would like your oppinions

there is not enough 3 bedroom council properties for families and some have to stay in 2 bedrooms with 3 and more children
do you think that people that are say living on their own or there is just 2 of them that they should move out of their 3 bedroom to something smaller so that the ones with families can have the bigger houses

i think the council should help people more into moving out of larger houses to something smaller give them money or help into smaller properties especially for the elderly. i think they should build retirement villages for the older people and have a warden on hand for them.i know there are these sheltered housing but a proper village. something i would like when i get old and if i am on my own, if i live that long. not got too long to go.

Interestingly enough, a letter from the council arrived this week addressed to my ex (who is no longer a tenant) asking if he would like to downsize to a smaller property. :huh:

would like your oppinions

there is not enough 3 bedroom council properties for families and some have to stay in 2 bedrooms with 3 and more children
do you think that people that are say living on their own or there is just 2 of them that they should move out of their 3 bedroom to something smaller so that the ones with families can have the bigger houses

i think the council should help people more into moving out of larger houses to something smaller give them money or help into smaller properties especially for the elderly. i think they should build retirement villages for the older people and have a warden on hand for them.i know there are these sheltered housing but a proper village. something i would like when i get old and if i am on my own, if i live that long. not got too long to go.

So, what your saying is ... when the children grow up and leave home, you think the council should force people out of their home that they have probably lived in for 20 + years? :loopy:

and when they get old, they should be forced to move away from lifelong friends, neighbours and family to live in a retirement village?:loopy:

I think your pln needs a re-think

what would be better is if the council would only give planning permission to builders who are building affordable 1st time buyer houses (2 bed). Theres loads of developments being errected around sheffield at the moment, but they all seem to be executive 3-4 bed detached. How are 1st time buyers expected to get on the property ladder?

Retirement villages aren't always all they are cracked up to be. There is one near me. The facilities are excellent, but there are underlying issues that mean living there isn't as great as some people would have you believe.

Getting onto the property ladder an be a nightmare, even houses around me are going for £70'000+, not a high price to some, but way beyond my means

so I have lived in my three bedroom for 30 odd years and brought up my children and personalised my home to my own taste and spent a lot of money in the process, and you suggest I move into a smaller house just so another family can move into my three bedroom, Have you seen the housing that the council offer, anything that is empty has been vandilised and the gardens ruined honestly do you think I want to move. I think it is a ridiculous idea.

It's an idea that seems feasible at first glance and ought to be winwin but in practice it isn't. As people have said, if you've lived in a place most of your life, and you can still cope with the accommodation and garden, why should you be forced to move. If you want to, that's a different matter.

I know someone who converted her 4 bed into two flats and got either a friend or her sister to live there with her which seemed a really good idea. But of course that wouldn't work for everyone, and the council wouldn't be in a position to do that either.

The truth of the matter is that most older people don't all want to live together in an aging community. You need a mix of ages to make a vibrant, enjoyable place to live. Unfortunately, from what I hear of a lot of council estates, far from offering to do a bit of gardening or help with shopping in bad weather, many youngsters just seem to want to make older people's lives a misery :(

The lack of 3 bedroom and larger council houses has been acknowledged for quite a long time now. There are lots of reasons why they are in short supply - right to buy has reduced the available numbers, and of course councils haven't been allowed to build any more to replace those sold. Housing Associations have been supported by successive governments as the alternative type of social housing.

Many older people struggle to manage in houses, but sometimes its better than any alternative they can get.
More of them would like to move but - nowadays they wouldn't want to live in a bedsit, or even a 1 bedroomed flat. Lots will have a pet, they are not allowed in most flats. Many elderly people enjoy gardening, etc. etc. Bungalows are expensive to build as they take up a lot of land, but they would be the preferred option for more and more elderly people - all the amenities and privacy of a house, but smaller and all on one level.

If it could be done like this - Mrs Smith, you've lived in this 3 bedroom house for 30 years, it costs a lot to heat, and its too much to manage now you can't get about so well. We'd like to offer you a 2 bedroomed bungalow, on the estate you live in, connected to the warden service if you wish. We will arrange and pay for all your removals, ensure your carpets and curtains are refitted, and make you an allowance for any costs you incur. You don't need to make a decision straight away, but you might like to think about it. I think people would certainly consider moving. As things stand at present, I'm not surprised they don't!

i got a letter for my ex husband who haven't been with for 3 years as well so don't know what council are doing lol

there is not enough 3 bedroom council properties for families and some have to stay in 2 bedrooms with 3 and more children


People should stop having so many bloody kids if they don't have the space or the finances to bring them up.

Mrs Smith, you've lived in this 3 bedroom house for 30 years, it costs a lot to heat, and its too much to manage now you can't get about so well. We'd like to offer you a 2 bedroomed bungalow, on the estate you live in, connected to the warden service if you wish. We will arrange and pay for all your removals, ensure your carpets and curtains are refitted, and make you an allowance for any costs you incur. You don't need to make a decision straight away, but you might like to think about it.

as quoted by macbeth

yes thats something that would be really good and one of the thing i was trying to get at.

The truth of the matter is that most older people don't all want to live together in an aging community. You need a mix of ages to make a vibrant, enjoyable place to live. Unfortunately, from what I hear of a lot of council estates, far from offering to do a bit of gardening or help with shopping in bad weather, many youngsters just seem to want to make older people's lives a misery :(

maybe some dont want to live together in a aging comunity
i dont believe you need a mixture of ages to make it an enjoyable place
if i didnt have a 15 year old son and was on my own i would prefer to live around older people than young families.
a lot of youngster do want to make the older peoples life a misery and not just older people they just want to make it miserable for just anyone

maybe some dont want to live together in a aging comunity

Ok then, maybe it's just me that doesn't want to live with a lot of other older people :D

i understand that a lot of people have made their homes nice and their gardens and i agree they dont want to move out into another council property and have to start from scratch again making things look nice
i dont think i would want to move out if i had got a nice garden and home that i had spent a lot of money on.if i couldnt cope with it due to ill health or being too old i would move into something smaller that i could manage with.
i think more older people would move if the council helped them more in doing so.

Yes - Council homes are part of the welfare state and everyone wanting one should be treated equally regardless of how many kids they have.

There are already far too many kids bred just to collect benefits and this would only encourage those least able to provide for them to have even more!

Yes - Council homes are part of the welfare state and everyone wanting one should be treated equally regardless of how many kids they have.

There are already far too many kids bred just to collect benefits and this would only encourage those least able to provide for them to have even more!

Whilst I agree there are a lot of chldren born to unsuitable and incompetent parents, the benefits issue is perhaps for a separate thread.

As I've explained on previous threads, social housing (council and housing association) is let on a basis of need as laid down by government - so a single person won't be given a 3 bedroomed house as they don't need one. As there is more demand than supply of houses, I can't see this changing, although a few years ago because there were 3 bedroomed houses in some areas that families didn't want - a single person or couple without children could get one. In the most desirable areas, the majority of houses have been bought. People who can't get council housing must consider housing association properties, as they are the only social housing being built. The downside for many is that they won't have the 'Right to Buy' from a housing association!

the council do give you extra points towards being rehoused, if you are downsizing.

however, 2-bed bungies are as rare as hen's teeth, across the city. there's shedloads of 1-beds, but they are horrendous small, and not very appealing, and not always in easily-reached areas (the terrain can be steep, and they can be a Looooong way from buses and trams). Also, if you need a carer, to sleep over, or rou need an extra aroom for relatives and friends to stop over, you're scuppered.

there is the upside, the convenience of moving into what might be a more manageable property,but the downsides are, as has been mentioned before, moving from a familiar area to an unfamiliar one, which can cause confusion and quite profound distress in someone with dementia, for example. There's the problem of moving away from family, friends, support networks.

It's not always a practical solution.

i got a letter for my ex husband who haven't been with for 3 years as well so don't know what council are doing lol

Ahh is he still down as a tenant somewhere in the deep dark archive of the council offices. Mine is.. :suspect:

Nice that they asked him if he wanted to move, what about me? :rolleyes:

The thing is, if someone who has lived in a 3-4 bed council house for 15-20 years, had a family, and now finds themselves in a big empty house... what help do they get from the council to move to a smaller house flat etc?? its not just the house, some peope spend a lot of money over the years on their council homes and gardens... what thanks do they get from the counci for looking after their homes and gardens???
To start again £££:loopy: some of the smaller houses my mother once looked at were absolutely awful and would have cost her £££££££ why should she pay?
She would be giving up a well-maintained well-decorated home and garden for a **it hole. IF i were to move to a smaller house when my kids grow up etc... what could i ask the council for... a smaller home with a garden.... i will always have dogs... i need to fence the new garden make it safe etc... who pays? it cost me £1.600 to fence this garden.... you get nothing back from the council if you look after your home.... just bills if you dont.... and lets face it even some of the work they do is crap... i replaced my bathroom and kitchen after the council put their new one in... awful.

the council do give you extra points towards being rehoused, if you are downsizing.

however, 2-bed bungies are as rare as hen's teeth, across the city. there's shedloads of 1-beds, but they are horrendous small, and not very appealing, and not always in easily-reached areas (the terrain can be steep, and they can be a Looooong way from buses and trams). Also, if you need a carer, to sleep over, or rou need an extra aroom for relatives and friends to stop over, you're scuppered.

I totally agree with you PT. As councils are not permitted in the normal run of things to build any new properties, I think the government should be pushing Housing Associations to build 2 bedroomed bungalows where people want to live, on accessible transport routes. I know in 10 or 20 years I'd probably be glad of one - but I don't fancy the idea of a poky flat! The bulk of council accommodation built for older people was considered fine in its day, but aspirations have changed in the last 30/40 years. Its the same for young families, they don't want to have to live with in-laws or in small flats as we had to do - but the reality is that demand for social housing is outstripping supply as house prices rise ever upwards!