what would the neighbours say?

[TheFaQQer]

Sure your primary concern is the health and wellbeing and so on; bollocks. You want more council tax from people who can't even afford a decent home, you bastard.

People who are living in illegal housing and not paying council tax are a significant burden on the state - look at the schooling in Slough (apart from that posh school nearby) and they typically have the same problem where there are too many children and not enough space. The LA can't fund more because they have no budget, and they have no budget because the people who expect to have access to the schools (and other state services) are not paying any council tax.

[vetran]

I don't think there was any mention of illegal immigrants in the story, so I don't see how that's relevant. Secondly, yes, there are house oop north. Not an awful lot of jobs though. I'd like to see Slough working out how to provide decent affordable housing so people don't have to live in sheds.

there have been a number of stories over the last months detailing raids on 'shed to-lets' and the majority of the tenants were illegal, this is mainly because legal immigrants (who have access to housing benefits) and the poor are housed in the large amount of social housing provision in Slough. So yes they are relevant.

These people are not receiving rent assistance etc they are mainly working cash in hand and paying someone cash in hand. It has nothing to do with the council providing affordable homes.

These landlords aren't social warriors doing their bit, they are cynical opportunists ripping off those weaker than them.

Would love to see more jobs created in the North, it seems the only logical way to cater for our populace as a whole.

[vetran]

This is interesting:

http://england.shelter.org.uk/__data...fullreport.pdf

[Mich the Tester]

People who are living in illegal housing and not paying council tax are a significant burden on the state

Do they have enough money to afford to pay the taxes?

[Mich the Tester]

These people are not receiving rent assistance etc they are mainly working cash in hand and paying someone cash in hand. It has nothing to do with the council providing affordable homes.

How do you know that?

[vetran]

How do you know that?

I have friends who both use council housing services and who provide them.
I read the papers & listen to the news who have covered the composition of the tenants.
Most illegals can't actually pay tax even if they want to, its sort of a limitation of their status.

Alternatively I could make it up as I go along like some do.

[Mich the Tester]

I have friends who both use council housing services and who provide them.
I read the papers & listen to the news who have covered the composition of the tenants.
Most illegals can't actually pay tax even if they want to, its sort of a limitation of their status.

Alternatively I could make it up as I go along like some do.

Well, brilliantly (but perhaps not surprisingly), you've managed to introduce illegal immigrants to a discussion where they weren't even mentioned in the story. The story is about people living in sheds in a very rich developed western country, you've turned it into something about illegal immigrants, while the council repsond with just trying to take more tax money off those people. Meanwhile people are still living in sheds, no let's call them what they are; slums. Britain has a shanty town. I can't even be bothered about whether the people living in it are illegal immigrants, maybe some of them are, but what bothers me is the existence of a shanty town in Britain and a completely inadequate response from the council who can think no further than how to tax taxes off peple who probably can't afford to pay them anyway.

[TheFaQQer]

Do they have enough money to afford to pay the taxes?

If they were in legal housing, then there are benefits which can be claimed to pay council tax etc. The benefit system then costs more, which is a central strain rather than a local one - it is impossible to provide local services for an increased population when you don't get the money from anywhere to provide those services.

Of course, getting into legal housing is a separate issue, since there isn't enough of that....

[TheFaQQer]

I read it in the Daily Mail

FTFY

[Mich the Tester]

Of course, getting into legal housing is a separate issue, since there isn't enough of that....

A seperate issue, but sort of crucial in the whole story?

Great system, get benefits to pay tax, pay tax to get benefits.