�50,000 for council tenants who behave

[AB Asks]

Extreme proposals by the Conservatives will cause outrage. They are suggesting that council tenants who behave for five years in their property could receive as much as �50,000 to help them buy their home. The move is hoped to transform inner city neighbourhoods into a place of pride and ownership. There is concern about handing over money however, as it is taxpayers who will foot the bill. Also there are concerns over the anger felt by some who do not 'qualify' for council housing. What do you think? Could this transform neighbourhoods? Or is it going to anger the people who struggle on a monthly basis to pay for their own house without relying on the council?

[Reverandfunk]

is there a link to the Daily Mail? lol

[bigsister]

Good idea! Although I think �50,000 is too much. I'd be happy with a year free of council tax for every year I behaved. Here's hoping.

[gina32]

so what happens to those who have worked hard to afford our own homes, what do we get? i pay more than enough council tax without having to pay more for people who behave

[indieanna86]

Do they give up to 50,000 for every 5 years of good behaviour? If so my family could have paid for a 250 grand house by now! My parents have lived in our council house for 26 years, in a nice quiet street where everyone is lovely. My mum works very hard and has 2 jobs, my dad has agoraphobia and can't work. They still can't afford to pay the rent and bills, so I pay the rent for them.

A lot of people think that if you have a council house, you must be a lazy, no good scrounger with a drug habit or 15 kids and I'll admit most are, but its not always the case.

I can't deny that being given money to help buy our house would be great, but I would feel very guilty accepting it because we've done nothing out of the ordinary to deserve it.

[China Doll]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles /news/news.html?in_article_id=479788&in_page_i d=1770

[Reverandfunk]

Typical Tory rubbish, its easy to make these sensational policies when your not in power.

Will never happen.

[vehelpfulguy]

>A lot of people think that if you have a council house, you must be a lazy, no good scrounger with a drug habit or 15 kids and I'll admit most are,

MOST ?

I do not live in a council house but surely you cannot say MOST are scroungers, with a drug habit or 15 kids.

Maybe SOME but not MOST.

[Gwennie]

drugs and 15 kids? actually that seems to be the norm down my road, with a few exceptions of course. the �50k thing will never happen, its just a way to get voters.

[gina32]

my parent have lived in a council place for well over 50 years, they brought up 4 kids and none of us are lazy, scrougers, have a drug habit or any other negative issues, i take exception to that comment

[NJOK]

Once you've finished the usual bleating ('What about me? Why do these people get money when I've worked my fingers to the bone for XX years etc etc?') then have a sit down and maybe think about the reasons behind the plan.

The idea is that by helping people on council estates to own their own homes, they'll have more pride in where they live and we won't end up with ghettos. You know ghettos? The places where squalor, crime and drugs (the very things you moan about every other day of the week on AB) escalate out of control and into society.

Feel free to disagree with the Tories - god knows, I do - but do it for the right reasons. Rather than the usual knee-jerk 'me, me, me' mentality.

[indieanna86]

Whoa! Hold up people! I've lived in a council house since the day I was born, 21 years ago, and live on an estate where 90% of homes are council owned. I'm lucky enough to live in a nice street, with decent people, but I'm afraid most other people on the estate are lazy scroungers, alot of them have drug habits and alot of them have large families. Its on an opinion, its a fact.

I didn't say that everyone who lives in a council house is scum or anything, I'm not, my neighbours aren't. I think if anyone has a good idea of what its like to live on a council estate its someone who's lived on one their entire life.

[gina32]

i liveed in a council house for many years i have since had several homes of my own, why am i so different to a few others that have been brought up on a council estate?

[China Doll]

Perhaps you're not Gina. Perhaps people are just stereotyping?

I mean obviously all council estates are overrun with drug dealing parents with 20+ kids who live off the dole while raising dangerous dogs that they can sell while they do a few jobs cash in hand so that they can afford flash cars and make more by being a scrounger than those that work a good honest day. All the women wear giant gold hoop earrings and the men all wear caps.

Everyone knows that.

Don't they?

[I.Don No]

Although not for good behaviour, council tenants already receive a discount towards buying their council house commensurate with the number of years they have paid rent on the house.....so as usual a politician is talking rubbish...no change there then!

[kwicky]

Some tenants have been paying rent for over 40 years and reaching retirement. They should be given the house for free!

[jenateaj]

That is the most STUPID!!!!!! thing i have ever heard!!!!! what about people who have been good their whole life, have always paid their taxes, have a job, dont rely on taxpayers to pay for their kids, bills and rent amoung other things? its a complete load of crock! personally i think people who are on benefits should have to do a minimum of 20 hours voluntary work a week cleaning up their neighbourhood, like getting graffitti of the walls and picking up litter helping in community projects so theyre contributing to the nation rather than slurping up tax payers money and giving little in return. ANOTHER THING! i swear the government have it in for my generation, uni top up fees for one! making me pay bloody council tax even though im a student on less than �70 a week, and now theyre making it uber hard for first time buyers and yet someone who doesnt contribute a lot to the world pretty much gets a house bought for them! grah! i know am being completely unreasonable but need a good rant, walked through a council estate the yesterday and some bloke tried to wee on me from his balcony! i want a balcony! i pay �325 per month not inc bills to live in a tiny room in a shared house sharing bathroom kitchen evrything! with 4 other people! and its still a half hour walk from uni!