TimofDeath

I hope the cops do go on strike. I supported the Prison Officers when they did it and I'd support the cops too. Why shouldn't they have the same rights as workers?

I agree. You clearly know absolutely nothing about asylum seekers.

The council at Howden House have a list of private landlords who will take "DSS" tenants. Also, if your landlord/agent is not going to perform income and credit checks on you they never have to know that the rent is coming from benefits.

The most important problem is around your friend's security of tenure. Your friend is lucky (compared to most tenants, anyway) and currently has very good security of tenure as her tenancy is pre-1988. I'd need to see the tenancy agreement to be sure of exactly what her rights are now but the new tenancy will almost certainly be less secure, perhaps far less secure. Most private tenancies since the Housing Act 1988 (as amended by the Housing Act 1996) will be Assured Shorthold tenancies, which allow the landlord to seek posession after the contractual period (if there is no contractual period, after 6 months) without any grounds. If your friend was a client of mine I would advise her to refuse her landlord's request unless she sees any advantage in moving to this other property and the landlord is offering a similarly secure tenancy. I'm working from memory here, my books are at work, so I'd advise your friend to call Shelter's housing advice helpline on 0808 800 4444 to find out exactly what her rights are and what her landlord can and can't do. This won't cost her anything and I'd advise that she has a copy of her tenancy agreement to hand in case they want her to read parts of it out to them.

What tenancy do they have now? How long have they had it? Is anyone else going to be living at the new property?

Also working in this sector, I can confirm this to some extent. It is a pretty fair system, the only downfalls are that there aren't enough houses and that staff making the system work are too few and too underpaid, undermotivated and undertrained. The fundamental problems with Council housing are political ones in my opinion.

I saw the sign for "Apartments from £55,000" on the side of one of the buildings in the CIQ as I was going past in a car... I didn't have time to take the number down. Has anyone been to see these apartments? Are they worth investigating further?

I think people "speaking out" is exactly what's happened to get the article in the 'Eye in the first place.

There is no "Education Unit" mentioned in the article, and since you have no evidence, I don't think it's wise to go spreading people's names across the internet. The people who run this may board come under threat of legal action if you continue, which would result in us being banned from discussing this at all.

I read about 3 posts of this thread and then decided to leave. What lovely attitudes we have in Sheffield.

Please check your facts, I urge you. I suspect that you don't know the facts. No-one does, except those who were there.

I think that it's quite clear when you actually read the article that the 'Eye knows what it's talking about on this one. There's a clear timeline for the sequence of events, it's not just been thrown together.

I don't think this points to a grand conspiracy, more a group of people who do whatever the hell they want and seem to be getting away with it.

Mr. 13, I agree with Longcol in that I hardly think that PE had "bigger fish to fry" than the kinds of story you're talking about, it sounds to me like those stories did not hold enough water when you look at how small this one is in comparison. Longcol - "short of decent copy"? If my Local Authority has people working for it who are (allegedly) prepared to defraud a charity (and let's be clear, steal from disturbed and deprived children) and others further up the line who are prepared to cover it up then I certainly want to know about it! Sure, the story may have been "doing the rounds for 3 years", but rumours that are just rumours have a habit of dying off... like you, I'm sure we'd all like to believe that SCC wouldn't do this, but they haven't mounted any defence so far... There has been no injunction, denial, press release or legal action as yet... tacit admission of guilt, anyone?

What would you plan to do with any evidence, Mr. 13?