Cost of Living Crisis

[strichener]

1 minute ago, Dawson Park Boy said:

Tell me.

Is it possible for landlords to get their tenants to mandate the council to pay the HB to them as that would give security to the landlord that he would at least get the HB portion of the rent?

Seem to recall that there was a change of the rules a few years ago.

No but it is possible for the recipient to request that they are not paid it directly.

[Billy Jean King]

Tell me.
Is it possible for landlords to get their tenants to mandate the council to pay the HB to them as that would give security to the landlord that he would at least get the HB portion of the rent?
Seem to recall that there was a change of the rules a few years ago.

Yes it can be paid to the landlord direct but it's not the default position.

[Granny Danger]

Looks like the ‘triple lock’ which was suspended this year will be reintroduced to help the poor pensioners shore up the Tory vote.

[Salt n Vinegar]

5 hours ago, Billy Jean King said:

Yes it can be paid to the landlord direct but it's not the default position.

My recollection is that the default position is/was to pay the HB to the tenant - something about placing more responsibility on them to learn how to budget. I thought that it was only in cases where the tenant was judged to be incapable of managing their affairs that it would go direct to the landlord.  A pal of mine who worked in the HB system said that landlords were kicking off because tenants were spending HB on booze, fags and bookies* and running up big arrears, and taking ages to evict. It certainly caused LLs more work as they has the problem of chasing tenants for cash. 

(*Other stereotypes are available.) 

[BFTD]

8 hours ago, Salt n Vinegar said:

My recollection is that the default position is/was to pay the HB to the tenant - something about placing more responsibility on them to learn how to budget. I thought that it was only in cases where the tenant was judged to be incapable of managing their affairs that it would go direct to the landlord.  A pal of mine who worked in the HB system said that landlords were kicking off because tenants were spending HB on booze, fags and bookies* and running up big arrears, and taking ages to evict. It certainly caused LLs more work as they has the problem of chasing tenants for cash. 

(*Other stereotypes are available.) 

You forgot the inevitable Sky and flat-screen televisions. 

Sounds a right laugh being long-term unemployed. Surprised more of the folk who complain don't give it a go, considering they like to claim they'd be better off doing that than working.

[Benjamin_Nevis]

7 hours ago, Salt n Vinegar said:

My recollection is that the default position is/was to pay the HB to the tenant - something about placing more responsibility on them to learn how to budget. I thought that it was only in cases where the tenant was judged to be incapable of managing their affairs that it would go direct to the landlord.  A pal of mine who worked in the HB system said that landlords were kicking off because tenants were spending HB on booze, fags and bookies* and running up big arrears, and taking ages to evict. It certainly caused LLs more work as they has the problem of chasing tenants for cash. 

(*Other stereotypes are available.) 

The vast majority of folk that are still on HB here tend to have their rent paid direct to landlord. Housing Costs within Universal Credit tend to have a lower percentage of folk having HC paid direct to landlord for a variety of reasons - locked out of journals, not knowing how to actually set it up, and simply being monumentally skint as a result of having to claim UC and suffer the 5 week waiting period.

There are very, very few that simply decide to take the HC and rubber the rent, only really happens in my experience when they've been about to go into a bankruptcy so there's absolutely no point in chucking a few hundred quid at a massive debt that's about to be written off anyway. 

[DA Baracus]

15 hours ago, Bairnardo said:

The govt should make it so that if you own a second home for BTL, it gets managed at all times by the local authority and you get the rent based on the value of the house or how many bedrooms or whatever. Maybe on like a 10 year lease or something.

That way people can have their "investment" and the local authority get a stock of houses to assign as they see fit.

That way voluntary renters get a fair deal based on a defined cost criteria, and those in need get the security of knowing they will get a home and won't get moved for a good few years.

Maybe even a mandatory sale to the local authority if you decide to sell it.

What are 'voluntary renters'?

[Bairnardo]

3 hours ago, DA Baracus said:

What are 'voluntary renters'?

Folk who could maybe afford to buy a house but for reasons of their own, prefer not to, and prefer what the rental market offers. 

[Duries Air Freshener]

4 minutes ago, Bairnardo said:

Folk who could maybe afford to buy a house but for reasons of their own, prefer not to, and prefer what the rental market offers. 

I know quite a few people like that.  They see it as less stress in terms of repairs.

Can see their point.

[Dan Steele]

Hand back your pension rise if you don't need it. The Tories are well and truly in "taking the piss" mode now. 

[RH33]

On 22/06/2022 at 08:08, Billy Jean King said:

Empty "unused" houses are a huge issue. It wasn't a kick off 50k in Scotland at the last count despite every LA having empty homes officers whose purpose is to try to engage with owners (often deciphering ownership is the main issue) to get these properties back into occupied use. It's incredible that a house just lies unoccupied and in most cases unmaintained when we have a housing crisis.

We first bought a flat on an estate in paisley in 2004, my ex husband sold the house we moved too in same estate last year. In the interim a house in the estate was never lived in, never saw anyone tending to it. 

[scottsdad]

Here's the think that the government and media do not get. Barristers and many other professions have had their wages frozen/cut since 2010. When professionals look at what their pay should be had it kept up with inflation, versus what they actually get, they are naturally pissed off. So the starting point if a feeling of grievance.

Now with inflation expected to hit 11%, and pay rises being offered in the 3% range, the issue is exacerbated. 

Do the government care? No. Just keep telling folk that barristers, doctors, head teachers, train drivers etc. are "well paid", as code for they should shut up and go back to work. 

[vikingTON]

1 hour ago, scottsdad said:

Here's the think that the government and media do not get. Barristers and many other professions have had their wages frozen/cut since 2010. When professionals look at what their pay should be had it kept up with inflation, versus what they actually get, they are naturally pissed off. So the starting point if a feeling of grievance.

Can you provide a list of posts - excluding the lazy 'bankers' retort - that have seen pay keep up with inflation since 2010?

It was called a decade of austerity for a reason.

Edited June 27, 2022 by vikingTON

[Left Back]

14 minutes ago, virginton said:

Can you provide a list of posts - excluding the lazy 'bankers' retort - that have seen pay keep up with inflation since 2010?

It was called a decade of austerity for a reason.

MP’s

https://fullfact.org/online/public-sector-salaries/

[Clown Job]

 

[DA Baracus]

Aren't the barristers striking over cuts to Legal Aid?

[Left Back]

3 minutes ago, DA Baracus said:

Aren't the barristers striking over cuts to Legal Aid?

They are.  Legal Aid is what they actually get paid though.

[vikingTON]

19 minutes ago, DA Baracus said:

Aren't the barristers striking over cuts to Legal Aid?

No, they're striking over the terms of a pay increase. The most significant Legal Aid cuts began years ago with nowhere near as much protest and no strike action from barristers.

So while they're absolutely right to argue that Legal Aid is circling the drain and needs a huge amount of extra funding, they're not quite the heroic martyrs for the downtrodden they're claiming to be. 

[Jacksgranda]

2 minutes ago, Snafu said:

Found this on youtube - first time I've seen this.

Starting to like Mick Lynch he doesn't mess around with bullshit and gets straight to the point.

Kay Burley is embarrassing, trying far too hard to make those on the picket lines look like thugs. The MSM do not like us the peasants having any say or any rights to protest.

 

They should thank their lucky stars we're not French - Kings Cross would be a smouldering pile by now if we were.

[Benjamin_Nevis]

Found this on youtube - first time I've seen this.
Starting to like Mick Lynch he doesn't mess around with bullshit and gets straight to the point.
Kay Burley is embarrassing, trying far too hard to make those on the picket lines look like thugs. The MSM do not like us the peasants having any say or any rights to protest.
 

Whatever your views on the strike, the clear contempt Lynch has for utter morons like Burley, Madelyn and Morgan is pleasing to see. They're not used to interviewing folk who won't just sit and take their right wing populist shite. Google his interviews with Madeley and his airhead sidekick, basically "I agree you absolutely have a right to strike, could you not just have a less effective one?" [emoji23][emoji23][emoji23]