Palatial!

Papers yesterday were making much of the expensive council property in Ealing, London. In fact to accommodate a family of seven the Council is renting from the private sector a seven bedroom house.

It is estimated that with all other benefits the family is enjoying a total of £170,000 a year. The housing itself is costing more than the Kents are paying for luxury apartments in central London.

The (Conservative run) council, aghast at what its housing staff have done, have sacked two staff members although they protested that they had done nothing wrong, but merely applied the rules and found housing for a family in need."

If they are right, then there must be something wrong with the rules. In April this year the government introduced the Local Housing Allowance (LHA), which laid down details of appropriate property and maximum rents to be paid to landlords. In this way tenants and landlords can discover the maximum LHA available before they reach an agreement.

Is there any surprise that landlords fight for the maximum, and that weak controls over public money ensue that council housing staff do not fight very hard to obtain less?

It may be the case that the council has over-reacted in sacking two members of staff. The fault was perhaps not theirs but a silly system instituted by central government.

It's not much of a consolation to those struggling to pay council tax on limited means, or facing ever higher food and energy prices with a reduced post-tax income.