LABOUR’S new housing minister walked straight into a spin row last night.

 

In her first speech in the job, Caroline Flint raised the idea of forcing unemployed people applying for council homes to sign a contract first, promising that they are actively looking for jobs.

 

At first, she said, the contract could be given to new tenants. But there was no reason why it couldn’t be extended to existing tenants, too.

 

Last night several critics said the plan evoked images of Victorian workhouses.

 

But even before the minister stood up to give her speech, the policy was exposed as “classic Labour spin” by her Conservative shadow minister Grant Shapps.

 

“This is the Government trying to grab the headlines with spin that they cannot legally enforce,” he said. “It sounds tough – but it is meaningless.

 

“Ministers and local councils have a statutory duty to house homeless families with children. We can’t boot them out of their houses without providing alternative accommodation.”

 

Do YOU think scroungers should lose their council houses? Should the unemployed sign a contract promising they will look for jobs before they apply for a council house?

 

Source: Sunday Express

 

they cant turn people out on the street, so its a stupid non - workable idea, though i like it!

i agree with it, tho it would never happen

I dont particularly like chavs or scroungers, but I like this completely mean-spirited, spiteful idea even less, one thing to kick people out for being anti-social, obnoxious and criminal, quite another thing to kick someone out just because they dont have a job... We dont have enough of a Homeless problem in this country ffs....? <_<