£100,000-a-year Dobson defends his council house

[Hopeless Romantic]

Former Cabinet minister Frank Dobson has claimed he could not afford to move from his £1million council home into a private flat despite earning £66,000 a year.

The Labour MP, who lives in one of Britain's most expensive council houses in north London, criticised government plans to make council residents pay market rates for their homes or face being kicked out to make way for poorer families.

Mr Dobson, 71, the former health secretary, lives in a three-bedroom flat in a mansion block. He claimed £70,000 expenses last year and is entitled to a state pension.

With his wife Janet's university lecturer salary, his household income is likely to fall into the £100,000 band which the Government says should bar people from having a council house.

He has lived in the property since becoming an MP in 1979, and his rent is understood to be about £160 a week, far short of the £1,000-a-week commanded by similar, private flats in his building.

But Mr Dobson said: "I couldn't - not very easily. Market rents in our area are phenomenal. I wouldn't be able to afford it."

http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/article-23961136-pound-100000-a-year-dobson-defends-his-council-house.do

[non sociopath skin]

1. The RW is - surprise, surprise - all over this today.

Wondered how you feel about it?

The Skin

[Nihil]

2. Hypocritical parasitical politicians are fair game for either side. (n/t)

:shrug:

[Hopeless Romantic]

3. I think that anyone with a household income that high and living in subsidised social housing should

be thoroughly ashamed of themselves.

So what do you think Skin?

[non sociopath skin]

6. Can't say I'm comfortable with it but it's pretty low down my list of concerns.

The Skin

[LeftishBrit]

7. I don't especially approve; but when you hear about two former Labour Health secretaries..

more-or-less simultaneous;y' and one lives in a council house despite being a fairly high earner but stands up for the NHS; and the other not only is in the pay of a Tory-led government but attacks them for not being tough ENOUGH in their NHS privatization plans...

well, I have my own view as to which deserves to feel the greatest shame, and whose sins deserve more of my attention

[LeftishBrit]

4. Wonder why they're suddenly going after Dobson

Could it perchance have something to do with THIS?

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/jun/16/alan-milburn-private-hospitals-nhs

Oh, and words can't describe my contempt and disgust for Alan Milburn.

[Hopeless Romantic]

5. Er... because he's taking the piss isn't he?

[LeftishBrit]

8. But why has it become an issue NOW?

I doubt that he just moved into that house. I think that he's done something to displease the RW media, so they will use anything they can find against him - and I suspect that it may be his standing up vocally for the NHS!

[Hopeless Romantic]

9. Because the government have, quite rightly imo, announced that they want to

stop people earning upwards of £100k living in subsidised housing which is supposed to be for those on much lower incomes, and because he, a well known person exactly meeting those criteria, has whinged to the media about how unfair it all is.