I disagree, I think Thatcher selling off council houses was a wicked and exploitative thing which led to a housing shortage, homelessness and much misery
But then I think she was a wicked, evil woman in everything she did
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So you think the working classes should not have had the opportunity to buy their own homes Maree? And kept where they belong…?
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Trouble is Foxy … they’re supposed to be starter homes for young familes, or for people on low incomes … not to allow one tenant to buy their own cheap, cut rate housing.
Wouldn’t have been so bad but they were never replaced.
I believe about one million have been sold off … and never replaced.
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Of course not. The way for that to happen is to create good quality well paid jobs with term and conditions protected by law and strong unions, and a fair minimum wage, stopping exploitation by employers and shared ownership schemes
Not by selling off the council housing stock so there are no affordable rented homes any more, which pushes up the cost of private rental to the benefit of landlords who she protected with her Assured Shorthold Tenancy act creating misery and insecurity for those who couldn’t afford to buy
And not by selling the council housing stock off and not letting councils have the money to build new homes for those who needed them
The benefits of Right to Buy were uneven, they favoured the better off in council houses, not those in high rise flats
And again favoured the Boomers who bought up the councils houses and made a good profit, while depriving the next generation of reasonably priced rental accommodation and forcing them into grotty, expensive private rentals where they had no chance of saving for a mortgage because of the exploitative high rents
Thatcher created the housing crisis
And robbed local councils of their assets, essentially privatising the home rental market and not giving them a fare share if the profits from the sales to restock
Just another example of her dreadful legacy
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It’s best not to have Grandkids all round, if you ask me. 
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Aw, that’s mean, have you got any?
No, the buck stops here. 
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I think the councils shot themselves in the foot when they sold off most of their housing stock Maree. It was our local councils main source of income, now they have to rely on a lot of government handouts. I think it was better when counties were more self governing. Something that is indelibly etched on my mind is when all the school furniture was inscribed with ‘WRCC’ (West Riding County Council) Desks, chairs and anything else that was made of wood. Towns and villages were responsible for their schools then, and you went to the nearest school which was probably within walking distance. Unless you progressed to ‘Grammar School’ which was further afield. Not something that bothered me…But I digress…
I think I was probably referring to my Mum and Dad’s situation when I was discussing Maggie Thatcher. House prices were at an all time low and interest rates were high. Both Mum and Dad worked hard and saved, they were rewarded with large amounts of interest on their savings and it not only financed them with a new bungalow, but several foreign holidays a year just off the interest. Although they were offered the chance to purchase their council house they decided to buy a privately built property. The council house I was born in and lived until I was 21 and we moved to the bungalow in a small village and where I still live today, but not in their bungalow) was an airy type of pre-fab. Although sturdy, not worth spending money on.
Thanks to the cheap housing situation it wasn’t long before I got married and Mrs Fox and me could afford a deposit on our own bungalow. After 50 years we live in that same bungalow.
This was not isolated story, many people who lived on that council estate where I grew up, are now resident in this village. I attribute all these stories to Maggie Thatcher who made it possible for the working man/woman to buy and own their own property. Although I agree Maggie had her faults (what politician doesn’t) but I consider that they were the best times politically than any time before or since…
I know nurses and teachers and a Health Centre Practice Manager £50K+ p.a. who all live in “council houses”.
Very unfair isn’t it.
My sister once lived with a guy who was on 20k a year (20 years ago) , and had two pensions … just him and her in a three bedroom semi.
It might sound mean but they really should be checked, bank statements, investments, annual salary … and once they become fairly self sufficient, kicked out so others can benefit from the subsised rent.
I know it sounds mean.
I’m curious about why the fault lies with those who could work and afford to pay their way and buy houses etc, and not with those who do not work and have children they never could afford to bring up.
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Me too.
There was a time when council houses were for people who worked but could not afford to buy . Hardworking respectable people just not able to buy their own place .
They kept their houses clean and in good repair and paid their rent . Now it’s doesn’t seem quite the same .
I’m confused . … in what way Dex?
I have to say all Sue and I got was presents for when we got married. Mainly small useful thing for the house. Looking back on those times, actually walking into our first 2 bed and 1 reception room house where with outstretched hand almost touching opposite walls was the most exciting and memorable time ever. Being able to shut the front door and thinking it is all ours I can’t compare with anything else. All that saving and struggling to get enough money for a deposit was well worth it. Only lived there for about 2 years saving hard still we moved to a 3 bed semi detached house . Lived there for a few year until both my parents passed away and left enough money together with selling this house to move up once again to a 4 bed detached brand new purchased off the builders. Then early voluntary retirment saw us move yet again buying a bungalow and animal boarding establishment next move about 23 years later made enough money to sell up yet again and retire to the house we now have
I am only saying this to show how over time one can go up the housing ladder no matter how extremely hard to get on the first step to home ownership
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realspeed, your story is sort of typical, the hours and circumstances that drove us to contentment would require a massive thread offering, but, I respect you for one thing, and that is you sold up, and, you did not just move around the corner, you moved a couple of hundred miles south, that takes guts, unless that is where to hailed form originally.
It’s a great feeling when you get your first place realspeed! Yours sounds like ours. It was a tiny cottage which we rented from a village trust. It was a small front room with open fire. A tiny kitchen and bathroom completed the downstairs. Upstairs was the bedroom. That was it! My husband built a platform over the open stairs to store stuff when first baby arrived and we moved on when he was about 6 months old.
Just about everything in that cottage was secondhand apart from a brand new cooker which we got on interest free credit from the Electricity Board. We both worked and would come in at night, light the fire and in winter I had to keep my coat on while I cooked our evening meal. It was perishing cold. We had a long thin garden and we kept a few hens and grew potatoes and salad stuff. We had about 3.5 happy years there.
When we got married in 1967 we bought a two roomed flat in Aberdeen for £500. Shared toilet in the stairs. We stayed there for 3 years then sold the flat for £750. We bought a new 2 bedroom semi detached bungalow in the outskirts of Aberdeen for £4,300. My take home pay in those days was £19 for a five and a half day week. We are still in the same house to this day.
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Sounds like Mrs Fox and me Scot…Similar experience except in Doncaster…
No we always lived in Surrey so going to the west midlands near Cannock was a hugh jump. We looked for an animal boarding establishment virtually nation wide but asking prices limited us as well as getting a mortgage. So not only the move but also doing something we had very little knowledge of let alone business management. The kennels were run down to almost nothing building wise and few customers . This to the extent of only about 350 clients on the books. It took about. 7 years to get established as known new owners, and on a knife edge to keep going. So did extensive modernisation during that time with hardly a day off. It was a case of had to make it work or go under . When we sold we built the business up so much we had 5,000+ client on the books giving us enough money to retire on. The kennels were licenced for 116 dogs and 42 cats and told by the environmental inspector he was willing to increase the cat licence if we wanted. Great guy and ended up more of a friend. I could write a book on what was done to improve the place from new cat pens to converting a stable block to isolation section and grooming parlour. Adding alarms and security lighting to CCTV to rebuilding brick partition walls and new mesh fronts. That and more such as replacing dangerous electrical wiring and new paddock secure metal sectional fencing . At least all that hard graft put money into our pocket and not some lazy management or company
I take it all back what I said about you realspeed…
Well! Most of it…