Back on topic George Clarke’s Council House Scandal was a great programme on Channel 4 looking at our housing crisis, it’s well worth watching on catchup tv.

Some figures from the programme off the top of my head. We previously had 8 million council houses, we now have just 2 million. The rest have been sold through right to buy.

Right to buy, started by Thatcher, allows an individual to buy a £200k house for £60k. Only a tiny fraction of this goes to the local authority, with the majority going to central government. This means the local authority can not afford to replace the houses sold. We once were building almost 200,000 council houses a year, we now build 6,000 a year.

Over 40% of council houses sold under buy to let are now rented out privately, in some areas its over 70%.

Quote ="Sir Kevin Sinfield"Since it’s creation the budget for the nhs has risen by 3.7% a year. With our ageing population I’d say that needs to be at least at 4% per year, that is certainly affordable if we (the government) choose to fund it. This article has a nice graphic of how the funding has changed over the years, both Cameron/Clegg and May chose not to properly fund the nhs. https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.bbc. ... h-44495598'" But the last Labour government borrowed heavily to fund the NHS at the rate they did. Leaving the next govt to carry the can. And that really is my point... Its not sustainable. We can't just throw money at the problem without some serious reform. We probably both want the same outcome but differ on how to reach the end goal.

Quote ="Sir Kevin Sinfield"Since it’s creation the budget for the nhs has risen by 3.7% a year. With our ageing population I’d say that needs to be at least at 4% per year, that is certainly affordable if we (the government) choose to fund it. This article has a nice graphic of how the funding has changed over the years, both Cameron/Clegg and May chose not to properly fund the nhs. https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.bbc. ... h-44495598'" But the last Labour government borrowed heavily to fund the NHS at the rate they did. Leaving the next govt to carry the can. And that really is my point... Its not sustainable. We can't just throw money at the problem without some serious reform. We probably both want the same outcome but differ on how to reach the end goal.

This isn’t true. In 1997 when Labour came to power debt was 43.4% of GDP. In 2006, the year before the global financial crisis and after 10 years of a Labour government, debt had fallen to 40.7% of GDP.

OK but what was it in 2010 when they left power?

Double post

Debt increased from 2007 because of the global financial crisis and the subsequent bailing out of the bankers, nationalising their losses, not as you claimed borrowing to properly fund the nhs, as was proved with the 1997 and 2006 figures.

In 2010 the conservatives were in power with debt at 72.5% of GDP. This has now skyrocketed to 85.2% of GDP because of the tax cuts they have given to millionaires and multinational companies, despite the devastating cuts to essential services.

But that's not true is it. Tax revenue increased by 25% between 2010 and 2017.....way ahead of inflation. It was 414bn in 2010 and in 2017 (the last figures I could find) 570bn.

You know you are posting to a closed mind. Conseratives are bad, commerce is bad, the EU is bad.

An underfunded nhs is bad
A properly funded nhs is good

Cutting public sector workers, like nurses pay, because there is no magic money tree is bad
Returning nurses pay to 2010 levels is good

Cutting funding to schools is bad
Well funded education is good

Spending £4.2 Billion to undemocratically leave the EU without a deal is bad

Increasing tuition fees to £9000 when you went to university for free is bad
Scrapping tuition fees is good

Reducing police numbers by 21,000 and closing police stations is bad

Homelessness increasing by 250% since 2010 is bad
Sorting out the housing crisis and reducing homelessness is good

Refusing to spend money, given to us by the EU, to tackle homelessness and child poverty is bad

As I have said before, you left leaning (extremely left leaning) politics do not work, Socilism does not work. We are not equals, someone else's poverty isnt my problem, they should work harder.

We voted to leave the EU, deal with that, or get a flight with BREN2K and move to another country. The UK probably wouldn't miss you. Take tigertot with you.

If I thought Socialism produced people as illiterate as you I would question my politics.

More insults, how clever of you, you must be a genius. (or most likely failed the 11+) and are whiling your days down in a tiny pit village somewhere in West Yorkshire.

More insults, how clever of you, you must be a genius.

I am. I'm a product of Socialism.

Yup, deluded, jealous and want everyone else to pay. Socialism in a nut shell.

Lazy, uninformed and puerile; Garbutt or IR80, the signature style is unmistakable.

How interesting, it seems like you've change your mind on at least one issue ??
It's "your lot" that want out of the EU, remember ?

The homelessness problem has been chronic in Manchester this decade. It is like some sort of homeless Mecca. As well as the local accent I have heard Lancastrian Scouse Yorkshire and Glaswegian accents amongst the homeless population of my city centre.

It’s like they know the homeless community has been thriving (numbers of homeless, amount of drugs available, safety in numbers ut many get a rude awakening on that front once they get here) in Manchester so come from far and wide to be part of it.

Our Mayor has this as one of his primary jobs to solve. And I have to say in the last 18 months I’ve noticed less aggressive begging, and fewer spice zombies in their statuesque or shaker mantra state strewn around the streets (around three years ago it was rife with this).

The Mayor has a long term (two decade) plan for homelessness in the city.

Next month Vincent Kompany is having his testimonial at the Etihad and all proceeds are going to the Manchester Homeless Fund.

A good start has been made towards the chronic homeless problem in Manchester. Onwards and upwards, let’s hope it continues.

But the root cause of all this needs to be looked at as well, rather than just at the street level... mental illness due to the modern capitalist society we have. Most of these people cannot cope with life in the society that’s been built around them. Whether they be mentally ill through the stresses of life responsibilities of working to pay your way, to ex-soldiers who have PTSD, people who can’t mentally deal with being separated from in a relationship or losing a loved one so see their lives crumble around them, as well as uneducated people who have no skills and therefore cannot get jobs because they don’t have the intelligence or skill set to do anything.

That’s where everything eventually needs to be drawn to.

There’s also a problem with professional beggers here. They have a home, or some sort of living condition, they aren’t homeless. But they get up every morning, get their scruffs on, get on the bus to Town and sit on the floor in the city centre and beg for money. Then before the last bus leaves in the early hours, they get on it with all the money they’ve been given through the day and get off home to their home or whatever living situation they’re in.

How this can be tackled is a mystery.

As someone who has been involved with a homeless charity for a number of years, the real problem is the unecessary red tape that stops people getting off the streets thanks to the Tory government

It has been proven cheaper to give homeless people a decent roof over their head & proper support, than the current mess the homeless exist in. But the right wing insist on those less well off suffering.

It is quite clear those blaming the Conservatives don't really understand the issues. The majority of homeless people I know are habitually homeless and do not want to engage withe the services that are readily available. I know of a number of homeless people who have been offered accommodation, but it comws qith conditions, no alcohol, no drugs, no visitors after 8pm etc. They don't want to do it, it is the INDIVIDUAL that choses to be homeless. The support IS there.

Welcome back Einstein. The correlation between the number of people gaily offering themselves up to be homeless, therefore generously allowing their houses to go to single parent Eastern Europeans, & the existence of an evil, right wing Government is purely coincidental. Especially those former armed services personnel; they should be used to living rough so don't count.

Ever been homeless? thought not.

Quote ="IR80"It is quite clear those blaming the Conservatives don't really understand the issues. The majority of homeless people I know are habitually homeless and do not want to engage withe the services that are readily available. I know of a number of homeless people who have been offered accommodation, but it comws qith conditions, no alcohol, no drugs, no visitors after 8pm etc. They don't want to do it, it is the INDIVIDUAL that choses to be homeless. The support IS there.'" Why are 3 times as many people “choosing” to be homeless now compared to 2010? Source https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/amp.theg ... ar-running

Quote ="IR80"It is quite clear those blaming the Conservatives don't really understand the issues. The majority of homeless people I know are habitually homeless and do not want to engage withe the services that are readily available. I know of a number of homeless people who have been offered accommodation, but it comws qith conditions, no alcohol, no drugs, no visitors after 8pm etc. They don't want to do it, it is the INDIVIDUAL that choses to be homeless. The support IS there.'" Why are 3 times as many people “choosing” to be homeless now compared to 2010? Source https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/amp.theg ... ar-running

Quote ="Sir Kevin Sinfield"Why are 3 times as many people “choosing” to be homeless now compared to 2010? Source https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/amp.theg ... ar-running'" Ah yes, the unbiased Grundiad, left wing view by people who have probably never slept rough in their lives. Nobody who complies with the rules need be homeless, but if you want to smoke crack and be a street drinker even The Salvation Army are reluctant to take you in, and rightly so.

Quote ="Sir Kevin Sinfield"Why are 3 times as many people “choosing” to be homeless now compared to 2010? Source https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/amp.theg ... ar-running'" Ah yes, the unbiased Grundiad, left wing view by people who have probably never slept rough in their lives. Nobody who complies with the rules need be homeless, but if you want to smoke crack and be a street drinker even The Salvation Army are reluctant to take you in, and rightly so.