mum on benefits can afford to keep her dds 2 horses

[jugofwildflowers]

This is a lovely mum by the way. She has never married but been with the same partner for 25 years and they have 3 dc. He works and has another home but stays in family home often, although because she is 'single' and on benefits, she gets everything paid for and her dc have free school meals. I assumed that as the mum was on benefits, she wouldn't have much money.

They have 2 horses and she spends a lot of the time with them. We have a mortgage and after all the bills are paid we don't have enough to keep one let alone 2 horses! Comes across as sour grapes, doesn't it? Sorry but

[Hullygully]

Buppy, I think you are confused.

You seem to think that FACTS AND KNOWLEDGE are in some way relevant or essential to the discussion.

[Hullygully]

Get jiggy with the neddies

I was saying yars in answer to you calling upon me as god btw

[TenderlyLovinglyByAGoat]

I fervently hope they hunt these horses too, and that the taxpayer (oh wait, I still pay a little tax myself) stumps up their subs this season AND they gallop through all the gardens of your horrible new houses and spatter mud and stones up the sides of your sensible family cars.

(misery of prospect of not hunting again any time soon myself, at own or anyone's expense)

:(

[SuePurblybilt]

I think people should be really quite convinced of benefit fraud before reporting - unless subjecting someone to interviews under caution, stress, anxiety, frozen benefits and the like is something you think should be done every time a random begrudger 'suspects' something is not right.

[Ephiny]

If you have reason to think she's actually committing a crime, e.g. benefit fraud, I think you can report that anonymously and it will be investigated.

Otherwise I'd suggest minding your own business really. Maybe the horses are paid for by a generous relative, or maybe she does somehow manage to save enough from her benefit payments, or maybe she's running up lots of debt...either way it doesn't affect you surely?

[natation]

The UK public spending on welfare in 2011 is estimated at just under 110 billion.
www.ukpublicspending.co.uk/government_expenditure.html#ukgs302a

According to this link, the cost of UK welfare fraud in 2008 (couldn't find more up to date data) was just over 1 billion... that would be around 1% of the welfare bill is obtained fraudulently, ie one in 100 claims are fraudulent or 1% of the welfare payments bill is fraudulent, whatever way, it's 1 billion lost which could be spent elsewhere.

Equally, according to that link, around 15 billion is lost in tax evasion, not quite the 40 times more that another person reported, but 15 times the size of the fraudulent welfare bill, quite significant.
citywire.co.uk/money/tax-evasion-costs-treasury-15-times-more-than-benefit-fraud/a378274

Fraud is fraud, be it tax evasion or welfare payments which people are not entitled to. I'd shop someone who is fraudulently obtaining benefits in the same way as I would shop someone or some company evading pay taxes.

[frumpet]

My horse only has front shoes and they only need replacing probably every six months ,otherwise its a trim and old ones back on . He isnt stabled so no straw/shavings to pay for . he gets one scoop of happy hoof a day and hay if its snows or there is a hard frost . We worm twice a year , poo pick every day and my friend gets the vaccs at cost .

[Olderyetwilder]

I'm with tenderly. I don't mind subbing hunting through my taxes. Bastard fox ate my chickens.

[BupcakesandCunting]

So you shop her, right? Whether she is caught out or not, how could you sit having coffee with her knowing that you tried to shop her?

I'm not saying that people who are genuinely committing an act of fraud shouldn't be shopped but at least give them chance to explain themselves instead of being all cloak and dagger about it.

[Hardgoing]

Tilly, that's what I was trying to say. I can't believe it's fine for people to have children with someone, live away and not contribute to the household and expect taxpayers to pay for their children (although if they are properly separated and he pays maintenance, I don't think this is included in tax credits).

I want to see bankers and company directors pay capped and tax evasion loopholes closed. But everyone has to take responsibility for themselves. I could easily try to play the system as my husband has a separate household/bills/etc, but we are a family as in a family that pays for itself. I would be ashamed to play the system and pretend we weren't a family just to get benefits, I really would.

I am seeing my friends who have been on benefits for years struggle so much to move back into the world of work, because it all seems so unfair and difficult now, it's a massive disincentive to work (more than 16 hours, more than school hours, work at all). I don't doubt they had hard lives when their children were tiny, but now they are unused to working as hard as it takes to pay your way in the current climate.

[LEMONAIDE]

I really dont get the appeal of horses at all, god its bad enough picking up after the dog - Id have to have an animal that does poos the size of a dinner plate

[ExitPursuedByaBear]

Will nobody think of the horses?

[TheRealTillyMinto]

Society seems quite f**ked up at the moment.

the idea of putting something in, to get something out seems to have gone out the window in many different ways at the top and bottom of the income scale

[MrsRhettButler]

It is me, slaveto who is going on about two sets of bills, are you suggesting that the father should pay both sets? Even though they live in separate properties and he may well pay maintenance (possibly used to fund the horses)

They live separately, they have separate finances... I can see how people think it's not fair and maybe the mother is a bit jammy but personally I'd rather have dp living with us. They don't seem to be COMMITTING A CRIME

[BupcakesandCunting]

Yes Tilly.

BROKKEN BRITIAIN.

[clopper]

Perhaps the dad should pay for the school dinners before/ if he pays for the horses food.

[slavetofilofax]

unless subjecting someone to interviews under caution, stress, anxiety, frozen benefits and the like is something you think should be done every time a random begrudger 'suspects' something is not right.

Jobs can create stress and anxiety too.

If there is nothing to hide, an interview will be fine, whether under caution or not.

Being investigated should not be that big a deal, it should be something that everyone on benefits has to go though, whether they are entitled to them or not. I don't think it's that big a price to pay for free money that allows you to live your life without working.

[OhDoAdmit]

OP you know you said she 'gets everything paid for'

What do you mean?

Free school meals, lecky, gas, school trips, hot tub, clothes, carpets (all things I have been told people on benefits get free) so perhaps she gets free horses too?

Now the facts

IF you think she is commiting benefit fraud, report her.
She does NOT get EVERYTHING free.
Horses are very expensive
You DO NOT KNOW as much about her finances as you say you do.
You do NOT know who is paying for the horses.

[OhDoAdmit]

Do you have to reshoe horse every FOUR weeks now

Bloody hell things have changed in the last twenty years.
Mind you dogs didnt have teeshirts twenty years ago either.

[slavetofilofax]

MrsRhett, yes, I am saying that the Father shoudl be paying both sets of bills and rent. Why the hell shouldn't he? Between the two of them, they chose to have children, so perhaps if they decided to live together their bills would be cheaper and they could both work and pay for themselves and the sodding horses.

The benefits system is not there to allow a couple who have chosen to have children to live sepearately if they feel like it. It is there to stop people being homeless and starving. That is all. It is not the taxpayers responsibility to pay for these children when they have two parents who would be perfectly capable of doing it themselves if they could be arsed.

[Hullygully]

Oh I didn't realise you knew them, slaveto.

[Saggyoldclothcatpuss]

I have 6 ponies. They cost nothing. I file their feet myself, they aren't fed anything other than grass, all their tack is second hand, their field costs me a minimum amount, they aren't vaccinated. None of the costs that Tilly listed up thread apply to me, other than worming medication.
My ponies cost me Less a week, than the average persons wine or cigarettes budget. I don't go out, don't buy clothes, smoke or drink. So sue me.

[BupcakesandCunting]

Chris Morris really needs to do a sketch about the benefits cheats hysteria.

[Dawndonna]

slave
Last time we were investigated, my dh ended up in a mental health unit, again.
We were reported seventeen times by the same person. Why? Well in part because I was seen to buy basmati rice instead of cheaper long grain rice!
Investigation really shouldn't be a matter of course. Those of us that care for people with physical/mental health problems go through enough. They are already checked and let's face it, they're all going to be checked again via ATOS and then thrown out on the street anyway.