Cut benefits before increasing council tax

You may well do but that doesn't mean that it is a privileged situation. A huge debt is a millstone. There are plenty of groups who deserve sympathy.

I agree. I just think it has gone OTT and that rants about her being privileged are wide of the mark.

It has been acknowledge that a lot of people are finding life difficult right now. Of course people are going to defend themselves, if they are unfairly targeted, which is what happened with the OP. As I pointed out earlier, taxes are used to pay towards lot of things, but the first point of call for the OP, was to make a false, inflammatory comment about Motability, without doing a basic check, to even make sure that what she was saying, was true.

I agree that house prices are out of control in London and other places too. I'd consider myself very fortunate if I could afford such a big mortgage and still with money left over after bills were paid.

She shouldn't have attacked disabled people. That was unfair and ignorant and born of stress.
I think some people are going OTT in attacking her back and being pretty unpleasant. She had some choices but none were very good ones. House prices are far too high relative to incomes and that is causing so many problems for so many people. It's not just the disabled that are finding life hard.

She's got less money because she's bought a house she can't afford in an area she can't afford. If somebody on minimum wage did that and moaned about it, I'm pretty sure you'd be saying move!

The South East is expensive, but there are cheaper 2 bed properties than that in commutable distance. I understand she doesn't want to live elsewhere, but the difference between living in actual heating versus eating poverty and simply having bitten off more than you can chew mortgage wise is it's not a question of what you want.

If she's struggling that much, move. She isn't entitled to a house in a more expensive area because she works. She's only entitled to what she can afford, like the rest of us. We all make hard choices, but I struggle to sympathise with someone who could save £150,000 by moving house but won't do it.

If someone on minimum wage in a £150,000 mid terrace in Manchester was complaining about their situation, you'd all be asking why they weren't working harder, getting a better job, etc. Moving to a different area if the work isn't there.

Middle class woman complains and suddenly it's poor you, how terrible, nothing she can do to help herself.

She shouldn't have attacked disabled people. That was unfair and ignorant and born of stress.
I think some people are going OTT in attacking her back and being pretty unpleasant. She had some choices but none were very good ones. House prices are far too high relative to incomes and that is causing so many problems for so many people. It's not just the disabled that are finding life hard.

It is not a new tactic, it works though. Years ago, I remember that single Mothers were being demonised by the press, and blamed for a lot of Society's ills. It never changes, the useful scapegoat.

Of course it will have an effect. A negative one.

She'll have less money because she'll be paying more tax.

It shouldn't be like this. We shouldn't be against each other, in reality lots of people are struggling at the moment for different reasons. The only thing the last few governments seem to have been good at is pitching us against each other.

It depends what you see as a privileged. I think being able to get up in the morning and be able to wash and dress yourself without help a privilege. I also see not having to take fistfuls off pills to keep you alive even though they will make you feel worse a privilege. I see not having to use all your holiday from work for appointments a privilege. I see having a normal life expectancy a privilege. I see not being constantly in pain a privilege. These are all privileges that people take for granted until it happens to them.

I'd maybe have more sympathy if OP didn't target disabled people who again, didn't make the choice to be disabled.

OP made things more difficult by buying such an expensive house. A choice.

There's a difference.

It's probably not expensive for where she lives and circumstances can change.

That's true but that does not mean that she is privileged. She's still struggling, just probably less so.
It's not a race to the bottom.
I agree that disabled people are often targeted very unfairly. See also poor people in general, ethnic minorities, even public sector workers.

I'd maybe have more sympathy if OP didn't target disabled people who again, didn't make the choice to be disabled.

OP made things more difficult by buying such an expensive house. A choice.

There's a difference.

Exactly this. Has anyone suggested she move into a house share yet or invite a complete stranger into her home to rent a room.

Well, it's a little sad that you can't see that others too may be finding things difficult.

I'm sorry but I just don't see someone who made the choice to purchase a half a million pound house which leaves them with £100-£200 left over after bills as struggling but just in a different way.

Especially when they then go on to attack disability benefits when it isn't a choice to be disabled like it is to purchase an expensive house.

Lots of choices thats the difference between severely disabled people and able bodied people

My council makes those of us on UC pay a minimum of 20%. I've just transferred from income based ESA to UC and I'll have to pay more despite having the same level of income

It shouldn't be like this. We shouldn't be against each other, in reality lots of people are struggling at the moment for different reasons. The only thing the last few governments seem to have been good at is pitching us against each other.

My council makes those of us on UC pay a minimum of 20%. I've just transferred from income based ESA to UC and I'll have to pay more despite having the same level of income

20%? Im on benefits and pay 100% council tax

Some people on benefits also have to pay up to 20% council tax

If you look at what the standard benefits are I don’t think they can cut it without people literally starving. It’s about £400 a month for a single person. I certainly couldn’t run a house on that and they only pay the LHA most rents are higher than that now so a lot of the time some rent has to come out of that £400.

Everyone has found a decline in how far their money stretches now but someone with a big house and a good job has much more wriggle room to make changes than someone at the bottom of the financial heap.