To think the benefit cap is going to plunge families into poverty

[Firsttheworst]

Next month the benefit cap comes in. It sets out the maximum that can be claimed in a week across all benefits. This doesn't include disability or wtc. Its aimed purely at women (mostly) claiming income support. You can only claim income support if you have a child under 5 and don't work.

The benefit cap is in the government owns words designed to get IS claimants out to work. The cap is currently £500 and will be reduced to £384 a week.

This includes, housing benefit, CT benefit, tax credits, income support. So all in total cannot be more than £384 a week. Over a 30 day month that comes to £1645.

From that £1645 I need to pay

rent £900 a month (no I can't move, its impossible to rent on benefits as it is, not giving this house up and its below market rent as it is)

CT - £60 a month

Electricity £80

Oil £80

Diesel £ 120 (rural don't drive anywhere other than school runs and supermarket/town once or twice a week)

Car insurance £49

Car tax £19.99

Phone/internet £40 (thats a basic mobile and broadband)

House insurance £13

TV licence £11

That leaves 272 a month to pay for food, clothes, car breakdown, school trips, birthdays, miscellaneous and god knows what else. For one adult and 3 children.

AIBU to think that the government have just decided that if they starve us out for long enough we'll be forced to go out and find a job? Like I said rural area so jobs are rarer than hens teeth and believe me i'm looking. It is pure discrimination against single mothers with small children (i doubt many men claim income support)

Loving how one poster is telling ppl in this situation to cut down on luxuries ..............................and then another poster the OP to start her own business selling stuff

Lots of people around here get stuff on Freecycle and put it on Ebay, I got an email from my local FC administrator about it. Ditto car boot sales.

YANBU, Government come out with this clap trap, the country doesn't have the money blar blar, what a complete lie.
Then the DM readers believe this because they lack intelligence, but of course are Tory so all have a lovely careers
They get jealous"Why should you have x, because I choose to work"
Wankers the lot of them.
I do not include those working who sympathise with those worse off btw.

the problem with back-up childcare is that nobody can take in sick children so you can work except family. Understanding employers are the main help there. When they get one bug after another, they first of all want someone familiar, and second of all, are too poorly to be in a childcare setting. It doesn't sound as though op's current community is enabling her to work though, so in that sense it's already not working for her.

Op in the short term do you have any friends or family you can visit in the town one day a week or a library you could maybe do am online course and study at the library or even volunteer in a charity shop?
Just thinking it would save fuel on driving back and to if you could hang around in town instead and it would save on electricity and oil too as you are out of the house.
If you did an online course it could help when you are ready to go back to work.

Interest free Budgeting Loans are available from DWP to pay for removal costs. Local Authorities can also pay Community Grants if there are difficult circumstances. Think OP needs to use that expensive broadband to research what help is available .

THank you Death,

although I do see the other side of it, why people who work (and btw, being a fulltime carer is VERY hard work, Im also one of the millions of underpaid hardworking carers) see these benefit lazy cheats workshy, and they are out there, getting something for nothing, (I know half my street are these, they boast about it)., but (please do not tar us all with the same brush, many people are in genuine need. )

.why cant the governemt sort the wheat from the chaffe in the 1st place?

Another thing, a lot of people's children share bedrooms - is this not possible for the OP?

She says she has 3 children, perhaps not all the same gender, one being an 11 year old girl. Having 3 children and 3 bedrooms I presume there is already room sharing.

Love being told to grow up at almost 58. The point about accessing a job that fits with school, losing money by taking certain jobs, insisting that jobs are available, that we live in a country that doesn't actually give a shit and is trying to marginalise those on benefits still further. All ignored.

One thing is for sure, attitudes have seen a sea change in the last few years.
I honestly believe most people had no idea of the sums availiable in tax credits.
This has been going on since 2006, tax credits v2.
The genie is out of the bottle, unfortuately. You cannot sell to the electorate a system so inherently unfair to non eligible low paid workers working full time for half the money.
You just cannot.
The system is broken.

oh good god no not possible for her kids to share BoffinMum (my brother and I shared for a good few years until I was 7 or 8).

I suspect that they already do Super; anything bigger than 3 bedrooms would be more than £900pcm, I think and I'd guess at least 3 DC.

But, either way, I'm sure you're quite right to make twatty comments first and check later

Well the op needs to get herself on the council list or move to a cheaper area .
I'd love to live in a rural area but alas I cannot so I have to live by my means on a council estate in greater Manchester.
It's all well and good saying 'blame the landlord ' but she's the one choosing to live there !

When you go out to work full time, you will be very lucky if you earn the amount you get on benefits.

Yanbu OP. But it isn't going to change...as you can see on this thread there is a massive appetite for the shit the Tories are feeding us all at the moment.

The point is that the income in benefits is more than a hard working professionals wage in many cases.

That's what gets people's backs up. What about the poor, struggling, marginalised WORKING families.

Do people really think life is only hard or harder on benefits?!

It's all well and good saying 'blame the landlord ' but she's the one choosing to live there !

Listen to yourself - have some fucking commonsense even if you haven't got any compassion. We none of us know exactly why the OP lives where she does but most people have roots and reasons for being where they are. And as many have pointed out it's not that easy to just up sticks and leave for somewhere else.

And ... Manchester is a thriving metropolitan city with jobs, public transport, universities, schools, on on the doorstep. Perhaps you have never heard of rural poverty? I've been poor in Manchester (Ancoats before you ask) and in the countryside. It's a damn sight easier to find work in a big city.

Becker. You should not be living like that. I agree, the wheat should be sorted from the Chaffe.

My friend works in a post office a few miles down the road. Apparently a fair number of families don't work and she says everyone seems to be on disability and they are all carers for each other. One woman left her walking stick and sauntered out. Then came rushing back, retrieved her stick and left limping. So the system is massively abused. Therein Lieth the problem: So many people feel no shame to take without giving when they are in a position to do so.

Op, I think your anger is directed at the wrong target. If your ex is genuinely not turning a profit and not providing for his children, he's the one to get angry with.

To me, the choice would be either he gets a paid job or otherwise he provides childcare while you are out at work. As he doesn't make any money, he should be able to make himself available for this.

Would he do this?

£900 a month for rent where i live in Greater London is fuck all. What do the people live in that pay £350 a month? A garage?! we'd be lucky to rent one of those for £350 a month round here.

I never voted for any cuts, but the issue is more than low earners being jealous - I work FT, my salary's about £2800 a month but after childcare my take home is £1400 pm and I would bet op sees a hell of a lot more of her DC than I see of mine.

Op- can you move into town to bring down rent, the need for a car etc. Maybe use this time to access free training and then when your children all go to school you can find a job you really want to do.
It's tough, but unless you make changes now it won't get easier..

I agree with pp regarding bedroom tax.

As someone who had 2 DC of opposite sexes in one bedroom because that's all we could afford I struggle to see why anybody is entitled to an 'extra' bedroom but it doesn't sit right with me that people are penalised for having a genuine need of a bedroom for medical reasons or because there are no other properties available.

Idea sound in principle but the execution is poor and what could have been a sensible approach to housing needs ends up causing some vulnerable families considerable hardship.

I can't understand how all these working households have time to be bothered in what other people have, why?
People say it isn't fair because somebody who is worse off than them seems to get more money, sometimes they work, other times they don't.
I think it speaks volumes about those complaining tbh.

OP, I'm not bothered how much you get paid, I wish it was enough for you to change your position.
I work for very little and as it's our own company I'm always doing something.
The OP has more money than me, I'm too bothered worrying and considering my own family to moan about hers.
So sorry you are getting a hard time OP

I don't think the op should move, but I do think the cap is on the whole a positive thing.

I think one of the historical problems was that people ended up staying on benefits very long term and it meant their CV had an enormous gap by the time the children were old enough for them to need to work again.

This way work does pay, and it isn't as if parents of small children are forced into working 40 hours a week. 16 hours is nothing really.

cleaners in the SE would make at least 10p/h even ding it term time only, if you were only making 5000 it would be because you were only working 13 hrs a week!

You gotta be joking. Please say you're joking. I make £1650 in a managerial role which involves working 50 hrs a week and taking work at home and you make that out of our tax and complain you can't move out of a £900!!!! rented property. That makes me sad

This is the real life.

Rabbits
That's your choice though, you could live like the OP.