JSA people should get bus passes and winter fuel allowances

[fecklessswonder]

just had to lend bil money for heating and travel as he's on JSA after loosing his job due to mental health issues and his savings have dried up after almost a year.

He thinks that many weeks he spends more on travel than JSA pay! Thank god he has a family who can help him, I feel very sorry for people that don't have someone to help out.

Anyone who is currently claiming JSA , yes you have to pay your own travel costs to get there to sign on once a fortnight, but if you are asked to attend any other time then please make sure you ask for your fares to be reimbursed. Keep hold of your ticket for the way there as proof of travel and you'll get the return fare in cash.

You can usually get a months bus pass too when you start work, although that depends if n hours/length of contract.

Ottillie do you have children? I ask because you say the extra money people receive with dc rather than JSA is far more than the cost of raising the children. That is utter rubbish.

Totally agree that those who are in receipt of JSA should get bus passes and winter fuel allowance.

Great idea.

CBA to read whole thread which probably descended into benefit bashing Daiky Mail frenzy as normal.

JSA is a joke.

Single people without children are not looked after in our society. Income JSA should have some relationship to your previous income for it to be a proper safety net.

I would definitely fight to get the WFA paid to people (like myself!) who are on PIP/DLA. I know this isn't means tested and meant to cover the extra costs of disability, but it doesn't come anywhere near, particulary now I've lost my job.

Luckily my DH found work just before winter kicked in, but now I'm at home all day, I have to have a warm house as a direct result of my disability or it exacerbates my condition even more. I'm covered in heat patches, hot water bottles and warm clothing including gloves but the house still has to remain at a warmish temperature. As I'm not very mobile I just can't get myself warm. DH is a low earner ATM so would have to work approx two days before our fuel bills would be covered! I feel hugely guilty that I'm such a huge drain on our household income. And I have wealthy older relatives, with property portfolios and huge pensions, some of which spend the winter abroad, who receive the WFA. It just seems such an imbalance.

I've said that before about fsm too yesidid

You get extra money to allow for the fact you cant prep food, but nothing as a parent who cant. Still agree with it, even though im on esa now so do get them.

Yanbu to help him out, as it it now seems to be a crime to be poor. Job centres make impossibly high demands on people who can barely afford to eat with their absurd insistence of applying for non existent jobs, just so they can hand out a sanction, therefore ensuring that people can neither eat or keep warm. No coincidence that food banks were set up well in advance of these obscene policies. Mps hardly have to touch their inflation busting salaries because they can claim expenses for practically everything(certainly for travel). it's good that your Bil has you to help him out, too many turn a blind eye to other people's miserable and unjust lives.

(Ot - Have you seen the two for a pound heat patches in asda? I love them, keep a stock as they only have them sporadically)

here's my breakdown of my jsa, for those who still think it is enough/covers everything:

my total jsa as a single claimant with no dc is £288 per month (£144 per fornight), rounded up

£80pm towards rent (my rent is £350pm for 1 bed flat, receive £270 in HB as im in private let). No, i don't have the funds to pay removal costs to a housing assoc flat- even IF they could find me one as cheap as this

£37pm Unlimited Broadband (took out when still working & still have 6 months left before contract ends). i need to find £82 from somewhere to end the contract early...however, i need this as i'm setting up as self employed.

£20pm towards Contract Mobile (again taken out when working), unlimited free landline and mobile calls - thankfully this contract ends at end of January

£24pm towards Council Tax

£40pm towards Gas & Electric (currently heavily in debt re utilities so account not clear like it used to be when working)

Leaves me with a grand total of £87 for the month, this works out to £21 PER WEEK to spend on my food/cats food n litter, transport (even with reduced fare), essential clothing, toiletries, cleaning products etc.

I've just picked up my new specs from Specsavers, got the NHS voucher and as i got the 2-4-1 deal i had to pay a top up of £10 towards it. i didn't mind at all, it was well worth it - but it's left me £10 down on my weekly budget for essentials.

My cats are my babies - i watched them being born, and there is no way i am letting them go if i can help it.

Nobody is getting birthday/christmas presents whilst i'm on jsa, i need a pair of knee high boots/wellies that are waterproof as i tend to walk everywhere if i can - and i've seen a pair in the charity shop that will hopefully still be there by the time i find the money. My family live a 5 hour Megabus journey away - unless they pay for my tickets and all food/costs whilst i'm there i can't go see them.

Luckily i don't have credit card/overdraft/miscl debts like many others do.

Even on a minimum wage i had more to spend on my essentials than £21 odd per week.

Thankfully i roll with it and don't feel bitter or angry....if i do i tell myself there are people out there a lot worse off than me - both in this country and abroad.

however....the way we single jsa claimants get treated is disgusting compared to the amount of financial help that is available to others - especially to those with children. It is NOT enough to live on - it is enough to just about SCRAPE by. On top of that, Wednesdays is my sign on day - so i have to wait until MONDAY to receive my money despite them saying 'oh you get paid two days after signing on'

i consider myself lucky...there are others with higher rent top ups/debts etc to factor in on that £288pm they receive......

Jobseekers should be less than minimum wage.

Sugar yes you are treated badly I agree. However a jsa claimant with a child would receive exactly the same amount of money as you not a penny more.
Their CHILDREN would then receive money for their needs.

minimum wage ought to be an amount that affords a basic and decent standard of living relative to the standards of a rich first world country

Wow! Great contribution honey any more little pearls of wisdom to offer to the discussion, what about people with disabilities? Children?

What honey less than £6.50 ? Or less than a weeks wages at £222.57 after tax ?

We weren't discussing them dawn, according to the thread.

SoonToBeSix-

It's into paid to the children- how ridiculous!

Nor do they check the parent spent it on the kids - many don't, plenty of unemployed single parents have luxuries, nails done, nights out, cigarettes, holidays.....

If you have children and are on JSA you get things like free boiler and free insulation. When I was on JSA it was more like 50 a week as I claimed back the tax overpayment from my job so had to pay tax on JSA.

Witches it is paid for the children's needs. If a very small minority of parents choose to use money meant for their dc on themselves that is not the governments fault.

Nor do they check the parent spent it on the kids - many don't, plenty of unemployed single parents have luxuries, nails done, nights out, cigarettes, holidays.....
God forbid anyone on benefits should have any sort of luxury.

None of us should have luxuries over the needs of our children.

honeychoc since "minimum wage" isn't even a living wage how low would you like jobseekers allowance to be?

Ilovesooty I certainly agree minimum wage is criminal; however someone up the thread said JSA is less than minimum wage which is right in my view. My rants about minimum wage I contained due to lack of time.

No honey we shouldn't. But maybe we can be a bit more understanding of people in difficult circumstances and accept that giving up smoking is damned hard, sometimes a weekend break is a lifesaver. We don't know the situation of people and perhaps some judge a little too harshly.

As for JSA being less than minimum wage, perhaps it should be, but it should be liveable, which it currently isn't.

my maintenance pays the mortgage - a luxury that keeps a roof over our childrens heads - selfish bitch that I am

I recognise how hard the grip of an addiction can be.

However it is very difficult because while I recognise that I feel it would be unwise to assume that everyone on benefits has an addiction which of course they don't: that would be patronising in the extreme.

We can't condone it I suppose which doesn't mean we condemn it.