom the council\HA should end your tenancy and offer you a 1 bed flat,freeing up the 4 bed for a new family.

I think Local Housing Allowance will be introduced for council tenants this April. If so then she would start getting housing benefit only for a 1 bed property. She could always make up the difference herself, but at least its an incentive to get her to move.

[Soton]

No surprise here that housing waiting lists are growing.

Perhaps they could turn luxury apartments back into flats and house them there? Haven't the value of these crashed should be able to pick them up for about £60k each much cheaper than paying £100k to build a house.

Many landlords are trying to put housing benifit into city centre flats but there is still not many takers due to parking, locations.

There is a housing list but many on the list have housing wants ( a large house with garden worth a fair wack for free) rather than housing needs ( a roof over head ).

This is also why many Housing Associations are on their way under as they too are producing schemes which people do not want.

Is it wrong that people have such a choice and take advantange when choosing free or subsadised accomadation?

This is the game generation after generation in some families play.

[chichi]

Ooh, an opening.

Found out yesterday about a family with seven kids; friends of the wife's. There were no properties big enough for them in the area so SHE FOUND THE LAND AND GOT THEM TO PURPOSE-BUILD A BRAND NEW HOUSE

Seriously, a six bed detached house in a non Local Authority area with Housing Benefit paying the rent,

Seriously ring the sun. They pay good cash for this shocker of a story

The fastest way is to call our journalists on 0207 782 4100 (from outside the UK dial 0044 207 782 4100).

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Edited January 30, 2009 by chichi