Explain to me the meaning of "council" (as used by Brits)
Discussion
I often read about "council house" and "if the council does this..." or "i'm sick of the council type of people" and so on and so forth. What exactly is it? My guess is some kind of a government related body, like a local government? What does it mean if someone lives in a council house?
Confused, help me out here!
Confused, help me out here!
In the UK "The Council" is indeed local government.
There are many variations but the ones you find around the whole of the country are Town or Borough councils and County Councils.
For me these are "Basingstoke and Deane Council" (a town and outlying area) and Hampshire County Council (a complete county).
A council raises local taxes and also recieves a grant from central government. They have local responsibilities for funding schools, hospitals, rubbish collection, social services and so on.
They have a permanent full-time employed staff and a controlling elected body of "councillors" - who are usually retired people. Councillors are paid but it's not enough to live on by itself.
One of the services local councils run is publicly owned accomodation or housing. "Council Houses". This form of accomodation is usually given to people who couldn't afford any other sort - but may also be given to "key workers" like policemen, teachers and other public servants - usually because they could not afford to live in the area in which they work.
This question of affordability does lead to the slang term: "she's a bit council". Generally a southern term for someone of little ability, living on benefits and living in a "council house". It's used to suggest someone of loose morals or casual criminality - even though there are perfectly decent people living in this form of accomodation.
HTH
There are many variations but the ones you find around the whole of the country are Town or Borough councils and County Councils.
For me these are "Basingstoke and Deane Council" (a town and outlying area) and Hampshire County Council (a complete county).
A council raises local taxes and also recieves a grant from central government. They have local responsibilities for funding schools, hospitals, rubbish collection, social services and so on.
They have a permanent full-time employed staff and a controlling elected body of "councillors" - who are usually retired people. Councillors are paid but it's not enough to live on by itself.
One of the services local councils run is publicly owned accomodation or housing. "Council Houses". This form of accomodation is usually given to people who couldn't afford any other sort - but may also be given to "key workers" like policemen, teachers and other public servants - usually because they could not afford to live in the area in which they work.
This question of affordability does lead to the slang term: "she's a bit council". Generally a southern term for someone of little ability, living on benefits and living in a "council house". It's used to suggest someone of loose morals or casual criminality - even though there are perfectly decent people living in this form of accomodation.
HTH
Marcellus said:
It's broadly similar to your "State" I think!
State Government is a far larger and more powerful body than either our county or borough councils. But I suppose the concept of the hierarchy of government is similar.Federal vs State government:
Central Government vs County Council. (ish).
Oh your from the USA.
Council, its essentially local government, the UK is divided into areas, like states are divided into counties. These areas are called councils, and are basically a local government office that receives money directly from the residents "council tax" as charged to home owners, for taking the trash and making sure the street lights work etc. They also receive quite a lot of money from central government money from goods and services taxes etc handed down to them if you like.
One of the areas these local bodies are responsible for is "Social and Housing services", if you need a home but cannot afford one, they have a pool of housing stock that they own and can rent out to you. Of course they are not exactly nice houses or in the best areas and the people who generally live in them are normally in receipt of other support from the government, such as unemployment benefits etc
Not an ideal system but it does mean people with nothing don't have to steal or beg to live like in the USA, keeps crime down by getting the government to rob the affluent on there behalf.
The stereotypical "council house tenant" is generally a single mum with no job, these are prioritized by the system for available housing as there seen as more needy.
I am sure there will be others who can explain it in more accurate detail.
Council, its essentially local government, the UK is divided into areas, like states are divided into counties. These areas are called councils, and are basically a local government office that receives money directly from the residents "council tax" as charged to home owners, for taking the trash and making sure the street lights work etc. They also receive quite a lot of money from central government money from goods and services taxes etc handed down to them if you like.
One of the areas these local bodies are responsible for is "Social and Housing services", if you need a home but cannot afford one, they have a pool of housing stock that they own and can rent out to you. Of course they are not exactly nice houses or in the best areas and the people who generally live in them are normally in receipt of other support from the government, such as unemployment benefits etc
Not an ideal system but it does mean people with nothing don't have to steal or beg to live like in the USA, keeps crime down by getting the government to rob the affluent on there behalf.
The stereotypical "council house tenant" is generally a single mum with no job, these are prioritized by the system for available housing as there seen as more needy.
I am sure there will be others who can explain it in more accurate detail.
Up until the 1960s, the bulk of the British popul;ation lived in rented properties - and a huge number of those properties were supplied by local government i.e. the county and local district councils. There was no shame in being brought up in a "Council House". I was.
With the arrival of Mrs Thatcher in the late 1970s, she began a crusade to turn the nation into a country of home owners. One quick way to achieve this was to allow council tenants to buy their rented houses from the local councils at extremely good and below market level prices. Millions of people availed of this oppoprtunity and then traded up making nice profits in the process.
As a result of this, the stock of available council housing grew less and less as more of these properties became part of the normal privately owned (or, more correctly, mortgaged) housing in the country. Only a hard core of indigent (and, in many peoples' opinions, feckkless and worthless) families and/or individuals remained in old style rented council housing. This is whee the stigma began to grow and it has now become pretty widespread. Some of it is justified - but a lot of it isn't.
Another twist to the tale is the fact that councils were ordered by central government to sell off their remaining housing stock to what are known as Housing Associations - which are independent of the council themselves and therefore not as accountable to the councillors and the people they represent.
With the arrival of Mrs Thatcher in the late 1970s, she began a crusade to turn the nation into a country of home owners. One quick way to achieve this was to allow council tenants to buy their rented houses from the local councils at extremely good and below market level prices. Millions of people availed of this oppoprtunity and then traded up making nice profits in the process.
As a result of this, the stock of available council housing grew less and less as more of these properties became part of the normal privately owned (or, more correctly, mortgaged) housing in the country. Only a hard core of indigent (and, in many peoples' opinions, feckkless and worthless) families and/or individuals remained in old style rented council housing. This is whee the stigma began to grow and it has now become pretty widespread. Some of it is justified - but a lot of it isn't.
Another twist to the tale is the fact that councils were ordered by central government to sell off their remaining housing stock to what are known as Housing Associations - which are independent of the council themselves and therefore not as accountable to the councillors and the people they represent.
AUDIHenry said:
I often read about "council house" and "if the council does this..." or "i'm sick of the council type of people" and so on and so forth. What exactly is it? My guess is some kind of a government related body, like a local government? What does it mean if someone lives in a council house?
Confused, help me out here!
Social. As in social housing. Owned by the state (local government in this case) and rented at usually significantly lower cost to people that dont have a reasonable income level.Confused, help me out here!
Unfortunatly in the UK, we have a sub class of people that simply dont want to provide for themselves by working hard, they seem to have a state of mind that says the 'state' owes them this subsidy of life, that they've somehow 'earned' a helping hand. Despite the fact that they've never actually made any kind of contribution in life. Unfortunatly, we also have a local government mind set of people that seem to agree that these people deserve state help.
Scroungers, supported by simpletons. Definition of 'council' I think.
The term council (cahncil) is used to describe a person usually of poor taste and breeding who has no idea how to behave in polite company and is generally a waste of flesh and blood.
Please note that the term does not apply to all in social or council housing however. Basically chavs (council house and violent) are in every walk of society and should be used as an alternative to foxes in hunting.
Please note that the term does not apply to all in social or council housing however. Basically chavs (council house and violent) are in every walk of society and should be used as an alternative to foxes in hunting.
As mentioned by me, very little of what used to be "Council Housing" is now actually owned by the councils. They are nearly all owned by separately constituted (and privately run) Housing Association companies.
Because of the shortage of council housing - councils are often forced to accomodate people in temporary accomodation such as bed and breakfast establishmemnts or privately owned houses.
The situation is extremely messy these dasy and has helped ensure those who rely on social housing are alienated and peripathetic.
Because of the shortage of council housing - councils are often forced to accomodate people in temporary accomodation such as bed and breakfast establishmemnts or privately owned houses.
The situation is extremely messy these dasy and has helped ensure those who rely on social housing are alienated and peripathetic.
wolf1 said:
wildoliver said:
Basically chavs (council house and violent)
The term CHAV was actually derived from Cheltenham Average which was a term used by the Cheltenham ladies school to describe the local youths,But I've also heard of Council House and Vermin which isn't inaccurate either.
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