Thursday, 19 December 2013

Fetch My Nano-Violin!

A grandmother had her housing benefit stopped after council officers discovered she owned a £170,000 holiday home in Spain. Zena Cooper, 60, did not tell Basildon Council about the house when she applied for benefits in April 2011.
Caught bang to rights, no excuses, throw yourself on the mercy of the court and…

Oh.
Despite admitting owning the Spanish home, Mrs Cooper is furious her benefit has been stopped.
Err….
She said she desperately needs the money as she was given custody of her six year-old grandson in September. He has special needs and stays at a boarding school from Monday to Friday.
We aren’t told why she was given custody, or where the parents are…
Mrs Cooper said: “Social services said I need a two-bedroom place because of my grandson, but the council won’t help me.
“They said as I have a house in Spain worth more than £16,000 it is classed as savings and I am not eligible.
“I have had it up for sale for two years, but not one person has been interested because the market has crashed in Spain.
“It’s no use to me if I can’t sell it.”
You can't sell it at all? Or you can't sell it at the price you think it's worth?
Basildon Council told the Echo it was made aware of her Spanish home a number of years ago. Officers worked with the Department of Work and Pensions to give Mrs Cooper a “period of grace” to sell up but this has come to an end.
'A number of years', eh? How oddly unspecific...
“I can’t work now because I look after my grandson because of his special needs. I’m just so angry.
“I’m going to write to the Queen about it.”
I don't think she'll take it off your hands...
at

6 comments:

  1. Unknown19 December 2013 at 12:05

    As pointed out in the comments - how come she can't work for most of the week when her grandson is at boarding school?

    ReplyDelete
  2. Bucko19 December 2013 at 13:20

    ""He has special needs and stays at a boarding school from Monday to Friday.""

    ""“I can’t work now because I look after my grandson because of his special needs""

    Erm? Can't you work Monday to Friday when the brat is in boarding school?

    ReplyDelete
  3. Anonymous19 December 2013 at 16:41

    Bunny

    Mr Bucko has beaten me to it, a definite case of the nano-violin.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Anonymous20 December 2013 at 08:32

    " You can't sell it at all? Or you can't sell it at the price you think it's worth?"

    To be fair, Top Gear did an episode where they drove around a town and an airport, all completely deserted. Mind you, if she sold it for £15,999.99p I think she might just get her 'life style choice back'.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Furor Teutonicus20 December 2013 at 09:36

    XX He has special needs XX

    Don't they fucking always!

    Are spastic bastards the only ones getting born in the U.K these days?

    Or is there an agency that hires them out for court cases, housing applications, and interviews with the Daily Mail?

    ReplyDelete
  6. JuliaM21 December 2013 at 05:57

    "As pointed out in the comments - how come she can't work for most of the week when her grandson is at boarding school?"

    And why do they never expect anyone will spot this when they give these interviews?

    "Mind you, if she sold it for £15,999.99p I think she might just get her 'life style choice back'."

    Heh!

    "Don't they fucking always!"

    It's as if ADHD or Asperger's were communicable...

    ReplyDelete