50 bids for every vacant Hull council house

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Tuesday, October 23, 2012
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Hull Daily Mail

MORE than 50 people are chasing every empty council house in the city.

Demand is currently outstripping supply, with more than 9,700 applicants on Hull City Council's housing waiting list.

  1. Councillor John Black

    'Show us the money': Councillor John Black

As the city's largest landlord, the authority is receiving an average of 54 bids for every vacant property.

A number of housing-led regeneration schemes collapsed or stalled in Hull as a result of funding cutbacks announced by the Government following the general election.

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Since then, only limited Whitehall funding has been allocated to maintain momentum in areas such as Newington and St Andrew's in west Hull and the Ings estate in east Hull.

Councillor John Black, cabinet member for housing strategy, said the time was now right for ministers to help bolster the city's economy by supporting more affordable housing schemes.

Referring to last week's announcement by fish oil firm Seven Seas of its plans to move out of the city, he said: "We have seen recent further evidence of problems in Hull's economy.

"New investment in homes and the construction jobs created as a result of this investment are desperately needed in Hull.

"The city is ready to take advantage of any new money to build affordable homes in the city and has a proven track record of delivery with developers and registered social housing partners. We have already delivered 421 homes in the three years and are on with the delivery of a further 1,300 new homes, which is creating and safeguarding 485 jobs."

Cllr Black said council officers were now reviewing previous development plans for priority housing areas to make them "oven ready" for new funding from the Government.

He said: "We say to the Government, show us the money and we can build more homes and create jobs."

Under the council's housing allocation policy, people have to submit bids for vacant properties.

Each two-bedroom council property becoming available in the city is attracting an average of 90 bids.

Overall, the council is receiving about 175 new applications for housing every week.

However, ministers have recently indicated they want to remove requirements on developers to provide so-called affordable housing within new housing schemes.

At yesterday's city council cabinet meeting, Councillor John Hewitt said he was concerned local policies on quotas for affordable housing were in danger of being swept aside.

He said: "These latest proposals from the Government might end up making a massive difference in places like Hull."

Meanwhile, small house-builders say the recession is continuing to stifle the construction industry.

A new survey by the Federation of Master Builders says workloads have declined across the sector.

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  • Profile image for cazmarelda

    by cazmarelda

    Saturday, October 27 2012, 5:44AM

    “I cannot forget the housing worker who got a 3 bed council house down Spring Bank West - despite living alone and only having his children at w/ends - there was certainly not 50 people after that house, just the one and it was a 'done deal' disgusting that house should have gone to a family and that guy who got it should have gone in B&B until a 1 bed flat was available.

    The system is totally corrupt and despite having close contact with some of the homeless hostels in the past I never, ever saw any 'refugees' in any of them - where do they go then?

    Cllr Black I do not rate at all and think of the term 'not fit for purpose' every time I see him!”

  • Profile image for ispy3

    by ispy3

    Friday, October 26 2012, 1:03AM

    “India 7? What help do you want? Have they moved next door
    to you? What about national insurance details, there's a pub
    in the town where dwp workers will provide you with anything
    like that but it takes a few days so I'm told, but you do get
    a free plastic poppy for the front of your car!”

  • Profile image for ispy3

    by ispy3

    Wednesday, October 24 2012, 5:10PM

    “Thanks to Mitch M apparently The Close on Hall Road has at least 3 dwp properties lived in by the dwp, no doubt their kids will enrole at that new Acadamy too. NHE and OPE is infested with
    Dwp so they say, dwp curtain twitchers or apparently virtical blind twitchers, Ms Johnson MP
    is anxious to hear more!”

  • Profile image for india7

    by india7

    Wednesday, October 24 2012, 4:47PM

    “ispy3, Please go get some help.”

  • Profile image for ispy3

    by ispy3

    Wednesday, October 24 2012, 4:29PM

    “Well Mr Black, perhaps you could investigate the large number is council and housing assoc properties currently occupied by the DWP Surveillance workers across the City, over 40
    properties that are paid for at tax payers expense and used entirely to attack those least able
    in our society. These workers lie, deceive and set people up. Huge bonuses are being paid
    to the cretins, or jumped up clerical workers. cars with big red Poppys on their grills, missing wheel trims, blacked out windows, cheap private number plates, motor bikes, roof top boxes, roof bars or racks, fake taxis, I ve counted 35 and familiar virtual blinds at the windows..

    Across the uk, the DWP are using hundreds of social housing properties to spy photograph and in Hull use electronic movement detection equipment aim from house to house to try and
    spy on the disabled in their homes, it's astonishing but confirmed by dwp whistleblowers and will be the subject of forthcoming tv programme.

    families with children in Hull are in hostels and B&B hundreds of people on waiting lists while the
    Dwp sit on their bottoms in council house spying and being paid bonuses. All three MPs are investigating it and are wanting more details and they'll get them too.”

  • Profile image for Scoff_Cruddle

    by Scoff_Cruddle

    Wednesday, October 24 2012, 3:19PM

    “In other words, they can't keep up with the foreign freeloaders wanting housing. And guess what, if the council is given the money from the government you can bet it will be subject to agreeing that they take immigrants from expensive social housing in the London area.

    Of course housebuilders will say they need more investment and will be glad to grease palms too.”

  • Profile image for David_Nivea

    by David_Nivea

    Wednesday, October 24 2012, 11:18AM

    “Is this the result of Labour deploying unrestrained immigration as a political weapon during their 13 years in government?”

  • Profile image for tosh1958

    by tosh1958

    Wednesday, October 24 2012, 9:07AM

    “The houses down my street are not getting renovated and some have now been re let, all to non UK poeple.”

  • Profile image for localvoice

    by localvoice

    Wednesday, October 24 2012, 7:01AM

    “On INGS WE LOST THE GATEWAY FUNDING FROM THIS cOALITION gOVERNMENT AND MANY LOCAL RESIDENTS HAVE SEEN THEIR DREAMS GO UP IN SMOKE BUT THE LASY PORTFOLLIO HOLDER FOR HOUSING HAD TO RESIGN BECAUSE HE WAS NOT UP TO THE JOB AND LEFT PEOPLE IN THE LERCH STRANDED. BUT THATS THE LIB DEMS FOR YOU SAY ONE THING AND DO ANOTHER WITHOUT TELLING YOU.
    UNDER LABOUR AT LEAST WE ARE MOVING FORWARD WITH PLANS FOR 56 NEW SOCIAL AFFORDABLE HOMES AND ANOTHER 30 PRIVATE SECTOR HOMES.
    CUTS BY THIS GOVERNMENT ARE NOT JUST GOING TO HIT THE PEOPLE RENTING HOMES FROM THE COUNCIL BECAUSE THE PRIVATE SECTORRENTING COSTS ARE GETTING WORSE WHEN ALL THE OTHER CUTS ARE HITTING WORKING PEOPLE JUST TRYING TO STAY ALIVE AND FEED THE KIDS.”

  • Profile image for unitedtowing

    by unitedtowing

    Tuesday, October 23 2012, 8:52PM

    “mind you if its john blacks estimate it will be double the true amount , just like the expenses blunder ,”

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