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[Sonyalouise]

Wow I didn't think this topic would get this reaction

 

[_Lexi_]

There is only one benefit I would get rid of...

Jobseekers.

I have my reasons, and I have been on jobseekers. But it's useless and a waste of money. I feel the money could be used on better things... ie, the Health in Pregnany Grant could be kept, but nope... pregnant women get penalised for being pregnant!

sorry, rant over. I am not trying to cause any offence to ladies, tis is just my personal opinion x

Why should jobseekers be stopped? I was made redundant 3 times in 8 months last year and if it hadn't been for jobseekers I would of been on the streets. I wasn't claiming housing benefit, income support or anything else and used the measly £90 a fortnight to pay towards my rent, bills, food and transport to interviews as I've never been able to afford a car. Apart from the gaps between work during this time I have worked part time from 14 and full time since 18, even whilst studying at uni. I live in a rural area and jobs are hard to cone by. I despise my current job, but I stay there and am thankful for actually being employed. I do think they need to help people that have been on it for years and are clearly doing nothing to enable themselves to gain employment, but not everyone's the same. You say it should be stopped, yet you claimed it. If you don't agree with it, you shouldn't of claimed it.

 

[Babyvoisey]

The benefits shouldn't be taken away as people are on them by no fault of their own! The system shouldn't make it so easy to claim! I actually know people that have give up work and taken their child out of nursery as try are better off not working!! Each to their own IMO!! What takes the absolute Mick is when people like me and my OH have worked our backsides off to get a mortgage and are fortunate enough to be in the position we are in with two very good jobs and then when I cant go back to work because my job may not reduce my hours all I can claim is the bog standard child benefit
Of £18 a week because they won't pay into an asset (fair enough)!! So all these people that are able to work but cant be assed to go and get a job because they have it too cushy on job seekers/benefits that reep the system I don't sympathise with!

I'm not bothered in the slightest about forking out for my child with no help as I was the one who decided to start a family!!!! Just annoying that they done away with the £190 grant for everyone! Maybe they should do away with some other useless benefit that is just encouraging people to sit on their asses all day rather than pay into the system like the rest of us!

It's me that pays £200 tax etc a month into the system for people to sit and moan that they can't get by on £90 every other week! Well go and do something about it!!!

RANT OVER!!!!!

 

[_Lexi_]

Have you tried living off £90 a fortnight with rent and bills to pay? It's not easy let me tell you. If it wasn't for the fact that I've worked and saved money, I wouldn't of been able to cope. Not everyone on jobseekers just "sits at home on their ass all day". Have you tried getting a job whilst your unemployed?? I went to one interview, and 600 people had applied for that one vacancy. People can't always get up off the asses and go find work, the jobs aren't always there!! You don't know people circumstances and can't tar everyone with the same brush. You're very fortunate to have a mortgage and two well paid jobs, but not everyone is like you. I'd of loved to get £190 towards new things for my baby instead of buying everything second hand, but oh well, it's gone. Just because we're pregnant you shouldn't just expect the government to hand money over, especially when it sounds like you don't actually need it. We chose to have these children. My child may not have the newest/latest/best of everything, but they will be loved and I'll do everything I can to ensure they have the best possible life I can afford

 

[Babyvoisey]

Lexi if u seen I put at the top "some people are on benefits by no fault of there own which applied to u" u were made redundant which is a different situation!

I should have made it more clear that I know some people that moan saying they can't live off £90 every other week to do something about it! <-- this didn't apply to what u put as I was fully aware u were looking for work!!

This was my rant over the certain individuals that play the system because it's easy enough to claim!! I don't want my head bitten off! I completely agree with what u say as in jobseekers shouldn't be axed but the jobcentre should look more closely to those who have been on it for months/years...

So sorry if u thought my post was aimed at you because it wasn't! I can imagine £90 every other week is a struggle to live off if ur actually out there looking for work!! X

 

[Babyvoisey]

And I also don't think the government should hand out money willy nilly as like u said I clearly don't need it and as I put above I wasn't bothered about forking out for my child as I'm the one that chose to have a family! It's just annoying when they penalise people who work!!

 

[_Lexi_]

I agree that they need to give more help to people that have been on it for a long time. I know there's people I went to college with at 18 that claimed as soon as they left and are still on it (I'm 23) and have never worked a day in their life and clearly have no intention of doing so. I begrudge my hard earned money, going in taxes to people like that. They need support in getting work placements, but unfortunately, some people, whatever support they've been given by the government, will do their hardest not to find work as they have an easy life not working and our claiming every benefit under the sun. I am very thankful for the benefits system being in place, but I think they do need to review cases after a certain period of time. x

 

[Babyvoisey]

Well said!!!.. I alsO know of people that have been on jobseekers for years where they have to sign on to say there apparently looking for work once a week or whatever it is and they don't do jack about it! Perhaps they should do voluntary work for the council or something to help the community until they find a paying job! That wouldn't be an issue as they so say they are looking for work!!

I struggle to get out of bed to go to work every morning after about 4 loo stops in the night to pay for the ones that are just playing the system whilst others out there that are actually looking for work are getting tarnished for being genuine!

U can't bloody win! X

 

[xxsteffyxx]

Wow I didn't think this topic would get this reaction

lol... anything related to benefits many people have different views/opinions. It was only a matter of time before people air their opinions, but don't take offence, it isn't aimed at anyone. We all need to be able to share our opinions... like me I'm not aiming it at anyone, I just share my opinion with others.

It makes us speacil and a wonderful varierty of people.

(On another note, I would not change anything in this world. Those that need benefits, those that scrounge benefits, those that work etc etc. I think it makes this world so different. Without scroungers, we wouldn't have a reason to moan, without working hard, we wouldn't have a reason to get up and have a good winge in the morning... ohhhh I love a good winge! lol So yeah Oh what a wonderful wooooooooooorrrrrrld *sings*)

 

[xxsteffyxx]

You say it should be stopped, yet you claimed it. If you don't agree with it, you shouldn't of claimed it.

Ohhh sorry, I didn't really make it clear hun My mistake. I only started really begrudging it after I had found a job and came off it. Two reasons;

1) I had NO support what so ever in finding a job, our job seeks were incredibly unhelpful! They didn't even look at my book each 14 days. I made myself get up each day and find work... as I liked to tell people, my job for 4 weeks was finding a job, that was a full time job in itself.

2) I was unable to claim any money. I was on job seekers to pay for my NI contributions, but they felt I did not need to claim money.

Again, I don't like to sound disrespectful. I am just openly sharing my opinion. I think that job seekers could be used on more usuful things like courses to help people find work! Unfortunetly maybe it was just my personal expereince, but I do feel that £90 every 14 days is passed out very quickly without hesitation... when as you ladies have said, some people have no intention of working/use it as a scape goat to enjoy freedom moreso.

As I have said ladies, this is a personal opinion I am sharing. I am not trying to force anyone to agree with me, I wouldn't want you to... it is my opinion, just sharing it

I am not meaning to cause ANY offence what-so-ever.

 

[ashley_gee89]

As far as I was aware they haven't taken it away, but only allow those having their first baby to be eligible.. You used to get it for every child but now only your first ?

 

[Amethyste]

This grant is not available anymore, it was part of the benefit cut !! The surestart maternity grant is still available like some other ladies said, for people with low incomes and only for the first child.

 

[Amethyste]

I had the 190 last time and asked my MW yesterday and they have definately stopped it, It was called health in pregnancy grant for a reason... to stock up fridge freezer with healthy food etc encouraging mummy to be to eat good nutricious food.

a lot of women i know spent it on prams or clothes instead

Well, TBH i think they were pretty naive even if the idea was good ! Makes sense that people were gonna use it to buy baby stuff ! And did they really think that 190 were gonna buy 9 months of healthy shopping ? lol



Concerning benefits, one of the main problem is childcare which is very expensive, by the time you pay it, all the money you earn working is gone and you kind of have work for nothing. Helping a bit better with childcare might encourage people finding work. That is my opinion.

 

[CelticStar]

It's very interesting reading the different view points here.

I had to give up work three months ago due to my health (I suffer from Myalgic Encephalitis) but due to having a very good relationship with my directors and HR manager, work technically "fired" me so that I could claim benefits straight away instead of waiting for 16 weeks (I think it's 16 weeks anyway).
However.
I don't claim a penny, all because my immigrant OH works seven days a week at one job and four/five days a week at a second job to ensure that I don't have to claim anything and that we're comfortable as far as money is concerned.

But this also means that we're not entitled to the £500 grant for our first baby (when it happens) because we aren't on a low income.
Do I think this is fair? No, I don't.
Would I like this grant to be available to everyone? Yes I would.
Am I going to go down the road of labelling everyone on benefits as lazy spongers? No, I'm not.

We have my best friend living with us who also suffers from Myalgic Encephalitis, only whilst I was able to work full time up until very recently, she can't. She is physically incapable of walking to the local supermarket with me as she knows (and I know) that for at least three days afterwards, she will find it extremely difficult to leave the bedroom.
She is living with us as a) due to being unable to work, she has been forced to sell her house. b) she's no longer able to live on her own as some days she needs help caring for herself and c) her ESA (employment support allowance) is not enough for her to maintain a home for herself.
I have seen her jumping through many hoops over the last year and a bit to actually be able to claim the full amount of benefit that she is entitled to.

I'd just ask that those who would like to band everyone on benefits all together, that there are those who are genuinely incapable of working and that really do deserve the meagre amounts that we ALL pay taxes towards to enable the government to pay out.

 

[Rees]

The HiP grant came in in 2009, it was for everyone, and I was one of those fortunate ones. They said it could be used for baby stuff, healthy food, or for mum to treat herself on a spa day (no lie!) I'm posting that because of the people who scoffed others for using the grant to buy things for the baby instead of healthy food. And I read that on the leaflet about it which was given to me by my MW back in 2009 before anyone tries to pick holes in that.

I thought the HiP grant was now means tested, but obviously not! I don't think we'd have got it anyway as we get working tax credits and that also means we don't get the healthy start vouchers (Have you seen the price of formua? It's disgusting how much it's changed in 2 years!).

After reading this and getting pissed off (we claim benefits, I work full time my partner is a stay at home dad and is also a part time student) I have now remembered just why I avoid the trimester forums.

Some of you need to have that stick removed from your backsides!