Is there too much social housing in the UK?

[Yahoo Answers Sux]

I think there is. It creates two markets for homes in the UK. One group leeches of the government and pays cheap rent. Private rents therefore are artificially high due to constricted supply.

[vambo number five]

What a wonderfully simple world you must live in! No, there isn't enough.

[Deepak Innit]

Yes. But its down to the make up of the people of the country. Far to many people are content to go on the take and contribute nothing, and Labour just throws it at them, while the decent hardworking man picks up the tab.

[joan k]

Yes and I for one am sick of subsidising these people.

[RichB]

Haven't you got it ar*e-about-face? Surely if a bigger section of the population are renting off HM Govt, that means there's less DEMAND for private housing, thus rents go down. Private rents are highest in places like London, where the supply of social housing (compared to demand) is lowest.

There's a similar situation with private schools. In areas of Britain with a large number of good state schools, demand for private schools is less, and thus private school fees are lower than in areas where there are fewer decent state schools.

[kew]

ive been thinking. oh dear you might say. but brown says more housing. build more . build more. these social housing places, flats etc. aint cheap but everyone gets housing subsidies. landlords bung up the rent. tenants claim for it. they get housing allowance. we taxpayers are paying for the rich bastards ie the developer to get richer. this is exactly what the labour voters say the tories do. am i making sense cos im still tryin to work this one out so please bear with me. yes there is too much social housing. who helps me pay my mortgage? no one. i work to pay it

[Natty-Lea]

Actually there isn't enough. There are many empty homes in the UK but they are empty because nobody can afford to buy or rent them as they are owned by greedy people who are only interested in lining their own pockets. The Council home waiting lists are huge, with people waiting for many years for a small affordable place to live. The government should put a limit on the amount of homes that one person can own in the UK as the island is already vastly overpopulated, there is no good excuse for any individual to own more than one house. :-)

[Misunderstoodrainstorm267]

You don't actually have one section 'leeching off the government and paying cheap rent' because private rents are so high tenants are likely to be subsidised by housing benefit anyway even if they are working. Where I live a three bedroom social housing property is about £100 a week, the housing benefit allowed for a private rental of the same size is between £288 and £485 a week. The taxpayers' money here goes to line the pockets of the private landlord where benefit has to be paid, surely social housing is much better value.

[geronimo]

I believe i have heard this argument before,it usually comes from a person or persons who are quite well off,living in idyllic housing conditions,somewhere in a nice small village where the local residents are led by a retired ,general,colonel,or major living on a nice fat pension and resists all attempts to have affordable housing built for the poor sods born in the village because the well off move in and force the prices above what the locals can afford.
Perhaps you people who think all social housing dwellers are living off the social benefits should consider that these workers are the steel mill operators,bus drivers,miners,policemen and women,road sweepers, ambulancemen and women,nurses,in fact all the people we rely on to keep the country working,i notice you do not include the royal family who are the biggest spongers this country has ever seen.
A very good friend of my fathers lived in a very nice small village which originally served only farm workers and farm labourers,my fathers friend was appalled at the young people having been born in the village having to move out due to the lack of sensibly priced housing,he offered to build twelve pairs of cottages for a reasonable rent or rental purchase,you would not belive the vitriolic response from the high flying newcomers who were responsible for this situation,they raised thousands of pounds to challenge his idea and fought it all the way,and with the help of the so called council eventually the man had to admit defeat and the idea was scuppered,you were obviously a supporter of this group

[Uncle Joe]

Au contraire, there is too little public housing. Private rents are high because of an endemic shortage of housing of all kinds.