katherinegrey
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I am getting increasingly annoyed with the government penalising families and the disabled. We are currently expecting my first child, and I have a disability, so I feel we will be the hardest hit. My partner works every hour he can, he'll happily do well over 60 hours a week, but we're still on a fairly low income of around 20,000 a year, which when supporting a family isn't a great deal of money. Our rent and council tax alone cost us over half of his wage packet each month, and we only have a small two bedroom house, and that's without food bills, gas and electric bills, our water bill, our TV licence, our phone bills, our broadband, our home insurance, our car insurance (which as we're fairly young at 22 and 21 is absolutely extortionate) our car tax, our car finance and the cost of clothing. We manage, but we definitely live wage packet to wage packet.
I do get disability payments of around £50 per week, but I spend that on just food and toiletries, I really don't have any luxuries, I'm pregnant so I don't go out, smoke or drink or anything like that. Because of my disability and the fact I have a child on the way and live in a fairly small town, this makes it impossible for me to get a job. I'd need a job that can understand and accommodate a mental illness, as well as flexible hours and one that pays enough to cover childcare. In our current climate when jobs are few and far between, nobody is going to give me a job over an applicant that doesn't have a disability or a child. I have good GCSE's and an A level in Psychology, and I worked from 16 to around 19 before I became more ill, so I have at least 3 years work experience and still can't find any job, let alone one that is going to cater to all my needs.
They're now saying they're going to cut tax credits which once baby is born we would have been entitled to, and they're also cutting disability allowance and changing it to something completely different, and if I lose that money, we really will struggle. I also heard they're now saying, disabled or not, mother or not, if your partner doesn't earn enough to cover you for working 20 hours per week and their own wages at minimum wage, then you have to go to work. Erm, why? As I said, any wages I would get would have to go on childcare anyway, so why would I pay someone to raise my child when I can raise them myself? Why is it considered a job if I give them to somebody, but I'm considered some sort of drain on society if I want to look after my own baby?
I understand in families where neither parent work the government saying one of you should be at work, but if we'd be literally no better off working because any earnings I'd have would just go on childcare, and I want to raise my baby, why can't I? My long term plan was to do a part time degree so I can raise my child and better myself, and then when baby is at school, I will have hopefully relevant skills to get a job that pays enough to pay childcare and travel to work and we'd be better off with us both working, but if they're saying that I have to go work, then I won't be able to do this will I??
Sorry for the super long post, I'm just getting really, really worried about how we'll cope if they cut money that we previously relied on, like my disability benefit, maybe I have it all wrong? I hope I do but from what I can gather it's low income families and the disabled that get the raw deal. I'm so sick of people saying that 'we're all in this together' when that really doesn't seem the case to me. I hear so much about the deficit and how the country is in such a terrible state with debt, but surely if they cut all this money, there will be less spending to stimulate the economy, and more people becoming homeless because people just won't be able to afford to live which will make the country worse??
I'm hoping that someone will tell me I have it all wrong, and as our family pay our taxes we'll still be entitled to a little help, or they at least won't make it ten times harder for us?? How can this be right??
I do get disability payments of around £50 per week, but I spend that on just food and toiletries, I really don't have any luxuries, I'm pregnant so I don't go out, smoke or drink or anything like that. Because of my disability and the fact I have a child on the way and live in a fairly small town, this makes it impossible for me to get a job. I'd need a job that can understand and accommodate a mental illness, as well as flexible hours and one that pays enough to cover childcare. In our current climate when jobs are few and far between, nobody is going to give me a job over an applicant that doesn't have a disability or a child. I have good GCSE's and an A level in Psychology, and I worked from 16 to around 19 before I became more ill, so I have at least 3 years work experience and still can't find any job, let alone one that is going to cater to all my needs.
They're now saying they're going to cut tax credits which once baby is born we would have been entitled to, and they're also cutting disability allowance and changing it to something completely different, and if I lose that money, we really will struggle. I also heard they're now saying, disabled or not, mother or not, if your partner doesn't earn enough to cover you for working 20 hours per week and their own wages at minimum wage, then you have to go to work. Erm, why? As I said, any wages I would get would have to go on childcare anyway, so why would I pay someone to raise my child when I can raise them myself? Why is it considered a job if I give them to somebody, but I'm considered some sort of drain on society if I want to look after my own baby?
I understand in families where neither parent work the government saying one of you should be at work, but if we'd be literally no better off working because any earnings I'd have would just go on childcare, and I want to raise my baby, why can't I? My long term plan was to do a part time degree so I can raise my child and better myself, and then when baby is at school, I will have hopefully relevant skills to get a job that pays enough to pay childcare and travel to work and we'd be better off with us both working, but if they're saying that I have to go work, then I won't be able to do this will I??
Sorry for the super long post, I'm just getting really, really worried about how we'll cope if they cut money that we previously relied on, like my disability benefit, maybe I have it all wrong? I hope I do but from what I can gather it's low income families and the disabled that get the raw deal. I'm so sick of people saying that 'we're all in this together' when that really doesn't seem the case to me. I hear so much about the deficit and how the country is in such a terrible state with debt, but surely if they cut all this money, there will be less spending to stimulate the economy, and more people becoming homeless because people just won't be able to afford to live which will make the country worse??
I'm hoping that someone will tell me I have it all wrong, and as our family pay our taxes we'll still be entitled to a little help, or they at least won't make it ten times harder for us?? How can this be right??
was
if I had the money I'd go back to college, get a skill and then start my own business. Rambling now though lol :/
I just felt a little like I wished I hadn't said anything as it felt like rather than anyone telling me if I'm correct with how the changes are going to be, I did get jumped on a little. Students aren't entitled to any benefits anyway as far as I was aware? So I wasn't looking to be in receipt of benefits to help me study, I just don't want our family to be worse off as a result of the changes.
