Working families £18k worse off than benefits claimants after budget

The threads not about temporary support though

UC when unemployed is supposed to be to tie people over till they find work
Its not enough to always pay for everything we want eg parking

No but there’s a lot of that people are raking it in on benefits and they should have to go to the job centre etc etc
maybe yes some people are able to claim too much but the temporary help available is nowhere near enough
I couldn’t afford the parking on £400pm

No one has said temporary support shouldn’t be available

I needed temporary help. I’ve worked since I was 13 and never been unemployed
i was made redundant from my job of 7 years and took a new one, then they got rid of me after 8 weeks (no fault of my own)
so while I was job hunting I claimed UC
is that ok? I mean it was £400 and that’s it

yes there are jobs but applications, interviews, processes etc took time and I wanted to avoid going into a job to be made redundant yet again

People fall into two catagories those that solve problems and support themselves and those that come up with excuses for why they can't do things. They always have a bloody excuse. Tough love is needed.

The government should test it. Half benefits in April and watch the vacancies disappear. We used to be a nation of shop keepers now we are a nation of piss takers.

I personally think they'd get more people working more hours if it wasnt 55p deducted out of net pay. To me you earn £1 and keep 20p of it after income tax, ni and the deduction. Its not the most motivating amount of money if you are a single parent who is struggling to access childcare during the hours work is available to you. Its factually more money but a lot of effort to get it.

I dont really have a string opinion on the hours peoolr should work I just think that the current set up could be more motivating by a lower taper.

Im fairly consistent on this in that i think the tax cliff at 100k is bonkers too. People do all sorts to keep under 100k so they can keep their free childcare.

Quite.

My friend's son was initially refused DLA, despite diagnoses of autism, PTSD and generalised anxiety disorder, but I helped her get the decision overturned at a mandatory reconsideration.

PIP's the same. I recently retired after spending several years working in welfare rights, and every PIP appeal I've ever done was successful, because DWP decision making is pisspoor and the system is stacked against the claimant. My DB was on the standard rate of PIP for daily living; I helped him with his renewal and he's got enhanced rate of daily living plus standard mobility, which is exactly what he should have been getting for the last 4 years.

Imo, the DWP treat it as a numbers game, they turn down valid claims or make awards lower than they should be because they know that a lot of people simply won't have the energy or ability to challenge their decisions.

It's similar in a way to DH's job in hospitality. Next week, he'll be working 60 hours but come January? His work will likely be closed 2 days a week due to how quiet it becomes and then around March, it will slowly start to pick up again and eventually will go back to regular hours.

He stays because he likes the job but also because shift work suits our family well and it's fairly flexible (just not in December).

The parent of the child or a different family member?

I have claimed personally for DLA for my child and it isn't easy at all.

I had my legs up on the table and used to write my shopping list and plan what i was wearing to the Christmas do

Is it true when the ladies are on the phone, they are knitting or doing crossword or sudoku?

I used to work in a sex chatline office. I assume women who think the same way as some do on this thread were ok with their husbands calling me

If a family had three children and were working bringing home a salary of 28k they would also be entitled to universal credit. So they wouldn’t be worse off than the family on benefits.

I know this because I had three children before the cap cut off (so received UC for all three) I received UC when my salary was 35k

It kept me in work, allowed me to progress in my career and I now earn enough to not need any benefits so I don’t feel ashamed or guilty about the help I received.

I wasn't talking theoretically, FWIW. I was made redundant 6/7 months ago. I was unemployed for 7/8ish weeks because, despite applying for literally everything, I couldn't find anything.

DH died suddenly of SUDEP 3 years ago, so my kids don't have a father in the picture to pick up the financial slack when things are tight.

Great. Next time I get made redundant, or my husband dies, I will set up a weed farm. I assume you're okay with me marketing my product to your kids? After all, I would be taking personal responsibility and not asking your taxes to help me.

I know nothing about you? You might be one of the mumsnetters who earns millions or a nurse or a whole range of different roles.

Why are we paying rent for people but not mortgages. Honest question.

I never even had a job until I was 21 I’m very ashamed of it and understand why people are resentful of their tax money being spent on other people I became pregnant at 15 gave birth when I was 16 yes it’s my fault but I was young, stupid and romantic didn’t even know about benefits when I got pregnant but luckily there were benefits or idk what I would have done. I had a thread the other day and maybe someone will recognise my name and tell me they’re sick of hearing about this, but I’m just saying most people on benefits with children didn’t just have their children for benefits

If you have the resources to set up a weed farm as you propose, which would be pretty capital intensive and I doubt you could get a bank loan to fund, you both don't need benefits and you would have the skills to set up a business trading on a legal trade.

Why are you assuming pp was speaking theoretically? I mean, she might have been and I might have misunderstood, but I find it interesting you made an assumption that allowed you to continue the snark.

Thank you. The redundancy worked out for the best in the end. Even though I loved my job at the time, the job I have now has a lot of training opportunities and chances to step into other roles for short periods to gain experience.

Finding it took longer than I would have liked because the job market is terrible atm. If I didn't kill every plant I have ever looked at, setting up a weed farm might have been a tempting option, but luckily, there was a safety net available for me to cover the gap between jobs.