To believe £780 month lone parent benefits income is adequate to live on.

[goldfacegreen]

There's some myth busting required at last I think.

As a lone parent of two under 6, I receive a total of £780 a month in benefits:

Income Support, Child Tax Credit, Child Benefit, CSA (£5 a week).

I receive full housing benefit for a two bedroom house (£75 shortfall which has to come out of my income support, currently being paid via Housing Discretion Award) which doesnt go into mybank account, it gets paid direct to landlord, and £16 a month council tax shortfall also has to be paid out of income.

I'm on meters and gas and electric are around £20 a week each, some of which pays off accrued debt. Water is deducted directly from my income support via an 'attachment of earnings' type court order.

I don't have loans or credit cards, no landline, no satellite tele, no car, no travel expenses, no socialising costs, don't smoke, my Internet is paid for by someone else although I should have organised a bill swap ages ago and I run an old phone on £10 month contract. My other costs are regular swimming, yoga, wax salon, and I buy school uniform and children's clothing as and when required.

Childcare such as nursery (pre-school), morning and after school clubs are free to those on income support, school holiday clubs are heavily subsidised, as are school meals, dentistry, doctor's prescriptions, council run leisure centre swimming and gym classes, and many other recreation facilities.

My budgeting skills are atrocious but having recently done some sums, I actually have around £250 a month 'spare' from all benefits income. Although for the past year or two I've been constantly overdrawn by around £500 so whenever income is credited, I'm always 'one step forwards, two steps back' amd because of this will never get back in the black again.

So, with better budgeting (I don't buy a regular weekly food shop for instance, instead spend a fortune every few days buying dinners and sundries at the overpriced local Tesco Metro) I just don't understand how so many lone parents claim they can't afford to live on these same benefits.
Even if you have debts, there are features in place to reduce your debt payments to just £1 a week or even write them off altogether as a last resort.

Also, the father of my children earns thousands but fraudulently claims benefits, so he is only required to pay the minimum £2.50 a week per child direct from his benefits. Many lone mothers receive full child support which isn't deducted from their other benefits income, so can be receiving up to £800 a month on top of their benefits depending on what the chikdren's father earns. I have noticed that rarely will lone parents on benefits state this fact or include it in their income along with their complaint.

Yes, it is a struggle trying to support myself and two young children on £780 a month (but mostly because I can't get over this overdraft debt shackle) but on paper, budgeting well, it is entirely doable, and if you are frugal, you could even save a little too.

Why does the Daily Mail stereotype exist that single mothers are rolling in handouts, given the above figures? Just under £195 a week is an adequate income for one adult and two young children, surely..

The main reason that wages are too low is because of the cost of housing though. £45k would go a long way in, say, Hull because you'd have plenty left over after you'd paid for housing. There's not so much left to live off if you've got to pay £600 in commute costs and £1500 in rent/mortgage.

That's if you can find a job for 45k in somewhere like hull, yes house prices are lower up north but so are wages and opportunities are few and far between.

I got a uniform grant when DS transferred to secondary school. It depends on your council whether they will offer one.

Social fund interest free budgeting loans are still available, my friend got one last month. They will be phased out for those on universal credit but most people haven't been transferred to that yet. Other social fund grants like crisis loans and community care grants have been taken over by local schemes, so it depends again on your council what is available.

My local leisure centre offers swimming for £2.70 for those eligible for concs rates (£4.70 for standard price). I think classes like yoga are about 40% less as well, not sure of exact prices.

our school uniform grant is £20 every OTHER year and you have to show a receipt,so £10 a year then

Senior lecturers at Hull university will make £45k+. There will be hospitals, large secondary schools, GP practices.

You don't have to move to London to make £45k.

Reading back through the posts since I was last here, I hope people can see that in fact, yes, there is some discrepancy across the country between what is available.
Some places DO offer free furniture through the recycling projects, some places DO offer subsidised fitness classes at council run leisure centres, etc.
Resources actually are available to help shoulder the cost of everyday living whilst on lone parent benefits.

Of course the thread title will attract 'benefit bashers' -as SP has regularly remarked -although I can assure you this isn't the reason I wrote it. I have never seen an online thread before where a lone parent has declared their full benefits income as I have just done, and I was curious to know what people thought - whether like me they considered the amount too much. Or too little.

I have actually forgotten to include some costs, such as the £2 a week for the children's school snacks (not packed lunches, actual mid morning snacks). I've never understood if this is even compulsory. I've never received reminders when I've forgotten to pay. Also I forgot to include Rainbows (Brownies) subs. So my sums are fallible.

It's still an interesting topic to talk about I think.

Yes, but the professionals you state Calamitous although on 45k they won't be living in the cheaper houses. There are also good areas and high prices relatively speaking in Hull and everywhere else in the North.

I do see your point though, people think North is always poor, cheap housing etc, and its not always true.

So you start a thread pretty much saying that these things are available to everyone just because they are on benefits and get confused when people question that and still insist they are there.

Ok I will accept that a few areas have some of these things but that does not mean that all do, most don't.

Hi Sock

There's no confusion. Some places have these facilities, some don't. What's poignant is how hard it is to actually find these services unless there is an active 'referral' system in place. I was referred for one service, but not for another, which I found through word of mouth. Admittedly there was good community spirit in that area I lived in which made it easier.

My experience also relates to towns I lived in over 6 years ago, along with my current town. Government reforms have changed since then of course.

I can't access the "free loans" due to the benefit I am on, even though I am having to start again from homeless, trying to accommodate myself, fill the house with necessary items, try again to get an education so I can try to find work that a disabled person can do.

Op,

You do realise that in real life there are people who truly believe that those on benefits get everything free don't you?

Things like water utilities they think there are grants available for anything you want and it's like living on a 60k salary they often also think the only thing they have to pay for is the drugs that all benefit claimants are on.

You don't help matters when you imply things are available to everyone on benefits that are not.

Sock

There is a fund that cancels out your water utility debt though...

I've been very honest about my own experience I think. It's no imply when it is a fact that resources are available. I'm just stating my own experience, that's all.

op what is that fund ? My water debts are crippling me

Anglia Water have one.

There are charities out there who do provide funds to cancel out utility debts, one of the big energy suppliers does it can't quite remember who but and this is a big but from what gold said she wouldn't qualify as you have to prove you can't afford repayments at all and with £250 disposable income a month you wouldn't get it. They really are for people who are completely on the edge.

Not necessarily Jacks, but they don't want people to know that otherwise they'd be inundated with requests.

www.britishgasenergytrust.org.uk/help/grants-for-individuals-help-pages/how-can-the-trust-help

British gas is the big one who don't care whether you are their customer or not. They cover other things as well as utilities

I have no idea where you live, OP but free furniture and gym and childcare didn't exist where I lived - which was in one of the moost deprived areas of the UK.

And to add to the claims of some benefit bashers - my grand-father-in-law is convinced those on benefits also have a gas, water and electricity benefit....

There is an extra payment of £135 to cover energy bills in fact, I got it last year but won't this year as I don't get the qualifying benefits now. There is also a £10 cold weather payment for weeks when the temperature drops below a certain number in your area if you're on IS (and some other benefits I think). The CWP is automatic but the £135 is something you have to apply for. I think it's definitely a good idea to spread the word about these additional schemes, it's true that many schemes try not to publicise them and it seems to be to avoid getting inundated but many people on benefits suffer unnecessarily because it's so hard to find out about these things.

Of for fucks sake op

Stop misrepresenting information. Yes there is a social tariff for water but it does not cancel out debt nor does it give your water for free.

It's called the water shaw scheme and it is a legal requirement for the water companies to provide.

It restricts you water bill to what the company decided is the areas average usage,is not available to most people on benefits only those who have provable reasons to need to use more than the areas average amount of water each year such as those on dialysis and you have to have a water meter and medical evidence to be accepted on it. The only people without a medical condition who qualify for it based solely on income are those with 3 or more resident children.

It's not free water it's just making sure you pay no more than the average in your area. currently the cheapest area in the country is around the £400 pa mark.

Sure don't know why my iPad typed shaw

The British gas trust is brilliant but they do not pay out just on the basis of benefits you have to be in serious financial trouble.

Nothing wrong with spreading the word about available cost saving services (i spend most days doing it) but there is something very wrong with making people think they can get things that they can't, it gets people's hopes up.

Be honest about the situations that will qualify you for the services and discounts available.

Even the energy payments are not quite as cut and dried as you think, your supplier has to be involved in the scheme and has to offer it to low income none pensioners.

Pensioners who get pension credit will get it but they do not have to give it to those under 65 unless they want to.

You can't get it if your energy company is not involved and just off the top of my head the current cheapest prepayment supplier is not part of the scheme.

op what is that fund ? My water debts are crippling me

Is called the water sure capped tariff.

Have a look on your suppliers website for qualifying information and application form.

Disability/illness involving additional water usage
3+ under 19's in receipt of cb

Combined with certain benefits.

Sock

You have told us you are a 'referrer' for various agencies and work in this area everyday, helping people reduce their debts.

But you are not aware that Anglia Water has a fund which will totally wipe a debt? This is a fact and I am not 'spreading false hope' by stating this. The facility is there,but my complaint is that the information is hard to find, that's all. It certainly doesn't warrant your hostility.

You are also confusing the cheap tariff with the facility that will wipe clean a total debt. There are qualifying factors of course, as with anything, if you don't ask, you don't get. It's the asking in the first place that is a difficult hurdle. Which is why people like you sockreturningpixie are there to help us find this information, as you say you do.