Seriously the UK has gone to pot!

[leahsbabybump]

It makes me very sad to see people who genuinely don't want to work, but I am sick to the back teeth of people, who've in most cases never had to live on benefits, insinuate that those on benefits live a life of luxury.
I hate being on them. After leaving work last year and applying for every job I can since, no-one will employ me it seems, because I have no qualifications and I can't afford to study because I am a single parent with no access to childcare. The jobcentre couldn't give a shite, because I'm on IS they don't find me a priority to find work, all they do is tick a box once every six months and send me on my way. And now I've had a letter through to say council tax benefit is to be stopped, so I have to find over £100 per month from what the government determines is the minimum we can live on to survive.

The system isn't there to punish those who want to further their education, it's to help those in poverty have a chance too. Without it there would be many more children from poor families, growing up and going on to benefits because they have no chance of furthering their education. Would that be better?

No to be rude or anything, but how old are you? I know the government will cover childcare for under 21s? If they go to college etc to get qualifications. There is also an adult learning grant which helps towards the cost of books, materials etc. just thought I'd let you know about it x

I'm 23. If I started learning my benefits would be stopped, so I couldn't pay my rent anyway. It's literally like smacking your head against a brick wall, there's talk of all this help etc but it's seemingly impossible to get, and ALG just isn't enough to live unfortunately. The best I can hope for is an apprenticeship, which is basically working full time for part time wage, but at least there is training included and you can claim WTC which will help with childcare.
I didn't know childcare was covered for under 21s though - it's a shame it's for older parents, I'm sure it would help millions!

Are you sure your benefits would stop? When I was a single mum ans planner on starting s course there was no mention of losing benefits. Also most of my childcare would have been covered.

hey hun i think youve been given false info when you are learning you get all course fees covered and you get income support child tax and child benefit. pehaps you could see CAB they could advise you further i studied myself when i had ds1 got all above benefits plus my rent and council tax paid in full also got free childcare

 

[Kate&Lucas]

I'll ask again about it. I was told that to go to college I'd lose IS, if I lost that I'd lose everything else. As I say the jobcentre are incredibly unhelpful (at least in my experience). I'd love to go back to college! I think I'll be making an appointment with student services

 

[holly2234]

Im pretty sure the only time benefits are lost is if you do a full time course while on Job Seekers but there are still ways around that.

Also, lots of colleges have their own funding for Childcare. The one i went to in Nottingham did for those who were too old for Care to Learn.

Definitely speak to student services if you can. There will be some way that you can go

 

[leahsbabybump]

I'll ask again about it. I was told that to go to college I'd lose IS, if I lost that I'd lose everything else. As I say the jobcentre are incredibly unhelpful (at least in my experience). I'd love to go back to college! I think I'll be making an appointment with student services

you cant claim job seekers while you are studying as you cant activly seek work but as you have a child under 16 the government cannot leave you without money they have to pay you income support the only way you cant claim is if you are getting paid to do the course sometimes you can also get an ALG ontop of your income support as a one off payment for learning materials and travel expenses however some colleges will give you a bus pass for reduced rate fares if you live far from college good luch hun deffo have a chat with them

 

[mumj18]

Why tar everyone with the same brush? Some people genuinely need and in my eyes deserve benefits. My OH works 50 hours per week shovelling shit and milking cows on a dairy farm for an obscenely well off farmer who actually has to buy new machinery at the end of the tax year 'to get rid of some money'. My OH works outside all day every day in all weather conditions. He's never had a day off when its been snowing heavily or the wind was high enough to blow you over. He might not be saving lives but he is helping in food production for our country. The other day he was charged at and thrown by a cow which could have killed him so he isn't running into burning buildings but he takes risks every day for absolute PENNIES so if we get a little housing benefit to help pay our rent so we can sleep at night I think we deserve it. I don't work as I have no qualifications as yet and did not have my children to pay someone else to look after them with a few pounds left over at the end of the week. I could go to uni and get help with childcare during term time but not during holidays and there's no way we could afford it on our own. So as soon as my youngest hits two and can go to the uni/college nursery I will be there.

You should listen to peoples stories before you make sweeping statements.

That said, I do know there are people who take the piss.

 

[leahsbabybump]

Why tar everyone with the same brush? Some people genuinely need and in my eyes deserve benefits. My OH works 50 hours per week shovelling shit and milking cows on a dairy farm for an obscenely well off farmer who actually has to buy new machinery at the end of the tax year 'to get rid of some money'. My OH works outside all day every day in all weather conditions. He's never had a day off when its been snowing heavily or the wind was high enough to blow you over. He might not be saving lives but he is helping in food production for our country. The other day he was charged at and thrown by a cow which could have killed him so he isn't running into burning buildings but he takes risks every day for absolute PENNIES so if we get a little housing benefit to help pay our rent so we can sleep at night I think we deserve it. I don't work as I have no qualifications as yet and did not have my children to pay someone else to look after them with a few pounds left over at the end of the week. I could go to uni and get help with childcare during term time but not during holidays and there's no way we could afford it on our own. So as soon as my youngest hits two and can go to the uni/college nursery I will be there.

You should listen to peoples stories before you make sweeping statements.

That said, I do know there are people who take the piss.

i dont think the op was aiming her rant at people like your selfs your husband works hes not just wasting his life doing nothing he is paying tax into the system so if your struggling you should get help
i think everyone was aiming their thoughts at people who choose not to work even though they are able bodied enough to do so they just refuse to work because its easier to stay at home on benefits iykwim
we know well i know that some people really need those benefits disabled people people who are truely working their asses off and still dont earn enough to feed family etc it just makes me mad when my old boss used to tell me how people used to refuse to co-operate in job interviews training days on purpose so they was refused the job so they could stay on benefits

 

[louandivy]

I think a lot of snobbery and classism comes out when people talk about benefits (not directed at op). I mean, the system has flaws but I would rather live in a country that provides benefits than one that let's its people live in absolute poverty - which is most countries! The actual percentage of people claiming false benefits is way less than the media likes to portray. All it does is divert attention away from the millionaires dodging taxes that are a way bigger drain on the country, IMO.

 

[mumj18]

I think a thread titled 'The UK has gone to pot.' is going to offend a lot of genuine benefits claimants whether OP meant it to or not :/ x x

 

[leahsbabybump]

I think a lot of snobbery and classism comes out when people talk about benefits (not directed at op). I mean, the system has flaws but I would rather live in a country that provides benefits than one that let's its people live in absolute poverty - which is most countries! The actual percentage of people claiming false benefits is way less than the media likes to portray. All it does is divert attention away from the millionaires dodging taxes that are a way bigger drain on the country, IMO.

that is a very valid point

 

[louandivy]

It's very easy to see things black & white, the amount people get on benefits is the minimum amount to live on, as citizens of a democratic country they are entitled to claim a good standard of living while going through difficult or uncertain times in their lives and you could argue that they don't always get this. The problem is with wages, employment and the circumstances around that i.e childcare, minimum wage, cost of living etc rather then benefits. Yes there a minority who abuse/cheat the system (which has been blown out proportion might I add), but there is a negative minority for everything, this is no different, I'm sure if you look for long enough there will be a statistic out there that will damn you and yours. I would rather live somewhere where a minority cheat the system but the majority are able to use it fairly then a society where we climb over each other to get to the top. We all enter this world with nothing, and we all leave with nothing, I would hate to see anyone in this country be brought to poverty because of what others perceive to be justice or right because that would be neither. *gets off soapbox*

I hadn't read through the whole thread when I replied before but I just wanted to say that your posts are always JUST WHAT I'M THINKING.

 

[beth_terri]

Same it really irritates me. Im hoping to go to uni when my oh comes out the army. (I currently work in a supermarket). But Im scared as to how I will fund it

His sister doesnt work, has a child, goes out all the time, buys new things all the time, has no intentions of working or getting qualifications and seems better off than both of us.

 

[beth_terri]

I'll ask again about it. I was told that to go to college I'd lose IS, if I lost that I'd lose everything else. As I say the jobcentre are incredibly unhelpful (at least in my experience). I'd love to go back to college! I think I'll be making an appointment with student services

When I wenrt to college last year alot of the class had children and didnt work. They were all over 22 (I was the young one with a job lol) but they all got their course fees paid for. As far as im aware everyone is entitled to a level 3 qualification free. And everyone is entitled to do GCSE's for free. They all got their council tax paid for because they were on a full time course and they all got income support, child benefit, housing benefit and I think child tax credit. Just not working tax credit obv. There are also grants for parents over 19 for childcare (aswell as a different one for under 19s). You would definitelty be able to go to college. Also, the course that Im saying was full time was actually only 3 days a week but still classed as full time. If you couldnt manage this, try an evening access course or something? Depending on what your wanting to do after college. xx

 

[blueskai]

The sweeping generalization frustrates me too. I have a job now but have spent 12mths without, having to claim HB, WTC, and i even had to sign on at the dole even tho i didnt recieve any payments from them because i hadnt paid NI for long enough and coz OH works full tim.

We could only afford a holiday while i didnt work because we did a carboot sale every weekend for 2 months beforehand, getting up at 4am just to get pennies. I havent been clothes shopping for myself for well over a year. We dont have any mod cons. We were 100% honest with HB, and even as soon as i started this.job i was only working 10hrs for £68 a week, we went to cancel our benefits because i cant stand them. The way they treat u is just degrading.

IMO what people do with benefits assigned to them is their choice, as long as it isnt illegal. I know it comes from taxpayers money but thats just the system we are under, and i dont see why people shouldnt take (honest&legal) advantage of it and get everything they are entitled to.

Personally im glad im not recieving benefits now, even if it means we have to save for things but id rather that than be getting disapproving looks and judgemental generalisations off people who think i must be swindling the sstem somehow just because i can afford a holiday.

xo

 

[Louby]

the whole welfare system in the UK needs revising for sure.
It really grates on me the way people are so unfairly treated- everybody has different circumstances so its not right to comment on the way others live but I'll give you an insight into my life at the moment. I went to Uni and struggled my way through- I'm not academic in the slightest but hoped to create a career for myself-graduated with a good degree, apply for around 200 jobs a month and probably hear back from around two of them! Have had a shop job for seven years part time through uni so was able to save a desposit to buy (with OH) our very small, basic house in a terrible area. Now because we have bought our house (and we saved and saved-no clothes, makeup, nights out, takeaways, holidays etc) we are pretty much not entitled to anything- but correct me if I'm wrong- a mortgage does not mean we dont have to pay bills council tax etc! So thats one penalisation, for seemingly doing something right.
Im on SMP and 80% of that goes on bills, I am left with the bare minimum to cover food etc, the only benefit we get is child benefit, and our sons things that he needs comes to way more than that monthly. When I return to work, I will be on less than I get now, but with childcare and travel expences, I will have £0 disposable income. We do not have fancy things, we have a normal family car- 7 years old, a small terraced house-no drive or garden, we have not had a holiday or weekend away this year, we ate out once for my birthday, cant remember the last time we had a drink or went the pictures, we have pretty much sold all our belongings on ebay just to pay the bills- I just do not understand how the government comes to these decisions-it makes me so angry.
I rang tax credits to see if there was anything I would be entitled to once I return to work, they said no, not even if I decided to leave work all together- but I dont understand as we are broke!!!
Its a really hard place to be in right now, I feel genuinely worried about the future, it woudl seem I would be so much finacially better off if I was single- what is that teaching all the kids of today though?!
Argghhhh rant over>
xxxx

Just to add-there is no way that we can even begin to think of marrying or even extending our family-how sad is that?

 

[rhdr9193..x]

Yeah definitely agree about the single thing. X

 

[LuckyYem]

I appreciate that there are some very valid cases for people to be on benefits, in fact our wages are topped up by HB - 50p per week lol, TC and CB, but some people really do take the p*ss!! My step-sister had her son at 16, has NEVER worked in the eyes of the tax man - she works here and there cash in hand, she has a 3 bed council house, gets all the benefits under the sun, when her son was turning 7 she was told that she had to find work or her benefits would be stopped so she got pregnant again, she has her boyfriend AND brother living in her house but still claims as a single person, she has been reported several times and always seems to get away with it! Her son only wears branded clothes and trainers, has all the latest toys and playstations etc, he goes to football 3 times a week - which is £10 per session! Before she fell pregant was always out drinking and she smoked. Its people like her that stick in my throat!