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NEWS'
9:20am Wednesday 24th September 2008 in
A FAMILY living in a two bedroom council flat is asking why they cannot have one of Swindon’s 2,139 private empty homes.
Susan Sarson, Kris Allen, and their three children, Ashley, five, Katherine, three, and Thomas, two, say they are fed up with bidding on hundreds of homes after waiting three-and-a-half years on the council’s housing waiting list.
“All my kids are in the same room and are squashed in together,” she said.
“No child should have to live in these circumstances in a country like Britain in this day and age.
“It severely affects our family and our life having to live in such close quarters, it is a major stress for us all.
“We are not picky we just want suitable accommodation.
“Why are there so many empty homes and so many people on the waiting list?
“We have bid on 400 homes over the three-and-a-half years.
“Meanwhile these homes sit empty and blight neighbourhoods across Swindon – how is this right?”
The family’s circumstances come days after the Advertiser published statistics showing that Swindon’s housing waiting list has almost tripled in the last 10 years, something which has left 8,363 people living in temporary accommodation.
Councillor David Renard, Swindon Council’s cabinet member for health, housing and adult social care, says the council house waiting list and the number of private empty homes are a problem.
But, he said, the council is doing everything in its power to contain the numbers.
“It is a problem and it needs to be addressed,” he said.
“If the Government were to give us the resources to buy these houses then we would be happy to.
The council does have power to bring empty houses back into use by compulsory purchase orders.
“But the problem is that there are so many legal loopholes involved that it becomes very time consuming.”
Councillor Maurice Fanning (Lab, Gorse Hill and Pinehurst) said: “Compulsory Purchase Orders are something that we should use more often than we do.
“Because people who live by these homes are saying themselves that there are more than 8,000 people on the housing list.
“This is beyond the political divide. We are dealing with people’s lives here.”
The housing charity Empty House Association, which said there were 2,139 empty homes, says the number of vacant homes in Swindon has climbed 19 per cent in the past five years.
Henry Oliver, the group’s policy advisor, said: “An area like Swindon, which has big growth plans at the moment, should be making sure it has brought all its long-term empty houses back into use before it builds any new ones.”
The number of empty houses in Swindon include homes which are undergoing alterations, repairs and second homes.
Comments(91)
Big Mac
says...
9:27am Wed 24 Sep 08
emmylou83
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9:41am Wed 24 Sep 08
Malkym
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10:06am Wed 24 Sep 08
RF1
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10:08am Wed 24 Sep 08
Bobfm
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10:11am Wed 24 Sep 08
Atomic_Pond
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10:16am Wed 24 Sep 08
Malkym
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10:17am Wed 24 Sep 08
RF1
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10:19am Wed 24 Sep 08
Bobfm wrote:My daughter's room has bunk beds, my son's a sofa bed, an inflatable mattress in the airing cupboard, with the sofa in the living room offering another berth if required - it's not really rocket science now is it??
A bunk bed and a cot in the parents room, problem solved. I grew up in a 4 bedroomed council house with 3 brothers and three sisters. We seemed to manage OK using bunk beds and most of us were still at home into our late teens.
Big Mac
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10:29am Wed 24 Sep 08
emmylou83 wrote:If they work then they have income. They'll also likely get tax credits and certainly child benefit for three children.
Big Mac - where does it say they don't work?The problem is from what I can remember when my friend tried to get housing years ago so it could have changed by now the council don't recognise a child as a "person" until its 5 so as two of their children are under the age of 5 they council don't think of them as a family of five but a family of three.
nansview
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10:58am Wed 24 Sep 08
emmylou83
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10:59am Wed 24 Sep 08
scottyincs
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11:10am Wed 24 Sep 08
The Mancunian Way
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11:13am Wed 24 Sep 08
Opinionated Wench
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11:17am Wed 24 Sep 08
Bobfm
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11:49am Wed 24 Sep 08
Big Mac
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11:55am Wed 24 Sep 08
Robh
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11:58am Wed 24 Sep 08
emmylou83
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12:04pm Wed 24 Sep 08
Bobfm
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12:06pm Wed 24 Sep 08
Terence
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12:52pm Wed 24 Sep 08
gaily
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1:03pm Wed 24 Sep 08
The Mancunian Way
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1:04pm Wed 24 Sep 08
Bobfm
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1:11pm Wed 24 Sep 08
RF1
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1:15pm Wed 24 Sep 08
gaily wrote:Did you have the 2 bed flat BEFORE or AFTER the 4 kids??
hii think they are right to complain as the bidding is aload of rubbishi am in the same situation living in a 2bed first floor flat with 4 children and going nowhere and i have trobble with druggies and my son has fallen down the stairs so i would say they are right to complain
yeti
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1:20pm Wed 24 Sep 08
RF1
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1:22pm Wed 24 Sep 08
kombatt
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1:22pm Wed 24 Sep 08
RF1
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1:26pm Wed 24 Sep 08
kombatt wrote:I believe no one will live there as it's haunted by the ghost of scroungers past.....
77 Northern Road has been empty four 6 years,why?What are Swindon council doing about it?A 3 bedroom semi detatched in a highly sought after area,with a 90 ft garden and has been empty for 6 years,what a crime.
GetAJob
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2:29pm Wed 24 Sep 08
ourtone
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2:33pm Wed 24 Sep 08
nansview
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2:36pm Wed 24 Sep 08
yeti
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2:44pm Wed 24 Sep 08
RF1
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2:45pm Wed 24 Sep 08
dc the 2nd
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2:57pm Wed 24 Sep 08
emmylou83
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2:57pm Wed 24 Sep 08
RF1 wrote:Coem work at my place it'll put you to sleep in no time I'm off for 2 weeks they need someone to cover my work load - so tell me how are your highlighting skills??
I YEARN for a dull afternoon at the office!!
carrot
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2:59pm Wed 24 Sep 08
nansview
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3:00pm Wed 24 Sep 08
Username
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3:07pm Wed 24 Sep 08
Malkym
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3:29pm Wed 24 Sep 08
Bobfm wrote:So then Bob - the Fat Controller, I mean rotund Stationmaster (you have to be very PC on here so as not to offend the self regulating modulators of the webwaves) is going to be speaking to the people of Sodor LOL!! Only joking Bob just couldn't help making that Thomas the Tank analogy given your audience ! I'm not a UKIP supporter, I confess I don't quite understand what branch of the political tree they sit on and I can't wait for Gord & co. to head for the cinema exit signs! Equally I'm not convinced that tory boy is the answer either and the LD's are another mystery! Trouble is if we cast our vote in your direction for example we'll worry about letting The minister for britishness and data security back in, so we go for JT and SuperDave's lot by default -bit catch 22 eh? good luck with the oration!
I have the privilege to be addressing a group of retired Railway workers and their spouses tomorrow morning. As with most of my 'speeches' I try to be topical and rarely script anything. I try to involve my audience in what I have to say, which strangely enough will be about the state of Britain.Many of those present will have fought for and had friends who died for Britain. I am sure it will be a lively affair, they will not understand the current 'take take take' culture we now live in even though I am sure many would be life long socialists, as my father was.Socialism was never about a take culture, it was always about the State being there for those who through no fault of their own fell on hard times. Those that could worked. I know my father would turn in his grave at what Labour and HMG have done to this once proud Nation. We have seen yet another surrender of control to EDF today. The French and German Governments would have fought tooth and nail to stop such a take over. We have 'lapdogs' for leaders and Cameron would be the same.
The Mancunian Way
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4:22pm Wed 24 Sep 08
Username
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4:27pm Wed 24 Sep 08
Popcorn
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5:01pm Wed 24 Sep 08
onlyme1
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5:42pm Wed 24 Sep 08
P3 NAS Mark II
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6:02pm Wed 24 Sep 08
P3 NAS Mark II
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6:10pm Wed 24 Sep 08
kombatt wrote:Northern Road is a private housing estate, which means the house is more than likely privately owned, so therefore the council can do nothing with it.
77 Northern Road has been empty four 6 years,why?What are Swindon council doing about it?A 3 bedroom semi detatched in a highly sought after area,with a 90 ft garden and has been empty for 6 years,what a crime.
Mavis
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6:21pm Wed 24 Sep 08
tinkerbell69
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7:31pm Wed 24 Sep 08
tinkerbell69
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7:35pm Wed 24 Sep 08
fairpoint
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8:10pm Wed 24 Sep 08
Chowmai
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8:19pm Wed 24 Sep 08
P3 NAS Mark II
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9:04pm Wed 24 Sep 08
Malkym: So then Bob - the Fat Controller,
fairpoint
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10:12pm Wed 24 Sep 08
tammy trevena
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10:21pm Wed 24 Sep 08
johntomjoe
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11:07pm Wed 24 Sep 08
malkym1
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11:47pm Wed 24 Sep 08
P3 NAS Mark II wrote:In fairness and in my defence I did immediately stress that I was only joking inusing the Rev. Awdry's characters in my analogy to bob's chat to the railway pensioners and meant absolutely no offence at all!
Malkym: So then Bob - the Fat Controller,Even I think that's rude and uncalled for.
P3 NAS Mark II
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7:54am Thu 25 Sep 08
The Best of the Best
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8:02am Thu 25 Sep 08
scottyincs
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8:39am Thu 25 Sep 08
The Best of the Best wrote:But haven't you just destroyed your own argument?
I think some of the comments on here are uncalled for. im a single mum my son is nearly 2. i currently live in a 2 bed private rented house, and have been since i was pregnant with my son. Ive bidded time and time, week after week for a council property but seems to get no where. Yes i do work and yes i do get tax credits, but i have to pay for my childs nursery fees so that i can work, i have to feed my son clothe my son aswel as pay bills.Not every1 who lives in a council place or who are in need of 1 are the same....yes u get sum who do scrounge of the goverment but, i feel some1 in my sitiation deserves one, bcoz i dnt just sit on my backsde day in and day out....
writer
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8:58am Thu 25 Sep 08
hester needs a walk
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9:26am Thu 25 Sep 08
dc the 2nd
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9:42am Thu 25 Sep 08
hester needs a walk
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9:49am Thu 25 Sep 08
dc the 2nd
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10:00am Thu 25 Sep 08
tarot
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10:01am Thu 25 Sep 08
hester needs a walk wrote:With the current housing market, selling is not an option unless of course you are willing to sell at a loss, renting is an option if you want your property abused and then the expense of repairing everything.
I think its a pity that people who own houses leave them unused and boarded up. Surely its better to do something with them, either rent them out or sell them on, than leave them standing empty to get dilapidated and ruin the environment. Any owner who leaves their property in this state deserves to have it squatted. At least then its being put to some use. In this day and age, when there's loads of help available from Councils to bring empty homes back into use, its mindless to leave them empty.
tammy trevena
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10:05am Thu 25 Sep 08
tarot
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10:17am Thu 25 Sep 08
tammy trevena wrote:Tammy, He does have a point.
to P3 NAS MARK
id like you to know im not scrounging. my partner works hard 6-7 days a week. i was working up till last year before we had our daughter. i think you are saying i should of had abortions with all of my children??? or should i of tossed a coin heads keep you, tails get you sucked from my body?? what gives you the right on your high horse judging people who you know nothing about presuming things you know nothing about.i love all 3 of my children. my partner pays his taxes! you presume we have 3 kids so we are scroungers on benefits!!!!!
Big Mac
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10:32am Thu 25 Sep 08
Terence
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10:33am Thu 25 Sep 08
emz1200
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10:41am Thu 25 Sep 08
tammy trevena
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11:07am Thu 25 Sep 08
writer
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11:16am Thu 25 Sep 08
writer
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11:23am Thu 25 Sep 08
Username
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11:27am Thu 25 Sep 08
tammy trevena wrote:I think you missed the point somewhat!!! I think he was trying to say that you should have improved your circumstances to cater for another child etc before actually having another one!
to tarotyou cant go to the council and say i'm thinking about having a child can you move me before i have one please? you'd get laughed out of there. my children were not planned. i do not believe in abortions they are not for me. i did go to have one before but i couldnt do it. a child is a gift from god, a life! i have lots of friends with their own houses or renting. they are working hard scrimping and saving to stop losing their houses. they cant afford the latest foot ball shirts and trainers. we can not afford to rent private or afford a mortgage, so wer'e stuck bursting at the seams. well i think i best see what is on home bid this week!
SJL Greenmeadow
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11:35am Thu 25 Sep 08
tammy trevena
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11:38am Thu 25 Sep 08
writer
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12:01pm Thu 25 Sep 08
The Mancunian Way
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12:15pm Thu 25 Sep 08
emmylou83
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12:27pm Thu 25 Sep 08
The Mancunian Way wrote:Russ I feel I need to put my 2pence worth in here not all contraception is 100% I should know i'm the product of the pill, a happy accident as my parents call me.
Want I would like to know is dont any of you lot no what CONTRACEPTION is. You say you kids were not planned, so what precautions were you taking just hoping does not work. Keeping your legs shut may be best next time, like others have said if you can pay rent why cant you do a part ownership etc..?Ha Ha Security word...Work-More ha ha I kid you not
123
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12:43pm Thu 25 Sep 08
dc the 2nd
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12:58pm Thu 25 Sep 08
123 wrote:well at least ours were legible
i think most of u who hav left comments on here r bein out of order,u know nothin about the peoples situations that uv been judgin b4 u know the full facts, but i bet if u were in the same situation urselfs or if members of ur families were cramped up in a shoe box u would b tryin 2 do ur best!!! u know the sayin dont judge a book by its cover!!!! not everyone is the same!
writer
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1:00pm Thu 25 Sep 08
tammy trevena
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1:06pm Thu 25 Sep 08
Big Mac
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1:45pm Thu 25 Sep 08
The Mancunian Way
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2:51pm Thu 25 Sep 08
Bobfm
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7:38pm Thu 25 Sep 08
tarot
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11:43pm Thu 25 Sep 08
Bobfm
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7:44am Fri 26 Sep 08
tarot
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11:05am Fri 26 Sep 08
Big Mac
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12:59pm Sat 27 Sep 08
CooperS
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1:59pm Mon 29 Sep 08
Mavis
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6:00pm Mon 29 Sep 08
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