London Mayor

[Fwiffo]

As a former Londoner - you Brits and Londoners (one exists on this forum) - have at it:

London's bitter mayoral race

"But some 44 per cent of Londoners come from an ethnic minority background. And there are many in the city who say it's time for that to be reflected in the Mayor's office.

Travers says it would send an important signal.

"If [Khan] were to win I think a lot of the British and London political class, whatever their politics, would see it as evidence that you know London really was sort of a cosmopolitan place. Outward looking. Comfortable with diversity.'"

Blimey - it's not someone from Eton?

 

[COG]

Yes, diversity is very good

 

[Arnathor]

 

[Monkeyface]

As a former Londoner - you Brits and Londoners (one exists on this forum) - have at it:

London's bitter mayoral race

"But some 44 per cent of Londoners come from an ethnic minority background. And there are many in the city who say it's time for that to be reflected in the Mayor's office.

Travers says it would send an important signal.

"If [Khan] were to win I think a lot of the British and London political class, whatever their politics, would see it as evidence that you know London really was sort of a cosmopolitan place. Outward looking. Comfortable with diversity.'"

Blimey - it's not someone from Eton?

As long as Boris leaves it's fine by me

 

[Fwiffo]

As long as Boris leaves it's fine by me

I'm fairly sure he is only there in body and not spirit ever since he decided to run for MP. I'm not sure how you can do both jobs at once.

 

[Monkeyface]

I'm fairly sure he is only there in body and not spirit ever since he decided to run for MP. I'm not sure how you can do both jobs at once.

He hasn't done his original job in the first place. He had no experience whatsoever going into office. This year just 5k houses have been built, while it's projected 100k people will move to London. Housing being completed is at its lowest level since the 90s, and most of the completed projects are not deemed as affordable (defined as 80% of average market rent). Moreover, crime stats are going up as well for the first time in a long time.

 

[doghouse]

 

[QuandoDio]

As long as Boris leaves it's fine by me

I agree. He was more interested in self-promotion than doing his doing job. It was a stepping stone to his dream job anyway.

Tories ran an awful campaign between, truly shambolic; focusing on the fact that Khan is 'brown' in a left-leaning city like London wasn't a smart play.

 

[Jan Libourel]

If it's a Masonic meeting, as the All-Seeing Eye of God would indicate, why is a woman there?

 

[Fwiffo]

http://www.bbc.com/news/election-2016-36232392

#YesWeKhan
"Mr Khan is the city's first Muslim mayor, after beating Tory Zac Goldsmith by 1,310,143 votes to 994,614."

 

[Monkeyface]

http://www.bbc.com/news/election-2016-36232392

#YesWeKhan
"Mr Khan is the city's first Muslim mayor, after beating Tory Zac Goldsmith by 1,310,143 votes to 994,614."

Hope he can achieve his goals when it comes to housing.

 

[COG]

 

[COG]

If it's a Masonic meeting, as the All-Seeing Eye of God would indicate, why is a woman there?

Trannies everywhere nowadays.

 

[Grand Potentate]

Hope he can achieve his goals when it comes to housing.

Is he going to drive all the Russians and their money out?

 

[Monkeyface]

Is he going to drive all the Russians and their money out?

That happened a while ago when the sanctions came into effect, the oil price tanked and taxes for second homes increased. The top end of the market has gone down by 15% and stock isn't really moving anymore. My neighborhood has gone down 6% since the start of the year, hoping for a bit more.

Anyways, foreign investment isn't really the problem when it comes to affordable flats. People using London real estate as bank accounts tend to go for flats in the west end, £2mm+.

It's a simple supply problem, as not enough affordable, sub £1mm flats are being built. It baffles me how regular Londoners are even supposed to buy a home without the help of the bank of mom & dad, when you take into account the fact that the average salary is £35k and has been stagnant for the past decade.

 

[Grand Potentate]

It's a simple supply problem, as not enough affordable, sub £1mm flats are being built. It baffles me how regular Londoners are even supposed to buy a home without the help of the bank of mom & dad, when you take into account the fact that the average salary is £35k and has been stagnant for the past decade.

they're not supposed to, that's the point. the proles are supposed to live outside the city and the city is supposed to be for the rich. see: new york.

 

[Monkeyface]

they're not supposed to, that's the point. the proles are supposed to live outside the city and the city is supposed to be for the rich. see: new york.

New York is cheaper with a higher average salary. Hell, the commute from New Jersey to Penn Station is about 30mins, so even Colco can afford to live relatively close to Manhattan. Certain parts of Harlem and Brooklyn are relatively affordable as well compared to London and also have a less than 30min commute. The commute from the more affordable parts of London to the city centre can be up to 2 hours.

If I were to move to NY I'd instantly make 20% more and rent would be 20% less.

 

[Grand Potentate]

New York is cheaper with a higher average salary. Hell, the commute from New Jersey to Penn Station is about 30mins, so even Colco can afford to live relatively close to Manhattan. Certain parts of Harlem and Brooklyn are relatively affordable as well compared to London and also have a less than 30min commute. The commute from the more affordable parts of London to the city centre can be up to 2 hours.

If I were to move to NY I'd instantly make 20% more and rent would be 20% less.

yes, i know. london is even worse than NY.

 

[Scherensammler]

I find it strange (yet not surprising) that it's OK to call the Labour party "anti-Semitic" based on a social media comment by a Labour MP, supporting the idea of moving Israel to the US to solve one of the problems with/ in the ME (she was forced to apologize), while it's also OK to call Mr. Khan a Muslim extremist and not apologize for it.
Or maybe the Tories deliberately torpedoed Zac Goldsmith's campaign to get rid of/ avoid another prominent EU critic a la Boris Johnson.

 

[COG]

I find it strange (yet not surprising) that it's OK to call the Labour party "anti-Semitic" based on a social media comment by a Labour MP, supporting the idea of moving Israel to the US to solve one of the problems with/ in the ME (she was forced to apologize), while it's also OK to call Mr. Khan a Muslim extremist and not apologize for it.
Or maybe the Tories deliberately torpedoed Zac Goldsmith's campaign to get rid of/ avoid another prominent EU critic a la Boris Johnson.

Anti-Semitism! Next you'll be saying that London housing might be better if all the alien population were not there! We know your kind. You probably don't even have any trans friends.

 

[Scherensammler]

Actually, the housing situation is the same in most major cities these days.
I don't get why Britons are so obsessed with buying a house.
The old ones are mostly not fit for purpose (or the local climate, given poor heating, plumbing and insulation) and (at least up here in the North) insanely small to begin with. Why pay 100.000 GBP for a house the size of a shoe box, then spend hours on end (and a lot of money) to fix it only in the hope to sell it at a much higher price and buy a bigger house (and start over again).
As a little revenge the new mayor could have road works started near the homes of those who campaigned against him.
Cut off water and energy supply in the process as well. And then apologize 2 weeks later for any inconvenience.

 

[Monkeyface]

Actually, the housing situation is the same in most major cities these days.
I don't get why Britons are so obsessed with buying a house.
The old ones are mostly not fit for purpose (or the local climate, given poor heating, plumbing and insulation) and (at least up here in the North) insanely small to begin with. Why pay 100.000 GBP for a house the size of a shoe box, then spend hours on end (and a lot of money) to fix it only in the hope to sell it at a much higher price and buy a bigger house (and start over again).
As a little revenge the new mayor could have road works started near the homes of those who campaigned against him.
Cut off water and energy supply in the process as well. And then apologize 2 weeks later for any inconvenience.

Yes, the state of houses in the North and Scotland is abysmal. Poorly built and hardly maintained. I'd only buy land there and build something new. Now many flats in London suffer from the same problems, but there nice new builds and well maintained older houses if you're willing/able to pay for it.

 

[Scherensammler]

There a few nice houses up here as well, proper estates with amazing gardens and such.
Some are actually a bargain compared to London prices.
Trouble is that many councils (so I have been told) have sold off their houses for very little money to the long time occupants. And now the councils don't have the money to build new ones.
It also doesn't help that the wages of workers haven't gone up the same percentage prices (in general and for houses in particular) have.
There also seems to be a culture of fixing stuff only in a way to may it work just so again.
If there were as many tailors as there are plumbers and joiners driving around, the UK would be the bespoke customer's paradise (and not Naples).

 

[Monkeyface]

The lack of maintenance in Scotland compared to the rest of Europe really surprised me. Everything is dirty, cracked, broken and in need of some paint. Such a shame.

 

[prince nez]

The lack of maintenance in Scotland compared to the rest of Europe really surprised me. Everything is dirty, cracked, broken and in need of some paint. Such a shame.

You know "Scotsman" is synonymous with "tightarse" for a reason right?

 

[Scherensammler]

You know "Scotsman" is synonymous with "tightarse" for a reason right?

It's more a matter of low income/ poverty than being a "tightarse"!

 

[Monkeyface]

It's more a matter of low income/ poverty than being a "tightarse"!

True, but even relatively well off cities like Edinburgh show the same lack of maintenance. It's really too bad, because there are loads of beautiful buildings there. Nice housing prices though. Studio in London = 5 bed mansion (in need of some paint) in Edinburgh

 

[prince nez]

It's more a matter of low income/ poverty than being a "tightarse"!

One follows from the other...!

 

[LKP]

New York is cheaper with a higher average salary. Hell, the commute from New Jersey to Penn Station is about 30mins, so even Colco can afford to live relatively close to Manhattan. Certain parts of Harlem and Brooklyn are relatively affordable as well compared to London and also have a less than 30min commute. The commute from the more affordable parts of London to the city centre can be up to 2 hours.

If I were to move to NY I'd instantly make 20% more and rent would be 20% less.

100.000 points for mentioning COLCO

 

[fxh]

Ha one of my brothers lives in Scotland. He said the local tradesmen were complaining to the paper about Polish tradesmen. And unfair competition. The Polish were taking away jobs from local carpenters, plasterers, plumbers etc by - wait for it - turning up on time, being reliable, completing jobs, doing good job and not charging too much.

 

[Scherensammler]

Ha one of my brothers lives in Scotland. He said the local tradesmen were complaining to the paper about Polish tradesmen. And unfair competition. The Polish were taking away jobs from local carpenters, plasterers, plumbers etc by - wait for it - turning up on time, being reliable, completing jobs, doing good job and not charging too much.

Not just in Scotland, all over the UK. They are ruining the age old tradition of getting hammered several days a week and calling in sick. The latter is actually something new, since the Scottish authorities implied stricter rules when it comes to drunk driving.
Once the UK leaves the EU the good old days will return...

 

[doghouse]

And unfair competition. The Polish were taking away jobs from local carpenters, plasterers, plumbers etc by - wait for it - turning up on time, being reliable, completing jobs, doing good job and not charging too much.

They are ruining the age old tradition of getting hammered several days a week and calling in sick.

We call them Mexicans here.

 

[prince nez]

Ha one of my brothers lives in Scotland. He said the local tradesmen were complaining to the paper about Polish tradesmen. And unfair competition. The Polish were taking away jobs from local carpenters, plasterers, plumbers etc by - wait for it - turning up on time, being reliable, completing jobs, doing good job and not charging too much.

Not just in Scotland, all over the UK. They are ruining the age old tradition of getting hammered several days a week and calling in sick. The latter is actually something new, since the Scottish authorities implied stricter rules when it comes to drunk driving.
Once the UK leaves the EU the good old days will return...

 

[doghouse]

I will say Monkeyface is dead right on this. The billionaire criminals don't have shit to do with the house crunch in London. The UK as a whole is insanely ridiculous on not building houses. It's one of the most bizarre things I've ever witnessed. At the pace its going, literally no one from the current up and coming generation will be able to buy a house.

 

[Scherensammler]

I will say Monkeyface is dead right on this. The billionaire criminals don't have shit to do with the house crunch in London. The UK as a whole is insanely ridiculous on not building houses. It's one of the most bizarre things I've ever witnessed. At the pace its going, literally no one from the current up and coming generation will be able to buy a house.

It's a Western world general problem. All countries are (more or less) broke.
The US is blowing tax payers money on their military operations, EU countries spend it on benefits and now migrants.
Social housing is probably at the bottom of the list of priorities right now.

Actually, a lot of rich kids are either moving into or investing in London property.
So once the hilariously expensive houses and flats in the centre of London were gone the neighbouring areas became a target with the prices rising.
I had to look for a flat in the Hamburg region a few years ago. Same situation, I had to go for flats at least 1 1/2 hours commute away.
The Polish workers come for work and they get stuff done. They are also more qualified than a lot of German or UK folk, who prefer to sit on their asses and just cash in benefits.
The in-work benefits sent to Poland were/ are a ridiculously small amount compared to what the local people get paid.
The government has limited the amount of housing benefits, so a lot of families are being resettled to places outside of London.

 

[doghouse]

It's a Western world general problem. All countries are (more or less) broke.
The US is blowing tax payers money on their military operations, EU countries spend it on benefits and now migrants.
Social housing is probably at the bottom of the list of priorities right now.

Actually, a lot of rich kids are either moving into or investing in London property.
So once the hilariously expensive houses and flats in the centre of London were gone the neighbouring areas became a target with the prices rising.
I had to look for a flat in the Hamburg region a few years ago. Same situation, I had to go for flats at least 1 1/2 hours commute away.
The Polish workers come for work and they get stuff done. They are also more qualified than a lot of German or UK folk, who prefer to sit on their asses and just cash in benefits.
The in-work benefits sent to Poland were/ are a ridiculously small amount compared to what the local people get paid.
The government has limited the amount of housing benefits, so a lot of families are being resettled to places outside of London.

Well, you've encapsulated the problem in one post. The UK (and Western Europe, but to a much smaller degree) live in some sort of bizarro parallel universe where social housing is the only option. Not only is it not the only option, it's usually the worst option. Builders need to build. People get affordable places to live, the economy gets a boost, and the tax rolls get an injection. It's really one of the most puzzling things I have ever witnessed, no hyperbole.

In the US, social housing is such a small percentage of the housing stock it's practically a rounding error. We currently have a huge supply issue as well, but that is more down to things like labor costs for builders and regulatory burdens which have added about 30% to the cost in the past 10 or 15 years, not to mention the knock on effect of people still getting out from under the old mortgage which isn't allowing people to trade up and free entry level inventory. There just isn't enough margin in affordable housing to absorb that kind of increase. You are seeing a lot of multi family rental units go up now. I think we have done at least half a dozen of them in the past two years.

 

[fxh]

You are seeing a lot of multi family rental units go up now. I think we have done at least half a dozen of them in the past two years.

I don't understand your meaning here doggie.

 

[doghouse]

I don't understand your meaning here doggie.

These sorts of places.

 

[Monkeyface]

Well, you've encapsulated the problem in one post. The UK (and Western Europe, but to a much smaller degree) live in some sort of bizarro parallel universe where social housing is the only option. Not only is it not the only option, it's usually the worst option. Builders need to build. People get affordable places to live, the economy gets a boost, and the tax rolls get an injection. It's really one of the most puzzling things I have ever witnessed, no hyperbole.

In the US, social housing is such a small percentage of the housing stock it's practically a rounding error. We currently have a huge supply issue as well, but that is more down to things like labor costs for builders and regulatory burdens which have added about 30% to the cost in the past 10 or 15 years, not to mention the knock on effect of people still getting out from under the old mortgage which isn't allowing people to trade up and free entry level inventory. There just isn't enough margin in affordable housing to absorb that kind of increase. You are seeing a lot of multi family rental units go up now. I think we have done at least half a dozen of them in the past two years.

I was about to say that social housing is not the issue. How do you get builders to build more housing though? There must be some economic reason why they aren't doing it, otherwise it'd be a great opportunity.

 

[doghouse]

I was about to say that social housing is not the issue. How do you get builders to build more housing though? There must be some economic reason why they aren't doing it, otherwise it'd be a great opportunity.

All the ones I talk to say it's impossible to get approval to build anything. And on top of that, trying to buy a house is a several month affair for approval. It's insane.