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Mother in £2.6m council house asks for cheaper home
Mark Blunden22.12.08
A mother of four who receives more than £90,000 a year from taxpayers to live in Notting Hill today offered to move out of her £2.6million home.
Francesca Walker was moved into the large townhouse, which costs £1,755 a week in rent, by council chiefs in September and now has David Cameron, Hugh Grant and Richard Curtis as her neighbours.
It is the latest case in the clash between councils and the Government over housing benefit since it emerged that a family of Afghan immigrants were housed in a £1.2million Acton house.
Councils blame the Government for onerous legislation which forces them to rehouse homeless council tenants within the borough while the Department for Work and Pensions blames the council for not looking hard enough. Today, Miss Walker also criticised the system saying she was "not a greedy person".
She said: "I would rather not be here. Council housing would be fine for me. My personal circumstances are not really anybody's business - you just need to look at housing policy."
Experts today called for a reform of the housing benefits system, saying taxpayers should not be funding luxury lifestyles for those out of work.
Susie Squire, campaign manager for the TaxPayers Alliance, said: "At a time when people are struggling to make mortgage payments, this amount of money spent on amazing mansions sends a very bad message.
"Also, landlords have to stop exploiting taxpayers' generosity. Every week that goes by we are paying thousands of pounds.
"Councils need to work harder to find more affordable housing and we need to stop the greedy landlords. It's very clear that the system is broken - why isn't it being reformed?"
Miss Walker's neighbours also attacked the move. One neighbour in her forties who did not want to be named, said: "I was stunned when I found out they were living here at the council's expense. They are the first council tenants we've ever had as neighbours.
"You have to question the wisdom of the decision - it doesn't seem very efficient."
Another neighbour, 52, who also did not want to be named, added: "This is a very middle-class, high-earning street. We don't begrudge them the right to live here but it is not great value for council taxpayers. They've had amazing luck. It's far beyond most people's reach."
A spokesman for the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea said the council's hands were tied. He said: "We are prisoners of the housing benefit system. When someone is homeless we have to find suitable accommodation.
School places and family connections severely limit any scope for moving people to cheaper areas. Kensington and Chelsea is one of the world's most expensive property markets and five-bedroom properties are in incredibly short supply.
"We are doing what follows from the housing benefit laws."
A spokesman from the DWP said: "We are reviewing the whole housing business system and will publish a paper in January. We want to make sure that it is fair to people who need support but that it is also fair to the taxpayer."
The Notting Hill house occupied by Miss Walker is owned by gynaecologist Nigel Armstrong who offered it for rent through Foxtons, and now lives in another west London borough.
Reader views (17)
I think this a waste of tax payer money i sure the council can find the a cheaper option, Why do council is wasting are money when they can be use on things like opening more schools .....and much more.
- traverso Olivier, United Kingdom
In a Lndon Hospital a small baby is desperately trying to go home with his parents but the Council cannot find them some
where to live. Here we have all these healthy people happily arriving here and occupying a piece of prime property. No wonder people who are English emigrate.
- Amber In Mitcham, Mitcham Surrey
Landlords on good thing ? who else outside the family is benefiting ... makes one think !
- David, Margate , Kent
Many people move to better their lot - including this family, which has already moved about 2,000 milesto do just that. I am sure that they would not really object to moving another dozen or so miles to Erith or Woolwich or such like to find adequate accommodation. Were they ever offered something else?
- W R Stevenson, London
Next to go bankrupt is Councils,,,
Pick on.. and bet on it.. it might just happen
remember to do your research,, afterall those who bet on britains biggest banks to fall made alot of money. Money are to be made when people like the council made bad bad decisions and laziness
- Paul, Manchester
whats gone wrong with england
- Brendon Holmes, barcelona spain
well what do expect from gordens gang they promise the world.
- G.Stocker, ilford essex
It is about time that the Nu Labor state inbreds learn that there is an economic crisis that lives here in this country and that our situation does not allow to raise the amount of tax anymore that these freeloader state communist dependents desire. Enough is enough Bean Brown!!
- Jacqueline, Hampstead, London
I am sick of this. I work my butt off and have done for + years and some idiot takes my hard earned dosh and proceeds to give it away.
- Robert Sanderson, london
Yes the council sold of most of their housing stock, but what did they do with the money they received for this stock. Instead of putting it back into building houses or updating the stock they have they obviously squandered it. It is not their money to waste it is ours so they don't care.
- Claire, London
There is nothing wrong with the family living there. They need a home. There wouldn't be a problem at all with council accomodation if the Tories hadn't have sold the council houses in the 80s with right to buy. This is the reason why familys and those qualifying for council assistance are staying in accommodation most of us would only dream of. There is no where else. This is the fault of the Conservative Government of the time, not the individuals concerned.
- Jayne Clark, Essex
What's wrong with this picture benifit, Scroungers. get Rent paid, council tax paid, free prescriptions, free school dinners for their kids, if mortgage holder interest is paid, a clothing allowance for the kids, free milk for under 5's. Free medical/Dentist
plus other items paid for like opticians. disability gives an allowance for a car. I often wonder how a disabled peson drives, or produces kids.
I also wonder how a genuine wage earnr paying taxes feels about what he see's around him/her. I guess you have to sing the red flag to get ahead by being a non worker. You can bet your sweet life the lazy b----sds claiming benefit will cry in their tea andbeer and smoke another fag when this lot get booted out of government.
- Ebin Donk, yo1 6ds
Why all the fuss Keith? Because I am fed up working hard, struggling to make ends meet for my family and paying for-ever higher taxes for the benefit of others, who, in the main, have no intention to work or contribute to society in any shape or form. Honestly Keith, GBP 90k a year, don't know about you but I certainly don't earn this and probably never will, despite working all the hours God send. And please don't even try to suggest that with four kids one can't work because many of us do or that it is all down to housing policy. Granted the policy is wrong and outrageous but believe me those people will find a way to claim for whatever they need even if/when the policy is changed.
- Daniel, London
-Keith Price, Luton, England
I take it you don't pay any council tax then, if you think this sort of nonsense is accepatable?
- P I Staker, London
The family have nothing wrong. Whatever the house's value is, does not come into it. The family will never own it, so why all the fuss?
- Keith Price, Luton, England
So the next time your council turns around and puts up your council tax and claims they still don't have enough money, take a look at their wage details, quite often better than city wages and then look harder at their housing policy. You don't need to go to the third world looking for corruption and injustice..........
- Sandy, London
Not surprised this is only the tip of the iceberg of the high levels or corruption at Council level, and why are cash straped local authorities wasting investing millions of tax payers money in Icelandic shares, what is going on?
- Gordon, UK
