Have just been reading comments under a Telegraph article on Facebook about young Afghans whose relatives in Afghanistan worked for the Brits sent off to reach the UK to join relatives. Endless comments from people who just read the headline, e.g. "Why cross several countries to reach the UK?", "They Just want to take advantage of our benefits", "Scandalous that Afghans are housed when so many Brits are on the waiting list", "Cowards who should have fought for their country", etc.

So selfish. If everyone had that "us first" attitude no-one would help anyone else, just themselves and their own family, never mind other people from the same country let alone foreigners.

If this was the time of the Kinder-transports these people would probably be whining about that too ("Why can't their parents look after them?", "They just want to sponge off us", "We have enough problems here, let them stay in Europe", etc.).

Oh yes Jo; for decades now I've been going on about Open All Borders as women and children have died on boats crossing the Channel and the Mediterranean. It is time humanity started looking after humanity; not tiny little selfish areas.

Well said both. I'm proud of my local councils in Surrey who seen to be leading the way in housing large numbers of refugees.

Wyot wrote:
Well said both. I'm proud of my local councils in Surrey who seen to be leading the way in housing large numbers of refugees.

Did they house ex-servicemen and women who went to Afghanistan also ?

It is very annoying for anyone who has been homeless, seen homeless, campaigned for homeless, stayed with abusers through fear of being homeless, lived with homeless, to see the money that was "not available to help" suddenly become a bottomless pit.

I don't want anyone anywhere to be homeless. But spending all that money on hotels is bloody stupid and false economy.
In the war we built prefabs that were unglamorous but adequate.
Lots are still going strong.
Even glorified sheds, caravans, shipping containers, whatever, for EVERYONE to at least be safe, has got to be better than wasting money on hotels for ever?

Honey wrote:
It is very annoying for anyone who has been homeless, seen homeless, campaigned for homeless, stayed with abusers through fear of being homeless, lived with homeless, to see the money that was "not available to help" suddenly become a bottomless pit.

I don't want anyone anywhere to be homeless. But spending all that money on hotels is bloody stupid and false economy.
In the war we built prefabs that were unglamorous but adequate.
Lots are still going strong.
Even glorified sheds, caravans, shipping containers, whatever, for EVERYONE to at least be safe, has got to be better than wasting money on hotels for ever?

Spot on !

Wasn't their a fad a while back on turning old shipping containers in to flats, kitted out with plumbing and electricity ? I wouldn't be surprised if the UK turns in to Marseille turning defunct shops in to houses and flats with the matching crime rate. I heard Cotswolds has a lot of green space be great for the overhaul of immigrants coming over. Oh yeah, the MP's and celebrities live there with second homes.

In the first lockdown my partner and I volunteered at soup kitchen feeding homeless with addictions and homeless with PTSD or legs and arms missing. I even heard stories that were sanctioned by DWP for turning down for for building sites or order pickers with 2 limbs missing. When they applied for PIP benefit they are on lowest amount - they are scared to appeal in case they lose even more.

Tax is going up but the general public won't see the benefits.

Universal Credit is being reduced - why don't the government just cap it for a few years ?

spot on Jo

and Honey yes correct re housing but it's another Thatcher disaster -preventing councils from replacing housing sold off.

Britain built millions of social housing and it helped make the country great (and wealthy)

## the late The Who manager Kit Lambert reckoned council housing and the dole allowed a generation of young Brits just enough freedom in the 60s to create a fabulous music boom that resulted in The Beatles being given their MBEs for helping Britain's balance of trade deficit.

In France any council must have a certain percentage of social housing. Most of Europe is similar.

New social housing in Russia would make many people jealous!

Even Australia is spending $Billions on social housing as is ..Joe Biden

Yes Thatcher created a huge problem by allowing social housing to be bought, privatised and put out of use for the needy. She was a utopian believing everyone could become " middle class".

However, I am with other posters as well in being frustrated that when it comes to it housing and money appears. We need long term solutions (and the media not to run endless stuff about scroungers living in million pound Kensington Town Houses).

TASS ( not Pravda)

"MOSCOW, July 1. / TASS /. Commissioning of housing in Russia in the first five months of 2021 increased by 28.4% compared to the previous year and reached 28.8 mln square meters, according to the Statistics Watchdog report released on Wednesday.

In particular, in May 2021, 5 million square meters of housing, which is 31.3% more than in May 2020. During the month, 444 apartment buildings were built, and the population built 22,100 residential buildings. A total of 58,900 new apartments have appeared. In general, over the five months of 2021, 2,700 apartment buildings were built, the population built 121,200 residential buildings. The total area of housing in houses built by individual developers has reached 16.3 million square meters or 56.6% of the total volume of housing commissioned in January-May 2021."