No to council house..... Reason: No room for trampoline

joe316

Yes you read the headline correct, a family in Cork refuse council house because the garden wouldn't fit a trampoline.

I really hate this entitlement country.

A FAMILY on the social housing waiting list refused an offer of a council home because there wasn’t enough space for a trampoline, a Cork County Council official has said.
During a heated debate on social housing waiting lists in County Hall, the reasons why applicants refuse offers of council homes were outlined by frustrated council officials.
The discussion took place amid claims that many on the official waiting lists don’t actually want a council house, but were merely on the lists so they could receive Rent Allowance for private accommodation.
Officials, at a meeting of the Southern Area Committee of the local authority, refused to accept criticism of the long delays in allocating houses by pointing to a high level of refusals by people on the 7,023-strong waiting list in Cork county.
Senior Executive Officer in the council’s housing department, Karina Cremin, said offers of homes were often refused because of a lack of garden space, adding that one applicant specifically cited a lack of space for a trampoline in their refusal reasons.
The council’s director of services, Mary Ryan, said 60 offers were made on a group of houses and apartments at Fernwood in Glanmire in the past three months, but 26 of these were refused by applicants on the waiting lists.
Glanmire councillor Noel Costello said he was stunned by the high level of refusals on what he described as high quality accommodation.
Ms Ryan said the procedure for allocating homes was too cumbersome and insisted the refusal rate was delaying the allocation of houses to people with real need.
However, a local Fine Gael councillor, Veronica Neville, who has been campaigner for improvements to the local authority housing stock, accused council officials of smirking at “legitimate reasons” for refusing an offer of a home.
Cllr Neville said a family could legitimately refuse a home on the basis that there was no space for their child to take part in a hobby such as trampolining. She said a garden was a very important part of a home for many families with young children.
“We are talking about very human things here. This is not just a house, it’s a place for them to live too,” she said.
Councillors and officials both acknowledged that many people on the social housing waiting lists were “not interested” in getting a council house.
This is because people need to be on the lists to receive social welfare Rent Allowance towards the cost of private accommodation, which many would prefer over a council home.
Labour councillor John Mulvihill said: “I know people who have gone on the housing list but they don’t want a house. They only want Rent Allowance.”
An assessment of housing could potential halve the numbers in “real need” of housing, the council officials said.

http://www.eveningecho.ie/2013/04/17/family-refuse-council-house-because-no-room-for-childrens-trampoline/

EuskalHerria

What do you suggest they do with the trampoline then?

orestes

That's frigging ridiculous, cheeky bastards. They shoulda been told to go and jump.

Catphish

I saw that article. They should be taken off the housing list. They either want to be housed or they don't.

VinLieger

Should be a maximum amount of refusals allowed

Gatling

VinLieger wrote: »

Should be a maximum amount of refusals allowed

There is you can refuse 3 offers

SEPT 23 1989

A trampoline is for life, not just for Christmas

My name is URL

EuskalHerria wrote: »

What do you suggest they do with the trampoline then?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zh5knx1Bt64

jhegarty

Am I the only one hopping mad about this one ?

Gatling

Its a feffing shame that's this is allowed to carry on

joe316

I suppose we can be grateful that their kids werent into sailing.

davet82

I haven't heard a solution for the trampoline situation yet in all fairness to them...

Gatling

davet82 wrote: »

I haven't heard a solution for the trampoline situation yet in all fairness to them...

Bin the the stupid thing

VinLieger

davet82 wrote: »

I haven't heard a solution for the trampoline situation yet in all fairness to them...

Put it on the roof

davet82

SEPT 23 1989 wrote: »

A trampoline is for life, not just for Christmas

Gatling wrote: »

Bin the the stupid thing

see above...

you disgust me :mad:

kylith

You accept the house your give, unless it's deficient in bedrooms, or you get taken off the list and lose your rent allowance. Simple.

snubbleste

A family on a low income invested hugely in a trampoline, something they are now in deep negative equity over.
Then the Council come along and attempt to force them to abandon their precious trampoline. It's a disgrace.

frag420

orestes wrote: »

That's frigging ridiculous, cheeky bastards. They shoulda been told to go and jump.

Thats the problem, they want to but there just aint the room for it!!

EuskalHerria

Lets not JUMP to any conclusions. This family might not want to be BOUNCED around. Life has plenty of UPS and DOWNS but the family may have been right not to LEAP into things.

So most of the puns out of the way, it's disgusting that they rejected this house if that was the sole reason.

aujopimur

Some UK LA's have a better system, they advertise vacant houses for which you can apply.
To qualify'you're allocated points for various needs and requirements.
The applicent with the most points is gived the house.

jester77

Wow, great to see this family has its priorities and that a trampoline is more important than a house over their heads. They should be removed from the list, they are obviously not that badly in need of a house.

Here in Germany they would be made sell the trampoline and any other assets of worth they have before they would be considered for handouts.

davet82

anybody else in favour of giving them a car?

just thought I'd throw that out there

dark crystal

kylith wrote: »

You accept the house your give, unless it's deficient in bedrooms, or you get taken off the list and lose your rent allowance. Simple.

I would agree with this. However, I would also understand someone refusing a house in a bad area (high crime, boarded up houses etc.) because this is somewhere you're going to have to bring up a family for a long time to come.

Once they house you, it's virtually impossible to move anywhere else unless you have the money to rent privately or buy elsewhere.

The trampoline excuse is utterly ridiculous, though.

Tigerbaby

who knows? maybe they have aspirations to greater things? a deck, a pool maybe?

at least with the trampoline they will be upwardly mobile...:D

frag420

davet82 wrote: »

anybody else in favour of giving them a car?

just thought I'd throw that out there

And where do you suggest they put the trampoline when living in the car eh??

Trudiha

Yeah, poor people, they should live in caves and be grateful. What makes them think that their kids should have a 10X10 garden to play in, if those children are allowed to become physically fit, they might never accept the minimum wage jobs that we need to keep our economy afloat.

crusher000

I also know a carpenter that works on contract for the co-operation and council. If a family are un happy with the fittings when offered a new house they are all replaced even though the kitchen and units maybe only a month or two old. Now I don't expect anyone to move into a mouldy house but where units aren't fallen off the wall or a danger they shouldn't be replaced.

mirekb

How much does the average council houses cost the council per tenant as compared to rent alliance per tenant in private rental? I would imagine rent allowance would be cheaper as the landlords foot the costs of maintenance?

davet82

frag420 wrote: »

And where do you suggest they put the trampoline when living in the car eh??

No, no, no another house AND a car...

a couple of tickets to Disney world wouldn't go a miss either

KuriousOranj

aujopimur wrote: »

Some UK LA's have a better system, they advertise vacant houses for which you can apply.
To qualify'you're allocated points for various needs and requirements.
The applicent with the most points is gived the house.

Yes the UK scheme in which LA's are forcing people to leave their communities is a far better scheme.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2012/nov/04/london-boroughs-housing-families-outside-capital

whomitconcerns

erm and what about all the people who pay through the nose for their own homes and haven't got gardens for trampolines? This is a crap reason and they should be taken off list

crusher000

KuriousOranj wrote: »

Yes the UK scheme in which LA's are forcing people to leave their communities is a far better scheme.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2012/nov/04/london-boroughs-housing-families-outside-capital

What's wrong with having to leave your community ? I had to to buy my house outside of my community because I couldn't afford the market value of houses where I lived. It's all part of life. Most council houses where i lived are occuppied by people that haven't come from within the community.

mikom

snubbleste wrote: »

A family on a low income invested hugely in a trampoline, something they are now in deep negative equity over.
Then the Council come along and attempt to force them to abandon their precious trampoline. It's a disgrace.

That's some leap.

schnitzelEater

This is ridiculous. Stick them at the bottom the of the list. That'd learn them.

schnitzelEater

frag420 wrote: »

And where do you suggest they put the trampoline when living in the car eh??

The car roof?

snubbleste

It's a human right to have a trampoline.

omahaid

Trudiha wrote: »

Yeah, poor people, they should live in caves and be grateful. What makes them think that their kids should have a 10X10 garden to play in, if those children are allowed to become physically fit, they might never accept the minimum wage jobs that we need to keep our economy afloat.

Yes, because you cannot be fit unless you have a large enough garden. Does this mean the bigger the garden the fitter the child?

frag420

They can call it a soft top!!

syklops

EuskalHerria wrote: »

Lets not JUMP to any conclusions. This family might not want to be BOUNCED around. Life has plenty of UPS and DOWNS but the family may have been right not to LEAP into things.

So most of the puns out of the way, it's disgusting that they rejected this house if that was the sole reason.

You didnt really need to shout your puns. They aren't exactly subtle.

goose2005

The most important sentence:

The discussion took place amid claims that many on the official waiting lists don’t actually want a council house, but were merely on the lists so they could receive Rent Allowance for private accommodation.

So it's landlord's dole that really causes the whole mess

bhamsteve

To be fair, a house with no room to fit a trampoline means a house with no garden at all. I wouldn't want to raise a child in a house without a garden, I'd rather have the kids sharing bedrooms.
Anyway, it's a second hand anecdote from somebody with an axe to grind, like all them Polish people getting extra dole money to have their bikini lines waxed.

crusher000

bhamsteve wrote: »

To be fair, a house with no room to fit a trampoline means a house with no garden at all. I wouldn't want to raise a child in a house without a garden, I'd rather have the kids sharing bedrooms.
Anyway, it's a second hand anecdote from somebody with an axe to grind, like all them Polish people getting extra dole money to have their bikini lines waxed.

Where can I apply for that job ?

bhamsteve

crusher000 wrote: »

Where can I apply for that job ?

You've to serve a three years apprenticeship shaving hairy man's arse before your qualified

omahaid

I wouldn't equate

echo wrote:

Senior Executive Officer in the council’s housing department, Karina Cremin, said offers of homes were often refused because of a lack of garden space, adding that one applicant specifically cited a lack of space for a trampoline in their refusal reasons.

with

bhamsteve wrote: »

a second hand anecdote from somebody with an axe to grind.

To be fair.

Queen-Mise

It is a valid reason to refuse a house. If a garden is so small that you can't fit in a 7ft/9ft trampoline - it is ludicrously small.

The garden would be far to small for children to play in. Never mind somewhere to hang clothes out on a line & any other stuff you would want a garden for.

snubbleste

Queen-Mise wrote: »

It is a valid reason to refuse a house. If a garden is so small that you can't fit in a 7ft/9ft trampoline - it is ludicrously small.
The garden would be far to small for children to play in. Never mind somewhere to hang clothes out on a line.

You are not entitled to a garden. You are entitled to accommodation be it a flat, house or a halting stop.

kraggy

crusher000 wrote: »

Where can I apply for that job ?

Brazil. Or Hollywood.

whomitconcerns

Queen-Mise wrote: »

It is a valid reason to refuse a house. If a garden is so small that you can't fit in a 7ft/9ft trampoline - it is ludicrously small.

The garden would be far to small for children to play in. Never mind somewhere to hang clothes out on a line & any other stuff you would want a garden for.

Should we have a poll on who has room for a trampoline???????????

bhamsteve

@omohaid

It is using one example of somebodies alleged reason for declining a council house as somehow representative of the system as a whole, and significant when discussing council/government policy. I haven't listened to the speech she made so i don't know what information was left out when reporting it, or the entire context.
It's good enough for an after-hours rant though so fire away

ScumLord

mirekb wrote: »

I would imagine rent allowance would be cheaper as the landlords foot the costs of maintenance?

They don't as such cover the cost, the cost is included in the rent.

There are many very valid reasons to refuse, some of the houses they use are well below par and the inspectors are still signing off on run down houses without ever seeing the house.

Lando Griffin

Queen-Mise wrote: »

It is a valid reason to refuse a house. If a garden is so small that you can't fit in a 7ft/9ft trampoline - it is ludicrously small.

The garden would be far to small for children to play in. Never mind somewhere to hang clothes out on a line & any other stuff you would want a garden for.

Maybe the garden has other things in it like swings and slides, a dog house or chicken run.
I have a sizeable back garden and my kids are constantly playing out the front with other children.