people are forced to live in tents
Afghan mother of seven to spend Christmas
in her £1.2m house - and taxpayers will foot
the £12,500-a-month bill
The west London home which Mrs Saiedi and her seven
children occupy at the taxpayer's expense
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A family who were moved into a £1.2million home at taxpayers' expense, are still there for Christmas despite the Government promising a crackdown on housing benefits.
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Afghan mother-of-seven Toorpakai Saiedi moved into the seven-bedroom detached property in July and receives £170,000 a year in benefits, which includes £12,500 a month for her rent.
Her council has been unable to find suitable council housing, forcing it to pay a private landlord to re-house the family
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Mrs Saiedi moved to London seven years ago after she fled her native Afghanistan during civil unrest.
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She was made homeless from a five-bedroom house in Ealing, West London, this year and pleaded with the council for a suitable home but there was nothing available.
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As well as seven bedrooms, the house they have since moved into in nearby Acton has two reception rooms, a dining room, two kitchens and an extensive back garden.
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Meanwhile in Notting Hill West London -
the £2.6m council house family
£2.6m villa in Ladbroke Road, a street of millionaires
Francesca Walker with 3 of her 8 children
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A mother of eight living on housing benefit in a £2.6million home provided by her London council said today: "I'm not going to pretend it isn't great."
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She was given the five bedroom, three bathroom four-floor property because of a loophole which means Kensington and Chelsea council had to fund a suitable home in the borough for a family of that size. The property is costing taxpayers £90,000 a year.
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Francesca Walker is a mother of eight living on benefits. The spotless villa in Ladbroke Road has five bedrooms, three bathrooms, a double living room, a study and roof terrace on four floors. The taxpayer is funding her monthly rent of £7,600.
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Kensington and Chelsea council moved her into the property in September.
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Miss Walker, whose eight children are aged between five and 16, gets £15,000 a year in benefits in addition to the £91,260 rent paid by the Government via the council to the landlord's agency, Foxtons.
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Meanwhile in Brighton -
a homeless English couple live in a tent
An English couple who have lived in a tent for two years have been told they will remain homeless for Christmas.
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Karen and Richard Smith endure freezing nights as they sleep under canvas.
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The couple had their tent pitched in a cemetery opposite St Nicholas Church in Dyke Road, Brighton, but were forced to move out of the graveyard.
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Karen said "We had to move out of the graveyard. One night we got hassled. Kids were saying: ‘Set fire to their tent’ and ‘Burn them at the stake.’”
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Karen and Richard, who survive on working tax credit and by selling the Big Issue, are struggling to pay a council tax bill they were sent for six weeks they spent in a temporary flat while Karen recovered from an operation earlier this year.
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After waiting two years, they do not expect to be successful in finding a council flat in the immediate future.
