Housing crisis

[meic]

Would save the taxpayer money too as it would lower the housing benefit bill.

I doubt it, because even though there is no rent control over what landlords can charge, the benefits are already paid as if there is. As real rents dont match these controlled rent levels (Local Housing Allowance), the claimants have to make up the shortfall themselves.

https://england.shelter.org.uk/housing_ ... owance_lha

[Abradable Chin]

Factor in the hundred grand for the land with permission that it would cost in the UK, and there lies a large part of the problem.

I agree but whatever you build on it the land still has to be bought.

An issue with low cost construction is that very few people when buying a house enquire what the build cost was, and then factor this in to the price they offer. Also, estate agents value a house mainly by what others of the same size have sold for in the area and build cost and quality is seldom mentioned. When it comes to resell a house, the seller asks what the market can bear. The advantage of low price for a logical low cost/low energy construction method is only to the self-builder. Once it is sold on, it becomes as expensive as the rest because land prices are elastic.

[Abradable Chin]

That's an awful lot of under-occupied housing and it's by no means unique to our side of our street"

There isn't even a housing shortage in the UK, just a gross misallocation. Lack of supply is a convenient smokescreen because neither politicians nor house building companies nor banks want to explain the true reason. In fact, politicians seem quite keen on keeping house prices rising c.f. the "Help to Buy Scheme" run by the governnment for people who like to ask more than the market can bear, and for people who like to buy what they can't afford.

[reohn2]

That's an awful lot of under-occupied housing and it's by no means unique to our side of our street"

There isn't even a housing shortage in the UK, just a gross misallocation. Lack of supply is a convenient smokescreen because neither politicians nor house building companies nor banks want to explain the true reason. In fact, politicians seem quite keen on keeping house prices rising c.f. the "Help to Buy Scheme" run by the governnment for people who like to ask more than the market can bear, and for people who like to buy what they can't afford.

Yet another flaw of capitalism,unless you're a speculator,if you simply want a house to live in as most people do, you're at the market's mercy,see where it's led us.......

[Abradable Chin]

public cash now goes in paying housing benefit to private landlords

Nice point. It is peculiar that people who live off disability benefits or income support are often maligned, yet the majority of government welfare (ignoring state pensions) goes to private landlords, and no one says anything about them and their laziness in rent seeking. Housing benefit absolutely dwarfs income support in sum total.

[pete75]

Would save the taxpayer money too as it would lower the housing benefit bill.

I doubt it, because even though there is no rent control over what landlords can charge, the benefits are already paid as if there is. As real rents dont match these controlled rent levels (Local Housing Allowance), the claimants have to make up the shortfall themselves.

https://england.shelter.org.uk/housing_ ... owance_lha

IN some areas LHA matches the rents charged and in others LHA is a proportion of the rent. If rents were lowered the proportion paid by LHA would be lower. Alternatively it could match the controlled rents meaning people already on a low income wouldn't have to give some of it to make up the shortfall.

[mercalia]

an alternative solution --

a recycled house - looking or a house sitter

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-40050293

[Abradable Chin]

an alternative solution --
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-40050293

Would that even be legal in the England or Wales? The authorities don't like people finding practical solutions to the house price problem. You can live permanently on land without planning permission if you keep animals that require constant care, but apart from that, even the "mount it on wheels" solution doesn't wash with the council.

[reohn2]

Nice:- https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Pb_DYHYxlOk

[al_yrpal]

Noticeably more homeless on the pavement in our local town, Reading. I often stop and chat with them to find out why they find themselves there. Often its drugs or alcohol, some obviously have mental health issues, with a few its illness or family breakups. The local hostels are often full so some find themselves sleeping rough. There should be somewhere provided by the Council for these people to sleep, a base where they can clean themselves up and begin to get themselves straight. Such a place is where some of them can live temporsrily to get back into a job, there are plenty of jobs here but you cant get a job whilst sleeping on the streets.
I have been reading up on the Workhouse System. It had a terrible reputation but at least something existed, now nothing like it exists. Councils seem to haphazardly direct people into awfiul B&Bs. In the end Workhouses became places for the elderly and mentally ill and they were closed. The very poor homeless submitted themselves to the Workhouse who set them to work and the products they made helped to pay for the staff and food.
Why cant we have more modern buildings provided locally where the homeless can go and get themselves straight? The Sally Army do a great job locally. I know some of them, but its so often full. Reading Council are providing a few new factory built modular homes at Caversham for families but of course its not enough. Time to take a more systematic approach to homelessness. This needs to become more of an issue for governments to act.

Al

[old_windbag]

The workhouse is always used by people today as some sort of place of torture for the poor. How could they treat people so. The reality was that the victorians were progressive by the standards of the day. I think britain changed much for the better from the start of victorias reign to its end. The workhouses were at the foundation of infirmaries that led to the hospitals we have today. By our standards workhouses seem cruel but there was good intention meanvt by the victorians and people did receive daily food and care. I think we've lost that foresight to progress us, modern politicians have not the intellect nor will to look at new ideas, especially if it costs money.

[reohn2]

Over the past seven years homelessness has doubled,as cuts council budgets from central government have steadily reduced, caused by the banking crash and subsiquent government bail out,whilst the most well off in our society have been been the receipients of the biggest tax cuts.
The latest budget saw the lowest earning tax payer receive a £70 cut in tax per annum,whilst the higher earners received £270 tax cuts
There's something not quite right somewhere

I ask myself why people need to take drugs such as Spice and drink cheap gut rot cider?
Then I look at what they have to put up with on a daily basis,and I'm not surprised they need something to dull the edge of such a life on the streets.
And I also ask myself which came first,living on the streets or the drink and drugs?
There's also been a significant rise in people suffering mental health issues in recent years causing an increase burden on the NHS.
There's something wrong somewhere.

There are foreign nationals being allowed to by up whole apartment blocks in the most densely populated and hence most expensive area of the country,then left empty whilst their owners some of whom have never set foot in the UK wait for their investment to optimise.
There's something wrong somewhere.

There are building companies buying land and sitting on it until they can maximise the profit when they build on it.
There's something wrong somewhere.

Private landlords can charge whatever they wish for their properties,knowing they will be paid by overburdened councils with tenents on housing benefit.
There's something wrong somewhere.

Some people who wish to work full time can't get full time work due to zero hours contracts,and some people who do work full time need to go to food banks to suppliment their income.
There's something wrong somewhere.

I've been riding around the Cheshire lanes all my cycling life,50+years,its only in the last 10 years have I ever seen so many £3+ million mansions being built.

It's often said that you can judge a society on how it treats it's poor.
There's something wrong somewhere.

[Vorpal]

The workhouse is always used by people today as some sort of place of torture for the poor. How could they treat people so. The reality was that the victorians were progressive by the standards of the day. I think britain changed much for the better from the start of victorias reign to its end. The workhouses were at the foundation of infirmaries that led to the hospitals we have today. By our standards workhouses seem cruel but there was good intention meanvt by the victorians and people did receive daily food and care. I think we've lost that foresight to progress us, modern politicians have not the intellect nor will to look at new ideas, especially if it costs money.

The concept isn't all bad, but saying that Victorians were progressive for creating the workhouse, is a bit like saying someone is a nice person because they stopped beating their slave. Workhouses were another way for the priveleged to exploit the poor. And they began long before the Victorian period. The New Poor Law of 1834 basically required people without means, to live in workhouses, by refusing / discouraging 'relief' to poor people who wouldn't use them. Of course some (many) authorities used this to make profits off the inmates. The conditions were deliberately harsh on the basis that is should discourage people from becoming poor enough to need them

The only reason they were converted to hospitals is that in the early 20th century, they were overwhelmed with the elderly and ill because they had nowhere else to go.

[al_yrpal]

Over the past seven years homelessness has doubled,as cuts council budgets from central government have steadily reduced, caused by the banking crash and subsiquent government bail out,whilst the most well off in our society have been been the receipients of the biggest tax cuts.
The latest budget saw the lowest earning tax payer receive a £70 cut in tax per annum,whilst the higher earners received £270 tax cuts
There's something not quite right somewhere

You never mentioned higher earners pension contributions which are presently taxed at very favourable rates

I ask myself why people need to take drugs such as Spice and drink cheap gut rot cider?
Then I look at what they have to put up with on a daily basis,and I'm not surprised they need something to dull the edge of such a life on the streets.
And I also ask myself which came first,living on the streets or the drink and drugs?
There's also been a significant rise in people suffering mental health issues in recent years causing an increase burden on the NHS.
There's something wrong somewhere.

Drink and drugs are the reason they ended up on the streets having talked to many of them, not the other way sround

There are foreign nationals being allowed to by up whole apartment blocks in the most densely populated and hence most expensive area of the country,then left empty whilst their owners some of whom have never set foot in the UK wait for their investment to optimise.
There's something wrong somewhere.

Agree

There are building companies buying land and sitting on it until they can maximise the profit when they build on it.
There's something wrong somewhere.

I think these people will be tackled

Private landlords can charge whatever they wish for their properties,knowing they will be paid by overburdened councils with tenents on housing benefit.
There's something wrong somewhere.

They cant charge what they want, thats not true, there are limits

Some people who wish to work full time can't get full time work due to zero hours contracts,and some people who do work full time need to go to food banks to suppliment their income.
There's something wrong somewhere.

Not around here, a lot of food bank attendees are there because of slow payment of benefits. Nurses - what sort of nurses? Single Mum Auxiliaries perhaps?

I've been riding around the Cheshire lanes all my cycling life,50+years,its only in the last 10 years have I ever seen so many £3+ million mansions being built.

Football money, few being built here and they cant sell existing ones

It's often said that you can judge a society on how it treats it's poor.
There's something wrong somewhere.

Nothing that cant be fixed with a bit of will and imagination

Al

[reohn2]

Over the past seven years homelessness has doubled,as cuts council budgets from central government have steadily reduced, caused by the banking crash and subsiquent government bail out,whilst the most well off in our society have been been the receipients of the biggest tax cuts.
The latest budget saw the lowest earning tax payer receive a £70 cut in tax per annum,whilst the higher earners received £270 tax cuts
There's something not quite right somewhere

You never mentioned higher earners pension contributions which are presently taxed at very favourable rates
Sorry
I ask myself why people need to take drugs such as Spice and drink cheap gut rot cider?
Then I look at what they have to put up with on a daily basis,and I'm not surprised they need something to dull the edge of such a life on the streets.
And I also ask myself which came first,living on the streets or the drink and drugs?
There's also been a significant rise in people suffering mental health issues in recent years causing an increase burden on the NHS.
There's something wrong somewhere.

Drink and drugs are the reason they ended up on the streets having talked to many of them, not the other way sround
Is that all homeless peoples?
And the increase in the burden on the NHS as a result?

There are foreign nationals being allowed to by up whole apartment blocks in the most densely populated and hence most expensive area of the country,then left empty whilst their owners some of whom have never set foot in the UK wait for their investment to optimise.
There's something wrong somewhere.

Agree

There are building companies buying land and sitting on it until they can maximise the profit when they build on it.
There's something wrong somewhere.

I think these people will be tackled
When?

Private landlords can charge whatever they wish for their properties,knowing they will be paid by overburdened councils with tenents on housing benefit.
There's something wrong somewhere.

They cant charge what they want, thats not true, there are limits
Of course there's bound to be limits,currently in Leigh my local town a two bed terraced house is £450 to £500 per month to rent,not what you'd call a bargain on minimum wage.

Some people who wish to work full time can't get full time work due to zero hours contracts,and some people who do work full time need to go to food banks to suppliment their income.
There's something wrong somewhere.

Not around here, a lot of food bank attendees are there because of slow payment of benefits. Nurses - what sort of nurses? Single Mum Auxiliaries perhaps?
Did I mention nurses?
We have a government wishing to only pay benefits after SIX WEEKS,or you can maybe borrow some and pay it back hen you get your benefit in SIX WEEKS?! [ /b]

I've been riding around the Cheshire lanes all my cycling life,50+years,its only in the last 10 years have I ever seen so many £3+ million mansions being built.

Football money, few being built here and they cant sell existing ones

[b]It doesn't really matter what the people having them built do for a living,what matters is they're being built at an alarming rate whilst people live on the streets in local towns and cities because theres no provision being made for them due to tax cuts for the richest in society! That's the point and meanwhile buildings stand empty in those same towns and cities.


It's often said that you can judge a society on how it treats it's poor.
There's something wrong somewhere.

Nothing that cant be fixed with a bit of will and imagination

Al

But it isnt being fixed due to the current crop of millionaires in charge lacking that will and imagination,because of their concern being only for the rich!