Councillor tells woman to "live in the real world"

[PintOfKittens]

One of Britain's highest paid councillors told a single mother facing eviction to "live in the real world" when she asked for his advice.

Brian Coleman, a senior member of Boris Johnson's administration and leading Barnet councillor, responded to Sharada Osman's appeal for help by telling her that people in her situation should "deal with their own issues".

....

Ms Osman told the Standard: "I cannot believe how much of a hypocrite he is. I was shocked and incredibly upset when he sent me that email. I felt like he was treating me like scum. I was genuinely asking for his help. I wasn't demanding anything."

John Biggs, Labour's deputy leader on the London Assembly, said: "This is rank hypocrisy from a man who's lived the high life at the public's expense for years."

http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/article-240...

Am I the only one who doesn't see an issue with the response?

[M@verick]

I do not think anyone could comment on this fully or pass judgement without seeing the correspondence in full.

What I would say is, the lady in question appears to have received an unhelpful reply. However it is of absolutely no consequence what the councillor earns personally or how he is funded.

R.

[Mr Whippy]

Well she could tell us what the problem is with moving somewhere cheaper, working harder/longer, finding a better paid job, cutting back on some luxuries etc etc...

Anyone living in £950 pcm is doing 'ok' for themselves imo.


I believe she should live in the real bloody world! If you want nice things in life, you have to work hard for them.

Dave

[PIGINAWIG]

Response looks fine to me. The man went to Uni, paid his dues and earns £120,000 per year - not a massive income these days. Good on him for being blunt. She can't turn to prostitution either - she is pig ugly.

[Countdown]

Apologies for going O/T but, elsewhere on the above linky

http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/article-240...



It gets better

The London Evening Standard said:

In Lambeth police recovered 10,000 in crack cocaine after Tasering a suspected drug dealer who resisted arrest.

[Fittster]

PIGINAWIG said:

earns £120,000 per year - not a massive income these days.

4.5 times the UK average wage, which puts him in the top 1% of earners.

[Digga]

Countdown said:

Apologies for going O/T but, elsewhere on the above linky

http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/article-240...

Good show.

As for the OP, what if we all wanted to live in subsidised housing in North Finchley, what should the council do then?

[RedWhiteMonkey]

PIGINAWIG said:

The man went to Uni, paid his dues and earns £120,000 per year - not a massive income these days.

The man may justify it but £120,000 is a large salary to the majority of the population. Obviously, not on these forums where everyone is company director with godlike driving skills and a powerfully built physique.

1000 posts!

[williamp]

so did she send a begging letter, and he didnt send cash??

[Cupramax]

Not surprised at his reply. If your privately renting and the landlord puts the price up, you have two choices, suck it up or move... end of. Nothing whatsoever to do with the council.

[dwilkie]

Whilst it was perhaps a little blunt, he wasn't being a "hypocrite" in my mind.

Hell I have a live at home partner and a baby in a £700 PCM house in sodding Gosport and I've had to cut out a lot of things and find a new job to make that sustainable.

If only I had a powerfully built physique, maybe I could become a company director and these woes would be behind me.

Maybe his response should have just been

Step 1 - Go to the Gym (lots)
Step 2 - Start a Company
Step 3 - ???
Step 4 - Profit

[carmonk]

A rude, incompetent councillor and a simple, whining mother. Neither is worthy of a news item, even in combo.

[Digga]

dwilkie said:

Whilst it was perhaps a little blunt, he wasn't being a "hypocrite" in my mind.

Hell I have a live at home partner and a baby in a £700 PCM house in sodding Gosport and I've had to cut out a lot of things and find a new job to make that sustainable.

If only I had a powerfully built physique, maybe I could become a company director and these woes would be behind me.

Maybe his response should have just been

Step 1 - Go to the Gym (lots)
Step 2 - Start a Company
Step 3 - ???
Step 4 - Profit

Step 3 is Grow Goatee.

HTH

[T84]

PIGINAWIG said:

The man went to Uni, paid his dues and earns £120,000 per year - not a massive income these days.

Shall we send him a food parcel?

Once again, PH astonishes.

[.:ian:.]

Mr Whippy said:

Well she could tell us what the problem is with moving somewhere cheaper, working harder/longer, finding a better paid job, cutting back on some luxuries etc etc...

TFA said:

..unemployed Ms Osman..

Some more interesting points mentioned here :
http://www.times-series.co.uk/news/9312145.Labour___ordinary_people_can_no_longer_afford_private_rents_/

OtherFA said:

However, when Ms Osman explained her situation in an email to Cllr Coleman, he replied wishing her well in her return to employment and suggested she turn to the private sector for housing because there will never be enough council houses available.

OtherFA said:

Shelter’s report shows that Barnet’s average private sector monthly rent is £1,202 (based on a two-bedroom property), putting it in the top 15 most expensive London boroughs for private sector rent.

So shes still paying below average rent for Barnet..

[carmonk]

OtherFA said:

However, when Ms Osman explained her situation in an email to Cllr Coleman, he replied wishing her well in her return to employment and suggested she turn to the private sector for housing because there will never be enough council houses available.

So it sounds like

1) She sent an email asking for advice with her situation
2) He replied somewhat briefly and was unable to magic up anything beyond the obvious
3) She expected special treatment and showed her arse when she didn't get it
4) He, unprofessionally, sent a snidey email back
5) Her sense of entitlement balooned to media-worthy proportions and she went to the press

fk me. Whilst someone in his position should have done more to explain his answer, and not been such a dick, it must be obvious to anybody with half a brain that if they can't afford to live in a certain place they should move. Or get another job. Or get on the fking internet and find what extra benefits they're entitled to. We lived in Finchley and it was too expensive so you know what... we left and lived somewhere cheaper. Incredible but true.

[PIGINAWIG]

T84 said:

PIGINAWIG said:

The man went to Uni, paid his dues and earns £120,000 per year - not a massive income these days.

Shall we send him a food parcel?

Once again, PH astonishes.

My post stated his income - among councillors, politicians etc... 120K is not a huge income. The headmistress at the local primary school commands 72K - this is a Greater London school operated by the local council.

By all means send him a food parcel - Caviar would be well received.

[Kermit power]

Well, someone certainly doesn't like him!



We haven't seen the correspondence, but he does on face value seem to come across as something of a cock. If she did specifically say she was looking for advice to avoid having to apply for a council house, then it certainly looks as though he didn't bother to even actually read it properly before replying.

I don't see anything wrong with him telling her he can't help, but I certainly do see something wrong with his communication in telling her. He's an elected public servant, and it's not exactly unreasonable for one of his constituents to email him asking for advice, is it? Is it beyond the realms of common courtesy for him just to prepare a stock email for this sort of question (which, given his position, I have to assume he gets asked more than once in a blue moon) with details of Shelter, the CAB or whomever else can help?

Just because you're not the right person to help, that doesn't mean you should be rude in saying so.

[obob]

Digga said:

dwilkie said:

Whilst it was perhaps a little blunt, he wasn't being a "hypocrite" in my mind.

Hell I have a live at home partner and a baby in a £700 PCM house in sodding Gosport and I've had to cut out a lot of things and find a new job to make that sustainable.

If only I had a powerfully built physique, maybe I could become a company director and these woes would be behind me.

Maybe his response should have just been

Step 1 - Go to the Gym (lots)
Step 2 - Start a Company
Step 3 - ???
Step 4 - Profit

Step 3 is Grow Goatee.

HTH

Pfft!! 1 company???? Spacker, you need at least 3 to even earn an average income of 2 gazillion Ugandan dollars.

[M@verick]

PIGINAWIG said:

T84 said:

PIGINAWIG said:

The man went to Uni, paid his dues and earns £120,000 per year - not a massive income these days.

Shall we send him a food parcel?

Once again, PH astonishes.

My post stated his income - among councillors, politicians etc... 120K is not a huge income. The headmistress at the local primary school commands 72K - this is a Greater London school operated by the local council.

By all means send him a food parcel - Caviar would be well received.

Seriously - What has the councillors wage got to do with ANYTHING ?. It is utterly irrelevant to the fact that this woman did not get the answer she wanted.

R.