Partyboy wrote:
Not meaning to sound mean but maybe if the people living in these houses took better care of them this wouldn't be a problem. Im not saying everyone is the same but there does seem to be a distinct lack of respect for the council property near me. The houses are modern but look scruffy due to neglect. It's not hard adding a lick of paint or doing general repairs to guttering people! Just because you dont own it, doesn't make it someone else's problem. It is a privilege living there, not a right!

Anonymous wrote:
To the elitist complaining commenters: this story just appeared on the site. It is an afternoon and a weekday. Now, why aren't you at work?

Anonymous wrote:
To the elitist complaining commenters: this story just appeared on the site. It is an afternoon and a weekday. Now, why aren't you at work?

Peter Pantsless wrote:
<b> "elitist" i take that as a compliment, cheers!

oh and by the way, sitting at my desk in my office, at work.

just one more thing, if the complaining council tennents went to work then their wouldnt be a story here would there!</b>

devil's Advocate wrote:
Here we go again! Just good natured banter eh? You really love to ram it up people worse off than yourselves don't you? Yes there are a high proportion of no-lives in council houses, but you talk about the tenants doing it themselves? Perhaps you could spare some time from your busy "office work?"(gazing at the wally/gherkin) to point out how this lady is going to deal with the dampness in her house, more especially if it is rising! Of course, I don't doubt that most of you could just throw money at it to fix it, but, being as you put most "working people" out of collar, took their money for the iron gates on your property and the two Mercedes in your twin garage, put Maggie in power and created the "independent" woman with her Quickie divorces, you must take some of this responsibility on yourselves! Perhaps the government should think about grants for some of the poorest of these people and purchase detached houses in better off areas like say, Thorpe Farm (Bay). This would allow some of these people to learn how nice life could be sharing your housing Estates!

Anonymous wrote:
To the elitist complaining commenters: this story just appeared on the site. It is an afternoon and a weekday. Now, why aren't you at work?

sam wrote:
i love reading all these comments your all amazing nothing like a good banter to get everyone on thier high horse

Bob wrote:
Partyboy, you really are a self rightous arrogant moribund hemaphrodite.. When the credit crunch really hits you ,and you cant afford your mortage payments on your flash studio flat ..your employer sacks you ,because the company has gone bankrupt... you'll have to go grovelling to the council for a room in a hostel . Welcome to the real world..you vag.

Anonymous wrote:
To the elitist complaining commenters: this story just appeared on the site. It is an afternoon and a weekday. Now, why aren\'t you at work?

Silky wrote:
As someone who was employed as a building surveyor by a local authority for a number of years I do know a little about this kind of situation. First of all, most older tenants, and I stress most, were fine but some of the younger ones were awful. Some, and I stress some, single mums with dreadful aggressive boyfriends who would destroy everything they were given then disappear. Doors smashed and kitchen units destroyed was normal routine. Most of the "damp" problems were, in fact, condensation caused by their refusal to take advice from those who know about these things, which is mainly caused by lack of ventilation. In other words, open your windows occasionally. I once had someone three floors up who swore he had rising damp because of the black mould on his bathroom wall. Needless to say his window hadn't been opened for years. Now you know where your council tax goes.

Bob wrote:
Partyboy, you really are a self rightous arrogant moribund hemaphrodite.. When the credit crunch really hits you ,and you cant afford your mortage payments on your flash studio flat ..your employer sacks you ,because the company has gone bankrupt... you'll have to go grovelling to the council for a room in a hostel . Welcome to the real world..you vag.

moribund hemaphrodite

Jack wrote:

Silky wrote: As someone who was employed as a building surveyor by a local authority for a number of years I do know a little about this kind of situation. First of all, most older tenants, and I stress most, were fine but some of the younger ones were awful. Some, and I stress some, single mums with dreadful aggressive boyfriends who would destroy everything they were given then disappear. Doors smashed and kitchen units destroyed was normal routine. Most of the "damp" problems were, in fact, condensation caused by their refusal to take advice from those who know about these things, which is mainly caused by lack of ventilation. In other words, open your windows occasionally. I once had someone three floors up who swore he had rising damp because of the black mould on his bathroom wall. Needless to say his window hadn't been opened for years. Now you know where your council tax goes.

If you are telling the truth then you should know that it's all paid for out of rental income, not Council Tax. Housing is run as a completely separate deparment to the rest of the Council and has to pay for itself. Seems more likely to me that you worked for an outside contractor as Council employees would know these things.

Bob wrote:
Partyboy, you really are a self rightous arrogant moribund hemaphrodite.. When the credit crunch really hits you ,and you cant afford your mortage payments on your flash studio flat ..your employer sacks you ,because the company has gone bankrupt... you'll have to go grovelling to the council for a room in a hostel . Welcome to the real world..you vag.

grillo The Clown wrote:
I take it that those of you who had part of their homes funded by the taxpayer are not taking this opportunity to look down on others? (MIRAS Tax relief anyone?) Or looking down on benefit scroungers while fiddling you tax return/expenses claims, or using the new NI loophole that nets you up to an extra £22 per month if your PAYE? Or moaning, while claiming a pension and free bus pass? (Both of which are funded by the present tax contribution) Maybe your claiming Child Tax Credits or Child Benefit? Remember the parable about houses built on sand. EvilC I know you live in the past, but the only people paying Rates are businesses, people pay Council Tax, Domestic rates were abolished in 1990?). I always understood that we live in a society, that means we all have different talents to offer to the wider community. Some people's contribution earns more monetary reward while others get a job with a greater sense of personal satisfaction. As for the people that are on the fiddle, I hope that they are all caught, prosecuted and sent to prison. But that has to include those people who fiddle taxes too, For example: Billions 'lost to tax avoidance' A special unit has been set up to tackle the problem About £10bn is being lost by the government each year to tax avoidance schemes, according to HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC). The figure is equal to almost 3p on the basic rate of income tax. In a bid to tackle the issue, the HMRC has set up a special unit that will investigate such schemes. But those accused of tax avoidance say they are doing nothing illegal and argue they are merely better at using the tax system than the HMRC is. BBC Two's The Money Programme reports that the owner of BHS, Philip Green, and his family saved themselves nearly £300m last year by living partly in Monaco, where residents do not have to pay income tax.

Kim Gandy wrote:

sam wrote: i love reading all these comments your all amazing nothing like a good banter to get everyone on thier high horse

...or knock 'em off it as the case may be, Sam. I would LOVE to see what would happen if all the people who regularly post here were to meet in a pub one night. I bet there'd be a few surprises in store. SOME people here have me down as a horrible harridan, yet others who know me know I'm just a pussycat and very nice really. On occasions when people who know of me have actually met and spoke to me, they are often surprised I don't have horns and a tail and am actually quite nice. Really! The Echo should organise such an event. Regular letters page writers should be invited too. What an interesting evening that would be!

Partyboy wrote:
Is that you Sherry or someone being a nob? Just to state tho, Not guilty if it isn't you.

Sherry wrote:

Partyboy wrote: Is that you Sherry or someone being a nob? Just to state tho, Not guilty if it isn't you.

Yes it's me, and all the things i was called on here ;(

evilc wrote:

Jack wrote:

Silky wrote: As someone who was employed as a building surveyor by a local authority for a number of years I do know a little about this kind of situation. First of all, most older tenants, and I stress most, were fine but some of the younger ones were awful. Some, and I stress some, single mums with dreadful aggressive boyfriends who would destroy everything they were given then disappear. Doors smashed and kitchen units destroyed was normal routine. Most of the "damp" problems were, in fact, condensation caused by their refusal to take advice from those who know about these things, which is mainly caused by lack of ventilation. In other words, open your windows occasionally. I once had someone three floors up who swore he had rising damp because of the black mould on his bathroom wall. Needless to say his window hadn't been opened for years. Now you know where your council tax goes.

If you are telling the truth then you should know that it's all paid for out of rental income, not Council Tax. Housing is run as a completely separate deparment to the rest of the Council and has to pay for itself. Seems more likely to me that you worked for an outside contractor as Council employees would know these things.

Council tenants hate to admit the truth !But who pays for the administration costs alone employing Council employees to work on the housing Dept Or is there some dividing line in an office that says 'Oh you cannot do that job because that is a Council tenants payment' I do not think so !! also who clears up all the crap left about by SOME parasites on these estates Oh am I imagining it when I see Council employees,paid for by us rate payers and non benefit takers. unlike private property estates whose tenants truly have to pay a annual maintenance fee AND IT IS AN AWFUL LOT AND KEEPS GOING UP!! Council Houses should be for the truly poor, the well off should be chucked out into private rentals market even if that means giving up their BMW's and Sky Television. Them some of these houses could be put to better use for low paid income groups, which was the original purpose of Council Housing. Having lived on an estate in younger years, everyone knew then and now who was taking the P155.

evilc wrote:

Jack wrote:

Silky wrote: As someone who was employed as a building surveyor by a local authority for a number of years I do know a little about this kind of situation. First of all, most older tenants, and I stress most, were fine but some of the younger ones were awful. Some, and I stress some, single mums with dreadful aggressive boyfriends who would destroy everything they were given then disappear. Doors smashed and kitchen units destroyed was normal routine. Most of the "damp" problems were, in fact, condensation caused by their refusal to take advice from those who know about these things, which is mainly caused by lack of ventilation. In other words, open your windows occasionally. I once had someone three floors up who swore he had rising damp because of the black mould on his bathroom wall. Needless to say his window hadn't been opened for years. Now you know where your council tax goes.

If you are telling the truth then you should know that it's all paid for out of rental income, not Council Tax. Housing is run as a completely separate deparment to the rest of the Council and has to pay for itself. Seems more likely to me that you worked for an outside contractor as Council employees would know these things.

Council tenants hate to admit the truth !But who pays for the administration costs alone employing Council employees to work on the housing Dept Or is there some dividing line in an office that says 'Oh you cannot do that job because that is a Council tenants payment' I do not think so !! also who clears up all the crap left about by SOME parasites on these estates Oh am I imagining it when I see Council employees,paid for by us rate payers and non benefit takers. unlike private property estates whose tenants truly have to pay a annual maintenance fee AND IT IS AN AWFUL LOT AND KEEPS GOING UP!! Council Houses should be for the truly poor, the well off should be chucked out into private rentals market even if that means giving up their BMW's and Sky Television. Them some of these houses could be put to better use for low paid income groups, which was the original purpose of Council Housing. Having lived on an estate in younger years, everyone knew then and now who was taking the P155.

Partyboy wrote:

Sherry wrote:

Partyboy wrote: Is that you Sherry or someone being a nob? Just to state tho, Not guilty if it isn't you.

Yes it's me, and all the things i was called on here ;(

You shouldn't take it to heart... Just look what Bob the Nob has called me above. Im sure these people wouldn't have the guts to call you these things to your face... Anyway, I think everyone meeting would be a laugh! Maybe Kim Gandy could be the cure to my insomnia ;) Only kidding Kim.

Partyboy wrote:
Well there's only a couple of hours to go, the sun is shining, get yourself outside a bar and enjoy it :)

Sherry wrote:

Partyboy wrote: Well there's only a couple of hours to go, the sun is shining, get yourself outside a bar and enjoy it :)

Yeah, it's a beautiful day :) I'm at Mayfair though :( thank god it's only until tomorrow.

Silky wrote:
I would disagree with those who post on here that everything to do with council house repairs is financed through rents. First of all, a surveyor visiting a property which has been damaged by a tenant or friends would inform that tenant they would be charged for the repairs. Usually answered by a shrug of the shoulders and a reply that they cannot pay because they are on Social Security benefits. The surveyor would then ask the housing department for a reference number which would give no clue as to how the repairs would be funded. The surveyor would then be tied down for some considerable time with all the requisite paper work. The question is, how is all of this eventually paid for and out of what incredibly complicated council budgeting structure does the money come from?

Jack wrote:
I agree she doesn't look like the sharpest tool in the box, and that wallpaper was obviously posed, but the Council have assessed there is genuine damp damage and they are not completely stupid (are they silky?). A little patch of mould or throwing a bucket of water around wouldn't fool anyone. Real damp is a genuine deep seated problem that needs fixing, especially if kids will be living there. But don't let the truth get in the way of your opinions. The real story here is that Southend's ALMO is failing dismally, as so many others are. ALMOs are the Governments latest cunning plan to privatise all rented housing. They promise money for improvements (which would come out of your taxes evilc etc) but it never actually happens, well often doesn't. And the money pot is getting smaller. The most likely prognosis seems to be that the housing will be returned to Council management, as many other are being. All just a big waste of time for everyone involved.

Iknowthe truth aboutthis tenant wrote:
Did this tenant accept the property as it was through a mutual exchange? How many tenants accept a property becase they want to move then complain? Looks like she stripped the wallpaper herself! South Essex Homes will get two stars this November asall the staff and decent residents are working very hard to provide the excellent srevietha the residents want! Obe One