The difficulties to obtain cheap and affordable social housing in 2008 for British people.

In many boroughs, British families have fiercely struggled to secure a stable environment for their children. The most challenging task for the new generation has been the fight to obtain cheap and affordable housing and it is now that British families are being hit the hardest.


The privatization of social housing under Margaret Thatcher's Conservative party created an open housing market and offered a generation of people a chance to acquire property at an affordable price. By throwing a rope to those on low incomes, it has enabled many to pull themselves up the ungraspable ladder; with banks profiting on interest rates, the government profiting on the sale of their stock and the borrower profiting through the eventual profit on the sale of their property. It seemed to be a collective all round win; now we face the consequences.


The problem we face today is that our population has dramatically increased; Asylum and immigration levels have surged uncontrollably; the offspring of many British families that once bought into social housing, now have no where to go and this is because the government has a weak housing system, where the wrong people are prioritized and where those that are truly in need, face the hardest times of their lives.


Many politicians do not put enough thought into homelessness, they see it as a wave that will eventually pass on it's own and they seem to believe that those sleeping rough, can surf these waves without surfboards, but in reality, homelessness is turning out to be a tsunami, leaving many British people to drown and the tide is coming in fast.


There needs to be a new system; a system where we deal with our own issues first, instead of prolonging a national crisis. We need a system where British people 'in need' are offered housing before anyone else and although we must offer some sort of refuge to those fleeing from war torn countries, we must be careful that we do not hand property away to those that are out to profit through this vulnerable system.


We also need to consider our Countries capacity and make sure that we do not create a claustrophobic Britain. Some may say that the housing crisis is purely conjecture, a speculation even, but speaking through my own homeless experiences and as my family was failed by this system, I can assure you all that there is a housing crisis and if it is not picked up on soon, we could face a potential public uproar.


I was once privileged to hear Mathew Taylor (Chief Executive of the RSA) speak, he said 'people are always quick to complain, but they never have a solution to the problem', yet the solution is simple. We need to expand on the nationalization of social housing and we need to provide shelter for British people that come from a generation of hard working tax payers.


For many years, my Grandmother worked extremely hard. All her working life, she contributed into this Country through the taxation of her hard earned yet low pay packet. Instead of her children or her grandchildren benefiting through her contributions, it is those that have not contributed a bean into this Country that seem to be profiting highly. This is an issue that many are scared to talk about but let's face it; this is not just a white British problem, it is a problem of all British races; there are those that have been here and paid their due for many years, yet they are also suffering to the new arrival of immigration.


We are digging ourselves deeper into a ditch, a ditch that one day we will be unable to climb out of.

The imperatives are:

- OPT out of the EU to decrease immigration and capitalize on looking after number one.

- A new housing priority where people are housed in accordance to their place of birth (in order): Borough born 'in need' 1st priority, Constituent Born 'in need' 2nd priority, City Born 'in need' 3rd priority, Region born 'in need' 4th priority, Country born 'in need' 5th priority. The waiting list for anyone else. I feel that people need support from their families and by inserting this system it will help to create more stable and supportive families in Britain, with the option of exchange for those that do not wish to be near family.

- A tighter citizenship system; we need to draw the line somewhere.

These are the three simple steps that could change this country for the better. Not only will this bring stability for families, but also, this will help solve the rise in unemployment. By giving families cheap and affordable housing, families will be able to take on low paid work and still get by without having to fork out privately rented property prices.

Report Written by Sean Ash