Why do people think the country owes them something? [Bit of a rant about councils!]

[suzib76]

makes me laugh when people say on benefits is the easy option, i can only imagine it must be mind numbingly boring, and to have no purpose in life whatsoever? whats that all about? how the hell these people can live on the money i dunno. i dont know how anyone who is able to work, and lets face it there are plenty, could sit about and wait for their incapacity benefit or whatever they call it now, i mean its £67 a week on the low rate - i just couldnt survive on that

I think it is all the add ons that go with it. Once you get one of these benefits, then a whole raft of others kick in. They might not be handed to you every week but they count still the same. By the time you get housing benefit and council tax allowance, then your weekly / monthly expenses become much lower. On top of that there are free school meals and milk. Sure Start gives vouchers for fruit and veg. Free prescriptions, dentistry and eye care. In council housing you needn't pay for maintenance of your home etc. If you are on incapacity benefit then there is scope for someone else to claim a carers allowance. It's all about how you play the system.

If your major expenses are paid (eg rent and council tax) then £67 per week becomes easier to live on.

yeah i see all the other benefits adding up, but at the end of the week its still only £67 in actual spendable cash to buy food gas elec and well everything, i just cant see why people dont want more for themselves

 

[Foogirl]

yeah i see all the other benefits adding up, but at the end of the week its still only £67 in actual spendable cash to buy food gas elec and well everything, i just cant see why people dont want more for themselves

I agree it isn't brilliant, but some seem to do very well on it. I lived on less than that when I was a student and still had some beer money at the end of the week!

 

[kelly2903]

sorry didnt quote right

 

[kelly2903]

Yeah, probably best I don't get started on this topic!

I agree with you totally. It irks me I have little choice but to return to work whereas others can happily be a SAHM and the government will pay for it.

It also irks me the government will give working mothers money to give to other people to look after their children but not consider giving it to the mothers (or grandparents or other family members)

But mostly it really winds me up that I would be financially better off if I kicked my husband out than if we stay as a cohesive family unit living happily under one roof.

I'm all for the system picking up the short term pieces for those who need it but I do wish is would stop being the cash cow for a lifestyle for those who haven't got a work ethic.

I should really stop there and not mention the number of times I've been round the council estates and seen spanking new cars, sky dishes on every wall and 42 inch plasmas in the lounge.....

not all council estate tenants are none working benefit thief's!!!!!!!

i was brought up by 2 full time working parents on a council estate in a bought home with lots of luxury's..... i am now 24 years of age i passed all my GSCE's attended college for 2 years whist holding down a part time job passed an earned a GNVQ at distinction level...... i am now a night club manager bought my own home at 18 on the same council estate i was brought up on i worked till 38 weeks pregnant with my 1st and returned to work when she was 6 weeks old and intend to do the same with this one.....

dont tie us all with the same brush hun......... that actually made me feel sick...... i live on a council estate purely because its my routes and it was easier for me to get on the property ladder due to cheaper houses... but most of all im comfy and i love living here.

i do agree that most people on council estates pop out kids and scrape up the benefits and have all the luxurys without lifting a muscle but the way i see it is leave them sados to it at least we have morals and have been raised correctly x

 

[Aidan's Mummy]

I dont like people who abuse it

But who disereves it and who doesnt where doe sthe line stop??

For example I am going to Uni soon studying nursing but I will still be on benifits not as much now as the NHS will be paying me to train but I will still get a helping hand

Do I not diserev that or do I??

I think I do as I am going to be working my arse off to better my self and get off benifits

But I agree I think people that are on benifits and expect the benifit system to pay for them for the rest of their lifes is taking the piss
xx

 

[suzib76]

yeah i see all the other benefits adding up, but at the end of the week its still only £67 in actual spendable cash to buy food gas elec and well everything, i just cant see why people dont want more for themselves

I agree it isn't brilliant, but some seem to do very well on it. I lived on less than that when I was a student and still had some beer money at the end of the week!

oh god im sure i probably did at one point as well but god i couldnt do it now, and wouldnt want to lol

 

[Foogirl]

not all council estate tenants are none working benefit thief's!!!!!!!

i was brought up by 2 full time working parents on a council estate in a bought home with lots of luxury's..... i am now 24 years of age i passed all my GSCE's attended college for 2 years whist holding down a part time job passed an earned a GNVQ at distinction level...... i am now a night club manager bought my own home at 18 on the same council estate i was brought up on i worked till 38 weeks pregnant with my 1st and returned to work when she was 6 weeks old and intend to do the same with this one.....

dont tie us all with the same brush hun......... that actually made me feel sick...... i live on a council estate purely because its my routes and it was easier for me to get on the property ladder due to cheaper houses... but most of all im comfy and i love living here.

i do agree that most people on council estates pop out kids and scrape up the benefits and have all the luxurys without lifting a muscle but the way i see it is leave them sados to it at least we have morals and have been raised correctly x

I absolutely agree. I lived in council housing for five years as a child and both my parents worked. I've no issue around that generally. Nowadays many council homes are privately owned, but when you've been around as many of them as I have, you get to tell the difference between the "working" estates and the "non working" estates. The "non working" estates have a much higher instance of the things I was talking about.

But, I do have a gripe about people living in council housing all their lives. The point of these houses were to help people have a decent place to live when they were starting out or struggling to pay for private accommodation. But once you have the house you have it for life, so as you progress in life and in your career, and begin to earn more money, you could actually afford to move out. In fact if you can afford a spanking new car and a 40 inch plasma on the wall as well as designer togs and a couple of holidays a year, then you can well afford not to live in subsidised housing. To me it is unfair that some people who really need housing cannot get it whilst a working couple on a decent enough salary are in a house they have had for years when they could afford to pay a private rent.

This is not a personal attack on you, just my opinion on the system generally. The government did talk about a 5 year contract for housing and I'm all for it. If you still need help after that time you can stay where you are but if you have moved on and no longer require it, you should be asked to leave.

 

[Foogirl]

For example I am going to Uni soon studying nursing but I will still be on benifits not as much now as the NHS will be paying me to train but I will still get a helping hand

Do I not diserev that or do I??

I think I do as I am going to be working my arse off to better my self and get off benifits

I think anyone who uses it as a step up is using the system as it was intended. Anyone who sees it as a long term solution should be made to think again.

 

[kelly2903]

not all council estate tenants are none working benefit thief's!!!!!!!

i was brought up by 2 full time working parents on a council estate in a bought home with lots of luxury's..... i am now 24 years of age i passed all my GSCE's attended college for 2 years whist holding down a part time job passed an earned a GNVQ at distinction level...... i am now a night club manager bought my own home at 18 on the same council estate i was brought up on i worked till 38 weeks pregnant with my 1st and returned to work when she was 6 weeks old and intend to do the same with this one.....

dont tie us all with the same brush hun......... that actually made me feel sick...... i live on a council estate purely because its my routes and it was easier for me to get on the property ladder due to cheaper houses... but most of all im comfy and i love living here.

i do agree that most people on council estates pop out kids and scrape up the benefits and have all the luxurys without lifting a muscle but the way i see it is leave them sados to it at least we have morals and have been raised correctly x

I absolutely agree. I lived in council housing for five years as a child and both my parents worked. I've no issue around that generally. Nowadays many council homes are privately owned, but when you've been around as many of them as I have, you get to tell the difference between the "working" estates and the "non working" estates. The "non working" estates have a much higher instance of the things I was talking about.

But, I do have a gripe about people living in council housing all their lives. The point of these houses were to help people have a decent place to live when they were starting out or struggling to pay for private accommodation. But once you have the house you have it for life, so as you progress in life and in your career, and begin to earn more money, you could actually afford to move out. In fact if you can afford a spanking new car and a 40 inch plasma on the wall as well as designer togs and a couple of holidays a year, then you can well afford not to live in subsidised housing. To me it is unfair that some people who really need housing cannot get it whilst a working couple on a decent enough salary are in a house they have had for years when they could afford to pay a private rent.

This is not a personal attack on you, just my opinion on the system generally. The government did talk about a 5 year contract for housing and I'm all for it. If you still need help after that time you can stay where you are but if you have moved on and no longer require it, you should be asked to leave.

i will sell up one day when im better off..... my mortgage is a hell of a lot cheaper than council renting or private renting....... but by the time i sell my home it will be no good for anyone starting out or in need of a low mortgage due to its rise from the things ive done to it also my house was previously owned by a lady who had owned it for 50 years so wasnt like a took a house from the council and got the right to buy i bought what was unavailable to people that need to rent ..... and as for holidays each year.... do you pay your holidays off in full there and then???/

i dont i pay in instalments and my 42 inch plasma on my living room wall is from my catalogue interest free for a year.... lol there are lots of ways people can get nice things these days with out having to fork out the cash upfront and put a hole in the bank i totally understand that it wasnt aimed at me and i totally agree with the things you are saying but you have to look at it the way it is just because people renting council house go on holiday or have a decent tv doesnt mean they are wodded most likely debted up to the eye balls and really cant afford to move on in to bigger better and release there house for some1 more needed they just chose to have things slightly out of there league. but any ways no offence taken just defending my corner here.

 

[Linzi]

I think some of these posts are a little OTT Theres no need to tar EVERYONE with the same brush. the benefits system is there for people who need it and its great, I dont begrudge it AT ALL. Im lucky enough to have a family unit & managed to find a job quickly and a lot of people arent so lucky. They need the money more than I do.

But naturally as anything it will get abused. And those are the people who should be targeted.

But come Janurary me & my husband are going to have to seriously consider packing in one of our jobs because we cant afford to go to work anymore.

Madness

 

[Aidan's Mummy]

Agree with Linzi I think you cant just judge someone on certain crtierea unless you knwo their full situation and how and why they came to be on benifits

You try getting a job at the moment my OH has filled in application form after application form even I have applied for loads of xmas jobs

But they dont want to know
xx

 

[Foogirl]

i will sell up one day when im better off..... my mortgage is a hell of a lot cheaper than council renting or private renting....... but by the time i sell my home it will be no good for anyone starting out or in need of a low mortgage due to its rise from the things ive done to it also my house was previously owned by a lady who had owned it for 50 years so wasnt like a took a house from the council and got the right to buy i bought what was unavailable to people that need to rent ..... and as for holidays each year.... do you pay your holidays off in full there and then???/

i dont i pay in instalments and my 42 inch plasma on my living room wall is from my catalogue interest free for a year.... lol there are lots of ways people can get nice things these days with out having to fork out the cash upfront and put a hole in the bank i totally understand that it wasnt aimed at me and i totally agree with the things you are saying but you have to look at it the way it is just because people renting council house go on holiday or have a decent tv doesnt mean they are wodded most likely debted up to the eye balls and really cant afford to move on in to bigger better and release there house for some1 more needed they just chose to have things slightly out of there league. but any ways no offence taken just defending my corner here.

Yes, I do pay for my holidays up front. If I can't, it means I can't afford it so I go without.

I also don't think being up to the eyeballs in debt constitutes a need for social housing. This is where the system stinks. That is not what it was intended for.

But you misunderstand totally, I'm not talking about those who took the opportunity to buy a council house. I am entirely against the right to buy program as all it does is takes much needed property out of the system and, as you have pointed out, hands the equity to a tenant when it would be better in the LA's purse, however I can't blame anyone for taking advantage of that system as at least it is a way to move on. My gripe is with a system that allows a person or a family to remain in rented social housing ad infinitum, when they could afford to move on to the private sector but instead enjoy a much higher standard of living than many people who were not able to get a council house.

 

[Foogirl]

Agree with Linzi I think you cant just judge someone on certain crtierea unless you knwo their full situation and how and why they came to be on benifits

IMO it is never about how they came to be on benefits, it is what they are doing to get off them that is important.

 

[suzib76]

Agree with Linzi I think you cant just judge someone on certain crtierea unless you knwo their full situation and how and why they came to be on benifits

IMO it is never about how they came to be on benefits, it is what they are doing to get off them that is important.

100%

 

[kelly2903]

fair point foogirl....but i disagree that just because you havent got the cash there doesnt mean you cant afford it......i manage very well despite paying for my holidays week by week it means i have cash there for other things i would like. but hey thats the way i live all my priorities come 1st thats all that matters to me. x

 

[Foogirl]

but i disagree that just because you havent got the cash there doesnt mean you cant afford it......

I understand many people have no problem using credit for the nice to haves, I just wasn't brought up that way. I tend to save up for things rather than pay later, it's just a different way of doing things, but it does mean I never have to really worry about credit bills. It only takes one big unexpected expense such as a washing machine blowing up to knock things out of whack. If that happens, then the holiday gets delayed until I've saved enough again. If I was to just add it to the credit card, I'd end up with a balance that never gets paid off and I am loathe to give any financial institution any money in interest when it's much better in my own bank!!

 

[kelly2903]

very sensible i too do not believe in giving away interest i only pay in instalments for interest 3 things and i do balance transfers all the time so i never actually get interest currently with tesco credit card on 12 months interest 3 and once thats gone and payed off in 12 months balance transfer again lol until i run out of course and then it will be used for emergency only. thanks for the heated conversations i love a good debate. hope you have a nice week. xxxx

 

[Foogirl]

very sensible i too do not believe in giving away interest i only pay in instalments for interest 3 things and i do balance transfers all the time so i never actually get interest currently with tesco credit card on 12 months interest 3 and once thats gone and payed off in 12 months balance transfer again lol until i run out of course and then it will be used for emergency only. thanks for the heated conversations i love a good debate. hope you have a nice week. xxxx

See, I just couldn't be arsed with all that! I did it a couple of times when I left uni and had to shell out for living expenses before I got my first pay packet. I had a debt of a few hundred pounds which I moved about for a couple of years then thought "bugger that" and paid it off, living on beans on toast for 6 months. I vowed then that my parents were right and that I should always make sure I have a healthy savings account!

Cheers back at ya!

 

[Miss-Boo]

I think it is ridiculous how the system works. before I was pregnant I couldn't find a job after i'd finished college and I wasn't even entitled to JSA so my husband who works full time was expected to pay rent for us both and everything that I need too, just because he earns a tiny bit more than the income threshold.
We were told the only help we would get is if they put me in a hostel.
Now i'm pregnant it's even harder to find a job and we're struggling.
the only way we can make ends meet is for husband to cut down his working hours after baby is born so we can get tax credits. Crazy huh?

 

[lesleyann]

me and oh get benefits but he works mon-fri 9am-5:30pm for a low wage

I was at college trying to get work when i fell pregnant so ok as of yet i have never had a proper job ive done paper rounds ect we get some housing to help pay our rent which is almost £500 per month when a house 2 doors down is in better con and cheaper and we get CTC and WTC oh and CB..

I intend on doing some sort of college learning be it at home or at a collage and going to work part time once Lo is at school otherwise with childcare costs i would be working for nothing really


I dont like it when people with school age children just sit on benefits for no reason at all or the people who clam Disablitly but have no disabitly ect