Quote Originally Posted by keithAngel View Post
I see the issue as not allowing you to live basicaly without benifits this was never the case when I was a youngster

Rents used to roughly equal a third of incomes that is long gone if your rent is 650 a month for a three bed semi you would need to earn a 1500 a month to pay your bills and stand on your own feet

In my view its the housing benefit paid to private landlords that are the real benefit cheats without it rents would plummet instead it props up a disgraceful economic scarcity to the detriment of us all
When I was first married in 1960 I was happy to live in a bed-sit. I had a mate who had a child, he too was happy living in a bed-sit. Nowadays people 'need' to live in a three bedroomed home with all the mod cons, unless they are considered deprived. I guess bed-sit accommodation can still be found at no more that one third of a minimum monthly wage especially if people worked at least a 48 hour weeks as I did. (i.e..£6 x 48 = £288 x 4 = £1152 ÷ 3 = about £380 pm)[/COLOR]