to think benefits should be capped at minimum wage

[moogster1a]

A little idea that all benefits should be capped at a weeks worth of minimum wage; so 37 and half hours times whatever minimum wage is now ( £6 pounds odd ).
That way no one gets paid more for sitting at home than they would for going out to work.
Out of this, all rent prescriptions etc. should be paid, the same as most people in low paid jobs have to pay for everything.
it might also provide an incentive to go out to work to up your wages if you progress in a company.
Just think it would be a lot fairer.

When you sign on the declaration you sign says that you confirm (and I am paraphrasing, perhaps someone can clarify...)

"that I have been actively available and looking for work, or that I have done what is necessary to be considered to have been doing this"

which means you fill in your little boxes "I looked in the jobs section of the local paper"; "I asked if they had any vacancies in Sainsbury's", "I looked to get the details of temp agencies".

You don't actually have to do anything.

There is something very wrong that people get 1 bedroom flats paid for at £130 a month. I can't afford to live in that sort of area, so I don't. I moved out of parent's nice middle class area and moved to a much more down at heel place which I can afford. I don't understand the big fuss where people on HB say they shouldn't be expected to move out of their area. People in the real world of paying for your own lifestyle have to.

folkgirl Do love your attitude ( 'cos it's the same as mine!). Any news on DH's job?

£1300 a month. Even I would I allow people to spend £130 on accommodation for a month

@ moogster1a

Nah. they've only recently announced the process which means he's currently going through rounds of pointless psychometric testing to find out what kind of manager he is and then sitting in pointless group discussions about what that actually means! Before they even begin the culling process!

The daft thing is that the questions are all designed to uncover whether how he deals with people in a situation at work and, as he pointed out, his strength in working with others is identifying the needs and motivations of the people he works with and adapting his approach accordingly, e.g. some people need direct management, some people need a point in the right direction, some people need to have their personal problems considered. so far, he's come out as a different management style in all of the tests!

It drives him mad because they then have to sit in meetings with people of similar 'management styles' and discuss.

You wouldn't get that kind of expensive nonsense in the private sector!!!

"What is wrong with making people work for their money?"

Please see the fabulous Mrs DeVere's many posts above. She explains it so well.

You know, I hate that this whole things is making me so vindictive, but-I really really hope that all of you who think that the unemployed should be scrubbing graffiti for their benefits and living in a bedsit with three kids lose your crappy middle management jobs and get to do just that.

Leaving this thread now, while I still have faith in human nature.

People on min wage can claim HB, WTC, CTC for their spouse staying at home with their kids, all sorts of stuff.

A couple, both working full time on minimum wage, renting a two bedroom house in my area (northern town with cheap housing) with two preschool children would earn approx 450 between them. They would also get around 320 pounds a week in benefits. They would get more if, for example, one of them is disabled, or they work less than full time (properly full time jobs on MW are quite rare atm)

A bed in a local hostel for the homeless costs about £750 a month at the moment. So a person on the NMW could not even afford to sleep there. And if their work finished after 5.30pm it is unlikely they would be able to be there in time to claim a bed anyway.

The problem is not so much lack of will to work, but lack of structures in place to support those who do.

there is a world of difference between saying people on benefits should not be able to live in a house that working people cannot afford and have three children living in a bedsit.

it comes over that you cannot stand up your argument as to why people on benefits should not be able to live in a house that working people cannot afford, so have to come up with a rediculous distraction.

Er...see Xenia's post above dear.

Bye

Surely £750 a month is heck of a lot for a bed in a hostel?

A 2 bed flat in a gated community in the nicest part of my town cost £700 pcm. A 2 bed terraced house in an old working class area just off the town centre is £500 pcm.

I agree. YANBU.

yes of course i had read xenia's post - but you still arent standing up why people on benefits should not be able to live in a house that working people cannot afford.

Yes, but to get a flat you need a four figure sum as a deposit, plus various agency fees, inventory fees and so on, plus often you need a reference as well.

It's not easy for people to make their way in the world.

Oh I love sitting at home. What I especially like is when my disabled kids regress, or one that was doing OK has a massive panic attack at something small like a pair of pants and I have to accept he's not OK no matter what people tell me. Or when a child is sick in his SNu like yesterday and I can;t get to him becuase I get stuck midway in an accident that doesn't shift for hours. Or when I am still up every night at 2 hourly intervals and then when I have to drive home at night fall asleep at the wheel (for night read after 7, if it's dar I drop off). Or when I have to tell DS2 I can't come watch his school play as theya re charging for tickets this year and as the fridge is packing up I can't manage it. Or when Mum and Dad decide theya re too old to travel up to us ever again and we can't afford petrol once Dh compelte college to get to them either so we might see them maybe once a year unless DH's work picks up. Which it won;t do obviously coz we are on (some) benefits and must be lazy and idle because you know Lord Freud said so and he is so much better in bred then me.

What I SHOULD have done is study ahrder at school becuase I only managed to get to post grad elvel and then maybe do a more responsible job because supporting children on the at risk register really doesn't cut it as earning respect or wages does it? Mayube when my beloved DH became so ill he could barely function I should have booted him out and claimed single aprents income and got a council house instead of having to find private rent. Maybe I shoudln;t only have been so lazy as to have just the two jobs throughout that time: bloody poor show, 7.15 bus there, 3.30 bus home, grab car, start again at 5 and finish at nine with 2 under 2- what the hell did I do with my time?

We work, or rather my lovely Dh does (and study) and I will either go back in the Spring when he can help more or start working for myself: saw small busines aadvisor alst week bbut a hitch as Landlord's insurers say no so going took at a very basic office address next week. but people don't care about this: they see us think we have what they do not. yes we do: night time 3am panics about how ds3 will live if the current cuts to disability and council support escalate; guilt that somehow we caused their autism, increasing finger pointing becuas e this charity ash decided that kids with autism must jump through X extra hoops (Merlin) which must mean most kids are faking right; or becuase this pop psychology scientist says that working Mums caused it in the first place. yeah?

I hate this fucking planet. Which is handy coz it hates me.

'You can solve it by making everyone work for benefits.

everyone?

What fucking hour of my life should I insert that into? I might find a few minutes at 3am when I tend to be awake panicking anyway if that helps?

Peachy

This planet does not hate you. This planet is trying to help but you have a lot on your plate right now, and more than your share of bad luck.

It will get better.

Oh and it was this bit 'it might also provide an incentive to go out to work to up your wages if you progress in a company.
that stung

as opposed to comments about where caps should be as disability is exempt (if you can get ATOS to agree you are disabled anyway)

Boffin no it won't

Get one sorted anohter goes (ds4)

It took me 11 hour t get him to wear pants whilst he screamed but Nursery preschool insist

they want to send ds3 to MS comp with no help even thogh last time it troiggered a massive regression

it gets betetr then it gets much worse

and yes people ahte claimants, many anyway

Sweetie, you are working and they don't mean you. They mean caricatures from the DM. Most of the country is more than happy to pay tax to help you and we're only sorry we can't do more.

Peachy - the recent BBC program on benefits said 94% of british people support the idea of a welfare state but 60+% of people want it reformed.

so there is a lot of support a benefits system just not what we have at the moment.

on the other hand, you and Hunty Cat etc. have convinced me that ATOS are a bunch of wankers. i knew the assessment process was flawed because of the high success rate of appeal but had no idea of the financial consequences for even successful appellants.

The Real This will always be a problem when genuine claimants (the vast majority) are humiliated by being constantly forced to justfy our existence to save a few quid in fraud. So obviously a distraction. There's a recession and mass unemployment. Therefore no jobs. This can't be blamed on DLA fraud, omatter how much CallmeDave would like it

' a couple, both working full time on minimum wage, renting a two bedroom ahouse in my area (northern town with cheap housing) with two preschool children would earn approx 450 between them. They would also get around 320 pounds a week in benefits. They would get more if, for example, one of them is disabled, or they work less than full time (properly full time jobs on MW are quite rare atm)'

yeah but senseofentitlement you would have to pay 2 x 30% childcare if you did this so there isnt much difference between you both working and neither of you doing any paid work