may have the wrong end of the stick....

[brandy]

ok was driving in the car today and listening to radio 1 ... amazing ability to multi task i know *G*
anyway.. they were going on about a plan that Gordon brown had for an institution, like the ones they had back in the day for young mothers?
anyone know what the crack is about it?
only got to listen to a few min of it as i was running errands!

[Venture]

I heard it on TV today. Something about putting young pregnant single girls in specially set up homes instead of giving them council flats.

[Sandra_B]

They were talking about that on "The Wright Stuff" this morning too, but I didn't catch all of it. Something along the lines of putting young mothers into "institutions" with people to look after them and advise them instead of putting them into a flat and leaving them to sink or swim. (I think). It sounded a bit strange to me.

Hopefully someone else here can give us the real story.

[ciderally]

as far as i can gather ....instead of handing out council houses to teenage mothers, they are going to have assisted homes whare they can get help if needed....

[ShelleyCowie]

Not to cause a keffuffle but em, i know i would be rather uncomfortable and insulted if i was placed in a home like that. Fair enough some teenage mothers might benefit from it.

I had already had a home before having athrun, my OH has 2 other kids aswell so i know what i was doing.

Wonder if it is for even younger mums? Example below 16 years of age?

Anyone got any further info?

[luskentyre]

Part of the story here http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/8283198.stm

[starry]

He said in his speech that this is intended to help 16 and 17 year olds in receipt of benefits who will be given places in supported mother baby units rather than given a council house/flat and no support.

[crayola]

He said in his speech that this is intended to help 16 and 17 year olds in receipt of benefits who will be given places in supported mother baby units rather than given a council house/flat and no support.

Indeed he did. I read it as a populist proposal by a prime minister who's staring down the end of the barrel of a very large electoral gun.

He's been listening to complaints about teenage girls getting pregnant solely to jump to the top of the housing list and thereby to obtain council housing before established families. He wants the votes of the complainants.

[Bobinovich]

...especially as the few he's targetting are not even of voting age yet

[crayola]

Good point! He could be on to a winner here.

[Kevin Milkins]

I listened to Mr Browns speech on the radio yesterday, (only because I was marooned in the vehicle at Lidl waiting for Mrs M) and although I find him incredibly droll to listen to, I found the overall proposal a sensible one.

The debate that followed with several people that have to deal with issues of very young teenage mothers seemed to welcome the proposal, and although I hate to say it, but for one Mr Brown sounded as if he had something interesting and sensible to say.

[Phill]

Just think about this, the guys a genius!

Set up the workhouses for all the single mums, oh, and then you can throw in the unemployed and a few homeless as well.
I doub't any illegal immigrants would end up in there as that's not PC is it.

Wowser, societies problems have all gone away.

Hey, I tell you what. Let's build some huge hospital type places, but with bars on the windows, like a prison but not a prison. And we can shove all the people with mental health problems in there then.
If we can't see and hear them it's not a problem is it.

Oh hang on....this gets better, what about poor people. We can't have them hanging about either, lets shove them off to their own place out of our sight to.
Giv' em some bit's of tin and a tarpaulin and they can build there own little town.

Awww, bless 'im. He'll be telling us about how he saved the world from financial ruin next.


I'm tellin' ya, the trebuchet party is looking good!

[sids]

Personally, I'd like to see this going ahead. It might put some of having kids just to get a house. I think it would be better than shoving them into a house with no support and then wondering why it all goes wrong, I know of quite a few who's houses are 'party houses' with all sorts sofa surfing in and out, not to mention the thousands of pounds worth of damage caused to properties. Speak to anyone down your local housing office and they will say the same thing. They don't like having to hand houses over to 16 year olds who have been dumped by their families or young people coming out of care having a child so they have someone to 'love'.
I believe here the council could build a supported accomodation but finances don't stretch to staffing it, seems crazy.