Cheap Housing

[Dewi9]

[Walti]

[Zuiko]

Re: Cheap Housing

If the houses are sold at market value they will still be incredibly difficult for people on modest incomes to afford. The capital raised from the sale of publically owned land will no doubt be used to reduce the National Deficit, finance tax cuts or provide additional funding for local authorities, reducing the need to increase Council Tax. How politically convenient. We can be sure of one thing, that the extra money will not be used for long term investment in the infrastructure.

If the houses are sold below market value, it will of course help many low income families buy their own home, but that would obviously be unfair to others on low incomes who are not in the position to take advantage of the scheme. It would be selective subsidisation.

Personally, I feel that we need to get away from the aspiration for everybody to own their home. It results in a policy of not having enough local authority owned houses with affordable rents and forces those who cannot raise a mortgage into the private rental market where rents are far too high.

I would like to scrap the right to buy policy and empower local authorities to build truly affordable, low rent accommodation using council owned land wherever possible, or using compulsory purchasing powers to acquire long-term disused brownfield sites at low cost.

[Naughty Nigel]

[Harold Gough]

[Naughty Nigel]

Re: Cheap Housing

By the way, they won't be for everyone because on new estates the parking of vans (white van, caravan, campervan, etc.) is prohibited (by developers and/or planning authorities) on their drives.

Harold

We have a similar 'covenant' where we live, although the houses were built in the late 1960's.

Caravans, commercial vehicles and so forth make the area look unsightly and undesirable, but with the tiny properties being built nowadays such vehicles cause serious problems with road access.

Nobody here complains if a neighbour brings a caravan home for a few days, (there is plenty of space), but I believe we can complain to the council if it is a regular event. I don't think any of our neighbours drive vans.

[DerekW]

Re: Cheap Housing

I would have thought that your new diesel transport that you used to do business around the country was a type of "commercial vehicles and so forth" <g>

[Naughty Nigel]

Re: Cheap Housing

I would have thought that your new diesel transport that you used to do business around the country was a type of "commercial vehicles and so forth" <g>

Ouch!

I must admit I had misgivings about buying a diesel Jag but it really is very quiet and civilised, and not at all underpowered.

[DerekW]

Re: Cheap Housing

I cannot really talk as I have a 2.4 litre twin turbo diesel, with at least three radar transmitters, more tv cameras than I can see etc So far no machine guns mounted on the roof - I guess that would be on the US model.

[Naughty Nigel]

Re: Cheap Housing

I cannot really talk as I have a 2.4 litre twin turbo diesel, with at least three radar transmitters, more tv cameras than I can see etc So far no machine guns mounted on the roof - I guess that would be on the US model.

We are well off topic now so we may as well carry on.

Which model is that BTW?

One thing that impresses me with the Jag is that far from being a gas guzzler (as most people expect) I get around 50 MPG on a run.

Our next-door neighbour, who drives a VW and is a bit of a 'tree hugger', has always been very critical of my choice of car and its effect on the environment. However he has been very quiet on the subject over the past few months. I cannot think why.

I also like to remind him of the pollution caused by transporting his VW all the way from Stuttgart or wherever they are built, rather than Castle Bromwich.

Oddly enough his daughter and son-in-law are petrol heads, so I would love to be a fly on the wall when they are sitting around the dining table.

[DerekW]

Re: Cheap Housing

It is a Volvo XC60 D5 R-Design Polestar - so quite pokey, as it is AWD it only gets about 35 to 40mpg, but what I really like is the higher position so I get a good view of the traffic jam.

Because of the various ownerships of Jaguar Landrover and Volvo Jags and Volvo are had quite a relationship with Ford including quite a bit of design sharing. The BMW ownership of Landrover is said to have helped with BMWs move into the Xn range.

[Naughty Nigel]

Re: Cheap Housing

It is a Volvo XC60 D5 R-Design Polestar - so quite pokey, as it is AWD it only gets about 35 to 40mpg, but what I really like is the higher position so I get a good view of the traffic jam.

Because of the various ownerships of Jaguar Landrover and Volvo Jags and Volvo are had quite a relationship with Ford including quite a bit of design sharing. The BMW ownership of Landrover is said to have helped with BMWs move into the Xn range.

I was told that BMW bought the Range Rover brand (not Land Rover) so they could develop their Xn series.

I'm not sure how well this has worked though as there was a report in our local news last week of a stolen Range Rover Evoke which was being chased by a Police BMW X5. Apparently the thieves got away by driving the Evoke across a very wet and muddy field, of which we have plenty at the moment. The Police tried to follow in their X5 but got stuck in the mud!

I don't know what the relationship is between JLR, RR and BMW as I believe some Range Rovers are fitted with Jaguar engines and others with BMW. Jaguar uses the same automatic gearboxes as BMW but I think these are outsourced.

[ringneck]

[Naughty Nigel]

Re: Cheap Housing

[Guest]

Re: Cheap Housing

........ as it is AWD it only gets about 35 to 40mpg.

Well a gallon of gas would get you from Lands End to John 'o Groats, wouldn't it? .....