One Rule for the Council Leader Another for 11,000 On Council Waiting List
If you read this article in the Daily Mail, you’ll understand the overwhelming sense of not playing fair, I got from seeing a report on this on the BBC London News tonight.
There’s an old phrase about justice not only having been done, but having seen to be done!
I of course don’t know the ins and outs of Liam Smith’s case, but having had housing difficulties many years ago, I can sympathise with those on the waiting list. If as the BBC says Mr. Smith earns enough to rent in the private sector, he should do the decent thing and stand aside for one of the less fortunate in his borough.
Property Prices In London
I was surprised to read this article in the Evening Standard.
Property prices may be flat elsewhere, but it seems they’re holding up in my part of London. Am I bothered?
Roof Clutter
This house is near to where I live.
Roof Clutter
There has been a lot of controversy about whether the solar panels they have installed should be allowed. You can just about see them. But surely the real eyesores are the television aerials, satellite dish and the overhead wires to bring in the phone lines!
Fuel Prices
After my stroke, I gave up driving and moved to a highly-insulated house in Dalston.
If you don’t like fuel costs, then move somewhere, where you don’t need a car and your house has affordable and efficient central heating.
I do all my shopping either on the Internet or by bus. I even go to IKEA on a bus and that is real fun!
Tax On Second Homes
There is a row brewing about the Council Tax on second homes in Devon. It’s reported here on the BBC.
I could afford to own a home in London and a cottage in the country. But for various reasons I wouldn’t. But if I did I can see no reason why I would get a Council Tax discount on my second home. After all in my view houses are to be lived in permanently, and as we have a shortage of homes in this country at all levels, by having two, you are depriving someone of a home. And that is indefensible.
If I need a break from London, I would much prefer to get on a train to say Liverpool and stay in a nice hotel. After all if your second home is worth £200,000, that money invested properly would pay for a lot of nights in good hotels, with a lot less hassle.
We Need More Duchesses!
The late Duke of Devonshire and his wife, who is now the Dowager Duchess have spent a lifetime turning Chatsworth into a commercial proposition. Some may argue that they were wrong, but surely the people who flock to the house in droves aren’t doing it because they hate it.
But I do like Matthew Parris’s tale in The Times today, where the current Duke is organising tours around the scaffolding, that clothes the House now, so that repairs can be performed.
It is a great idea, as when restorations are performed, the public should be encouraged to see the skills involved, especially, when taxpayers or lottery losers money is involved.
On a similar level, few would argue that the ViewTube at the Olympic Park has not been a success.
So let’s see more exhibitions, webcams and viewing galleries on major construction sites.
At least Network Rail put up a small exhibition at King’s Cross, but where is the information around the new CrossRail stations? It might be on the web, but many of those who might be interested probably don’t have a computer to hand.
Should High Earners Be Allowed Subsidised Housing?
I have always felt that houses should be used to provide the maximum number of individual dwellings.
For instance, I don’t believe that people should own two houses, that they keep for their personal use. But if they want to, then they should not get any reliefs on the second house. In the past I’ve owned and lived in two houses and it doesn’t have too much to recommend for itself. Some may claim it’s nice to live in London in the week and go to their cottage at the weekend, but do they ever realise that that cottage probably causes someone to not have a house. If you live in two houses, then the second house should be taxed to provide subsidised houses in the area.
Buying to let is different, as you are providing a service of housing for someone else. And if you are successful, then you pay tax on it.
But what really gets me is those, who live in Local Authority or Housing Association properties and earn enough money to either rent privately or even buy their own house. The case of the ex-Labour Minister, Frank Dobson, reported in the papers today is scandalous. He should be booted out forthwith, so that someone else, who needs it, can have the property!
All of these abuses should be tightened up and hopefully the government is doing something about it. And while they are at it, they should be tougher on those, who illegally sublet their properties.
I should also say that sometimes, I feel guilty about having a reasonably large house all to myself.
To return though to the Dobson scandal! In my year at school, Animal Farm was the set book for GCE O Level. George Orwell was so right and it is fairly obvious, what his view of NuLabor would have been!
Dixons Get It Right
I have said that the fridge had been wrecked by the previous tenants and a chippy came round yesterday morning and removed it and fixed the kitchen cupboard doors, which the tenant’s children seemed to use as exercise equipment.
The Wrecked Fridge
Note the broken door and hinges. There also seemed to be evidence of small furry animals behind the fridge, but as the chippy said, there are lots of them round here.
I’d seen the type of fridge I wanted in Currys on the Kingsland Road, so I found one that fitted on the Dixons web site, so I ordered it. I also paid £9.99 extra to get it delivered in a three hour slot on Friday morning, when I know I’ll be here.
About an hour later, I realised, that I would need to do a swap and get the old one humanely destroyed. There was also the problem of the fact that my kitchen is on the first floor. So I phoned them and explained. I was on the phone to their call centre in Sheffield for perhaps a couple of minutes and the instructions for the delivery were sorted. At no extra cost too!
I’ll be needing a new washer-dryer in the next week or so. I wonder where I’ll look first!
I Am Here
As you walk along the Regent’s Canal towards Mare Street, you pass this block of flats.
Haggerston Estate, Hackney
The blocks are apparently fairly derelict and scheduled for redevelopment. The faces in the windows, are those of former residents and were created by an arts project called I Am Here
Beating IKEA
I ordered two bookcases from IKEA and they came this morning, courtesy of a cheery man from Parcelforce. They are now made up and installed in my living area.
Two IKEA Billy Bookcases
At least they look quite square, even if they don’t match my dresser to their right. But then they were only £80 the pair and they were capable of being put together by a man with only one good hand, dodgy eyesight and not-fully-working brain. It could also be that in the words of the song, I’m getting better all the time.
So perhaps IKEA’s designs are not that bad. I would put in little improvements to the design of these bookcases, but mainly because it is quite easy to confuse which way some of the panels go. I’ve put together quite a lot of flat-pack furniture in my time and compared to the best, this scored about 6 out of 10.
The Anonymous Widower 