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Original poster

Why is the benefit cap still in place?

250 replies

Mrsbeanz · 05/02/2021 19:53

Why haven't the government scrapped the benefit cap as it was introduced to get people into work. Why at a time when people are losing jobs and finding it hard to find work, and many being told they shouldn't go to work should people still be capped? It just forces people into.poverty and homelessness. Especially since rents are high and a housing crisis

OP posts:
rawalpindithelabrador · 06/02/2021 19:54

[quote caringcarer]@rawalpindithelabrador, there are loads of jobs advertised near to me in Midlands. There is always agency work available too. I know a few people who lost their job in the pandemic and all have new jobs now.[/quote]
We don't all live in the Midlands Hmm. All the 'loads' of jobs in many areas are 0-hours gigs - unreliable, insecure work isn't a good way to pay rent.

Dallerup · 06/02/2021 19:54

@caringcarer and single parents?

There are so many different circumstances that people can be in either through choice or no fault of their own that all I'm saying is this 'one size fits all' benefits system DOESN'T WORK. I'm not saying give whoever can't be arsed to work unlimited cash handouts.

It's unfair to cap someone living in the SE to the same as someone in the NW. And what if everyone did just move up north to take advance to cheaper housing costs? Eventually you'd run out of housing and/or landlords would catch on a stick the prices up accordingly.

At the risk of repeating myself...

  • Remove the benefit cap or at least adjust it by area
  • Create more / more affordable housing
  • Make childcare more affordable (no more of this free hour crap that's actually just screwing over childcare providers)
  • Actually help people back into work using encouragement instead of punishment
Dallerup · 06/02/2021 19:55

Oh and get rid of stupid zero hours contracts

Interested in this thread?

Then you might like threads about this subject:

Benefits
CayrolBaaaskin · 06/02/2021 19:57

I don’t think a rent cap would help. The issue is a shortage of properties which is why the market rate is high. If you couldn’t charge the market rate, landlords would just sell. That would likely lead to slightly cheaper house prices but to a further increase in rental prices because of less availability.

popgoestyeweasel · 06/02/2021 20:03

@guest2013

Benefit cap is not applied if the person is disabled.
Wrong

The benefits cap is not applied if the claimant or anyone within their household is in receipt of a disability benefit.

Given how difficult the process for claiming disability benefits like PIP for adults and DLA is, many disabled people therefore are not automatically exempt from the cap.

Stinkywizzleteets · 06/02/2021 20:05

The benefits cap isn’t just for the poor. People didn’t complain and argue against it when they were comfortable in jobs and it affected others. Welcome to the welfare state. It doesn’t discriminate.

CayrolBaaaskin · 06/02/2021 20:07

Also i do agree that if you can’t afford it, you can’t live in the area you want. It’s not at all the case that there are no jobs anywhere but central London. Pre cap a relative was living on benefits in zone 3 and was horrified that she might have to move 15 minutes away because of the cap (to where I lived because I couldn’t afford to pay rent in her area). We can’t afford to pay for people to have a higher standard of living than those in full time work and it’s not right to do so either.

popgoestyeweasel · 06/02/2021 20:16

[quote Wide]@jellybabiesfan

It's really not that simple to just move to a cheaper rental, moving with a lettings agency would require 1 months rent, the same amount for deposit plus fees and that's minimum, so that would obviously be more than one montha rent cost so there's a trap ans you have to stay put. Don't even get me started on the price of rent I wish they would bring in a law where onky a certain percentage is allowed to be charged on top of the actual monthly mortgage, god knows how people will be able to ever leave home eventually and yesss by working before someone says it but when rent is taking up a high percentage of your monthly salary it is ridiculous[/quote]
This

Without regulation of private rents there's no way for some people to dig themselves out of the poverty cycle.

I work with many people who are impacted by the cap. Varying circumstances but what tends to be the pattern are high housing costs and having children.

They are families being punished for being at the mercy of an unregulated housing system.

Bubbinsmakesthree · 06/02/2021 20:21

Fucking he’ll there is some depressing reading here.

The people most hit by the benefit cap are single mothers with young children. The complete lack of empathy on Mumsnet of all places for women coping on their own to look after their family is staggering.

Just get a job...yeah it’s that easy when you need childcare for small children and need flexibility around school hours.

Move somewhere cheaper...on your own, away from vital support networks.

I always remember testimony from one woman hit by the benefit cap who went without meals so she could feed her kids, and her kids would deliberately pretend they were full to leave something on their plate as they knew it was all their mum would eat.

But yeah it’s a cushy life on benefits innit?

popgoestyeweasel · 06/02/2021 20:27

@CayrolBaaaskin

I don’t think a rent cap would help. The issue is a shortage of properties which is why the market rate is high. If you couldn’t charge the market rate, landlords would just sell. That would likely lead to slightly cheaper house prices but to a further increase in rental prices because of less availability.
Bollocks

It's nothing to do with a housing shortage. It's everything to do with landlords squeezing the maximum out their property let's and a government who refuses to regulate private rent prices.

popgoestyeweasel · 06/02/2021 20:34

@Bubbinsmakesthree

Fucking he’ll there is some depressing reading here.

The people most hit by the benefit cap are single mothers with young children. The complete lack of empathy on Mumsnet of all places for women coping on their own to look after their family is staggering.

Just get a job...yeah it’s that easy when you need childcare for small children and need flexibility around school hours.

Move somewhere cheaper...on your own, away from vital support networks.

I always remember testimony from one woman hit by the benefit cap who went without meals so she could feed her kids, and her kids would deliberately pretend they were full to leave something on their plate as they knew it was all their mum would eat.

But yeah it’s a cushy life on benefits innit?

Absolutely agree. It's lone parents and their children who particularly cruel policy.

Mumsnet is such a contradictory place. On the one hand it's all about support for women and children but on the other hand not if you're poor.

popgoestyeweasel · 06/02/2021 20:35

*who suffer from

PaddingtonsSister · 06/02/2021 20:39

Because someone has to pay for the unlimited handouts for those who choose benefits as a career topped up by babies to keep the money flowing.

rawalpindithelabrador · 06/02/2021 20:42

@PaddingtonsSister

Because someone has to pay for the unlimited handouts for those who choose benefits as a career topped up by babies to keep the money flowing.
You don't get further benefits for more children over 2 born since 1 April 2017. UC sanctions you for not seeking full-time work once the child is 5. So that's all a myth.
Dallerup · 06/02/2021 20:50

@PaddingtonsSister Unlimited handouts? Do you even know ANYTHING about the benefits system? Even before the benefit cap it wasn't 'unlimited'.

DittyPL · 06/02/2021 20:56

I agree that father's should have more of a financial responsibility towards their children, as the CMS system is a joke, and people know it.

The same as the benefits savings limit, it seems a lot of people are only arsed when something possibly affects those who have been previously in secure jobs etc, which is sad. People have been struggling all along, but I guess the cushion of thinking you are not ever going to have to rely on them helps to not bother. Not directed at any poster directly, there just seems to have been a flurry of threads since covid.

Roastednotsalt · 06/02/2021 21:18

@DittyPL how many people do you think save on benefits? From my understanding on here it seems as though people struggle with money management I doubt they are saving thousands in the bank and UC saving limit isn’t as generous as the old style Tax credits.

Roastednotsalt · 06/02/2021 21:22

@Bubbinsmakesthree

Fucking he’ll there is some depressing reading here.

The people most hit by the benefit cap are single mothers with young children. The complete lack of empathy on Mumsnet of all places for women coping on their own to look after their family is staggering.

Just get a job...yeah it’s that easy when you need childcare for small children and need flexibility around school hours.

Move somewhere cheaper...on your own, away from vital support networks.

I always remember testimony from one woman hit by the benefit cap who went without meals so she could feed her kids, and her kids would deliberately pretend they were full to leave something on their plate as they knew it was all their mum would eat.

But yeah it’s a cushy life on benefits innit?

These factors need to be considered before producing more kids though. There’s no point moaning how hard you have it yet you go on to have more kids. Absolutely it’s not fair on the poor kids people only want to speak on it once the problem has arises anything prior it doesn’t get addressed of why the person had numerous kids in the first place. If your struggling with childcare for one child why have more?!
Waxonwaxoff0 · 06/02/2021 21:28

@PaddingtonsSister

Because someone has to pay for the unlimited handouts for those who choose benefits as a career topped up by babies to keep the money flowing.
Clearly you have no idea how the benefits system works. There is immense pressure these days to get back into work. And benefits are capped at 2 children so the days of "unlimited" benefits are long gone.
Dallerup · 06/02/2021 21:39

@Roastednotsalt People's circumstances change!! Mine fucking did! By that point I already had 2 kids and apparently maternity wards have a no returns policy.

Why do posters only cling on to the tiny percentage of people who do abuse the system? It really is a tiny percentage and it's not fair for everyone else to be punished for that

Gilead · 06/02/2021 21:43

Roasted not salt. Perhaps you had more when you were working, or before your partner attacked you, or died, or left.
Lots of perfectly valid reasons for being on benefits with more than one child.

DittyPL · 06/02/2021 21:48

@Roastednotsalt what I mean is that the flurry of threads once covid redundancies began was along the lines of, why should I have to dip into my savings? Whereas no one seemed arsed before, and as @Gilead has said, there are many reasons why someone may have some savings but then unexpectedly lose their job/income/health- and it was applauded that they couldn't claim until savings were below x.

What I'm clumsily trying to say is that when certain people begin to be affected, they expect things to change, having not spared a thought for the many who have been in that same position previously.

rawalpindithelabrador · 06/02/2021 21:51

[quote DittyPL]**@Roastednotsalt* what I mean is that the flurry of threads once covid redundancies began was along the lines of, why should I have to dip into my savings? Whereas no one seemed arsed before, and as @Gilead* has said, there are many reasons why someone may have some savings but then unexpectedly lose their job/income/health- and it was applauded that they couldn't claim until savings were below x.

What I'm clumsily trying to say is that when certain people begin to be affected, they expect things to change, having not spared a thought for the many who have been in that same position previously.[/quote]
Yep! 'But it was for a house deposit'. Welcome to the real world of benefits, it doesn't give a fuck. A lot of people feel they're a different class, a better class, of benefit claimant. There's no such thing according to the system.

Roastednotsalt · 06/02/2021 22:02

[quote Dallerup]@Roastednotsalt People's circumstances change!! Mine fucking did! By that point I already had 2 kids and apparently maternity wards have a no returns policy.

Why do posters only cling on to the tiny percentage of people who do abuse the system? It really is a tiny percentage and it's not fair for everyone else to be punished for that[/quote]
Yes people’s circumstances do change I have touched upon that already! It’s not a tiny minority though that MANY people do continue this cycle on though.

saleorbouy · 06/02/2021 22:06

Its entirely right that there is a benefit cap. How is it right for someone to live solely on income derived from other taxpayers and be bringing in a monthly income higher than the average u.k salary.
I understand rent is high in certain areas but if that is the case then you can always move to another area. I rented in London and it was financially restrictive so we moved North and our monthly rent dropped dramatically for much more space.
Its incredibly difficult for most people right now but the government can only soend what it either receives in tax or borrows. At the moment we, as a country are running up a huge deficit for us all to pay off with higher taxes.
In an ideal world we could help everyone but reality is that there are financial constraints for all, on both a personal and government level.