Housing - or the lack of it.

[agedcitizen]

A friend in her late 70s has lived in private rented accommodation for over 25 years here in Kendal.
12 years in her current home, but is now required to vacate her present home as the property is required by the Landlord.
She had the foresight to see this day would arrive at some point , and so put her name down on the SLDC housing waiting list 5 years ago.

Having to move leaves her with 2 options:- To seek another private rented home, But this presents a problem as rents in town seem to be spiraling ever upwards , yet the amount of benefit assistance available on LHA is £20 a week less than she currently gets on Housing Benefit. Making most private rented properties unaffordable.

The second option would be to seek a Council / Housing Assn home, and with 5 years on the list this would seem to offer the best option . BUT the new "Cumbria Choice" system seems to favour those coming into the area , with little or no connection to Kendal, but if they can "claim" to be homeless they seem to be able to jump to the top of the queue

[Lifelong Experience]

Perhaps you should bring this situation to the attention of Tim Farron, and CC the letter to the SLDC liberal members - such as Peter Thornton.
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If you need to post pictures and links, go to: http://www.southlakeland.org.uk/forum/index

[Lifelong Experience]

Perhaps you should bring this situation to the attention of Tim Farron, and CC the letter to the SLDC liberal members - such as Peter Thornton.
_________________
If you need to post pictures and links, go to: http://www.southlakeland.org.uk/forum/index

[jeremybeetham]

I'm sorry but I have to disagree. There is plenty of housing in the South Lakes: because the housing available doesn't fall into your price bracket, it doesn't mean that we should SUBSIDIZE people of lesser means.

I am delighted that Tim Farron, our local Member of Parliament, refuses to do anything about this non-issue. Just imagine if our area was populated by chavs and general wasters? If the hard working immigrants in this area can afford housing, I'm pretty darn sure the locals can!

Bravo Tim! :

[agedcitizen]

Beware for you know not what is just around the corner, so try not to be so superior, for one day you too will be old, and your financial circumstances may not suit you as well as they seem to at present.
For no one knows what the future will bring.
As for subsidizing this lady, she worked full time until well into her 70s ,over 10 years more than most of her contemporaries , paying her way and contributing to the state bye way of taxes.
She has paid her dues and if anyone deserves to be "subsidized", it is her and people like her. who are not "Chavs or general wasters"
I don't know how long you have lived in "Our Area", but our MP has championed the need for low cost housing for local people since he was first elected to office, and you certainly don't come across as someone holding Liberal values.
As for "hard working immigrants", i have nothing but admiration for someone prepared to travel 1000s of miles, to seek work and a better life,in fact i have many amongst my friends, have worked along side them and even employed them , so if you were looking for me to defame them - you were wasting your time.

[Slevecedscrew]

Problem with recruiting people from Europe and wherever, is they probs wont be able to make the meetings. I live in Canada so Im lucky because the meetings are at like 3PM for me, but for them 7PM will be like 4 in the morning.

[zeeshan]

I don't know how long you have lived in "Our Area", but our MP has championed the need for low cost housing for local people since he was first elected to office, and you certainly don't come across as someone holding Liberal values.
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http://www.financeplanner.eu

[KendalSmithy]

Is this the beginning of a new age of Rachmanism? I'm beginning to think so. TV promoted the 'buy to let' market to a point where house values rocketed to a level which was way beyond the incomes of many first-time buyers, so the catch 22 situation is that they must rent, and from landlords who are there merely to exploit their situation. In my view that's neither fair nor right.
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Enjoy more frank, honest and lively local chat at www.kendalbuzz.biz

[timlike2013]

[Roysyboy]

I would guess that our critique has greater and not lesser means.

It is typical of those on greater means to argue that they "worked hard" to earn their money. But capitalism enriches those who live off the labour of others. The capitalist effectively steals from the worker.

Also, the highly-paid among wage-earners are being effectively bought-off by their capitalist pay-masters, the worst case being the bonus-receiving bankers, who are, technically, working-class!

The petty-bourgeois self-employed will radicalise either to the left or to the right in the current period of dire austerity. One must remember that the petty bourgeoisie was the social base of fascism in Nazi Germany.

[KendalSmithy]