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)

"Would the Government be taking money iff disabled people/carers if the general welfare budget wasn't being so exploited by others"

Yes they would be.

Because it's done for ideological reasons not fiscal ones. The Tories believe in self sufficiency, a smaller state, and families stepping up to carry more of the financial and social burden of caring for the disabled and elderly.

If it was a requirement to reduce spending across the board they wouldn't be proposing huge pay increases for mp's, continuing paying the winter fuel allowance to rich pensioners, cutting taxes for high earners, reducing inheritance tax, funding trident, and paying out tens of thousands through 'help to buy' for people buying homes costing half a million or more.

This has been the most depressing read ever. All of these posters clamoring on to say, you're lazy, you're workshy, you're what's wrong with this country, you should try working for a living, I live in a squalid hovel so so should you...

OP I posted earlier saying it didn't seem that bad to me, and that my dual income household didn't have much more than you do after we paid childcare etc.

I posted without reading.Having read more of the thread now I wish I could rescind my comments as I do not want my voice added to all of the nasty spitefulness on here.

OP, I do not have much more money than you at the end of the month, and we work hard for what we have. You, I'm sure, also work hard taking care of three young children on your own. We're broke by week three more often than not but that does not mean that I need or want you to be broke by week two!

Also - my son needed a very expensive operation that saved his vision and prevented him going blind. Thank you, the taxpayer. Your children need food and shelter. Thank you, the taxpayer.

If a group of parents can't condone our taxes providing necessities to children then we really are a broken society

I think many people commenting on this thread (myself included) have actually been where the OP is, but chose to work, even though it was logistically/financially difficult. The OP posted in AIBU. Saying 'yes' does not make me unsympathetic, I just think the system is far wrong. Also agree with PP re rents needing to come down. Loss of council housing through right to buy has led to inflated rents, the only people getting richer are landlords.

Very well said welsh 👏🏻

Well said Dreamfoil

My DS2 has an invisible disability (he's on the ASD) and even though me and DP are top-rate tax payers, we claim DLA for DS2. Why? Because the centre he goes to every week for people like him is charity based and can only open its doors to people claiming DLA or PIP. We donate about 50% of his DLA to the charity to help it, and the other 50% goes into an account and we use it for things related to DS2's disability. So far we've been able to get DS2 a few special adaptations for his laptop and bought him a kindle (he finds those easier to read than books) out of the money. I do not feel guilty at claiming this for him at all. Some of the attitudes on here disgust me. Apparently these people want disabled people to be supported, but then complain when they get a tiny bit of extra money to help them out in every day life.

The thing they don't think about is - that disabled person you work with might earn the same as you, but they'll have a lot more costs associated with their condition which may leave them with less money than you at the end of the month. That's why the Motability scheme is excellent - it allows disabled people to go to work, get around and earn money without their disability causing them to be worse off than able bodied people.

What minifingerz said with bells on.

I don't think people wish OP ill, but to not be grateful for what substantial amount of money you already get in a difficult situation like this, is only possible in the UK. That £1645 brings you so much closer to your independence than having absolutely nothing at all (as is the case pretty much anywhere else in the world). But no, people feel they need more. And for how long, I wonder? One year? Two years? Until kids are in the university?

Only on page 24 so might be a bit behind the times!!

We private rented with housing benefit for a long time until dh changed job and I went to uni (stopped working as a carer on minimum wage) was told we were no longer eligible for housing benefit - fair enough.

Had been on the council bidding system for a year at that point so bid on a manky 3 bed masionette in a horrible area but the rent was dirt cheap (£388 a month). Stayed there while I finished uni and started working. Desperate for a "nice" house we moved 600miles up country and now pay £500 a month. You can move and still claim housing benefit as you claim it directly from the local council and it is income dependent. Our house now is wth a housing association who also offer an option to buy years down the line. Found them by researching hard as I wanted to be secure when we moved. I am a nurse, work part time so dh can go to college and then onto uni and we have £40 a week disposable income for us and 3 dc. We never see this £40 after food bills, petrol and bank charges we are skint. But we have a roof over our heads and food in the fridge. I hated living in the masionette but it was a means to a end and I appreciate it more now that we have left.

I 100% support the welfare system, but struggle with the idea that people take home more money than those who do go to work.

smallfox talking about prejudices on this thread. The irony refers back to Referendum threads where all she did was judge people for the vote they made

OP - I'm sorry you've felt the need to duck out. Hopefully you will take some of the more practical advice. There has been some good suggestions. I get why people are mad, when I read it at first, I was one of those people but I tried to take a step back and give you some money saving ideas. Out of interest, when you stupid twat of an ex left you, did you not have any assets together? If not, and you're not divorced yet (apologies if I've missed that) could you not see a solicitor and see if you can get some money out of him that way? Every little helps and all that

Good luck to you either way (hope you still lurk to see how this pays out)

Looby, I judge people for the reasons they give for voting one way or the other.

Don't make assumptions about people on benefits or critque their lifestyle.

Thanks all the same.

The op will be okay its just knocked her for six leaving a marriage, being a loan parent. Its a lot to take in and now she has to support dc and herself with little money and no support. She will work her way out of it the change happens next month. There is light at the end of the tunnel think positive and look into what you can do. How I got back into work was volunteering I needed the references so I could work. I know that is not helpful especially when the holidays come around and you need child care. Does the school run child care in the holidays the government do help with child care costs. Good luck op.

I work with someone who gets full disability benefits including a car and free taxis and earns the same as me. How does that work???? I can't afford taxis have to pay for my own car.
I'll answer this factually, that way my temper won't get in the way.
Those benefits are to enable your colleague to work, the car ensures they can get to work, it's not a free car he/she pays for that out of their disability living allowance, or Personal Independence Allowance, just take a look at other threads to see how hard public transport is to access if you have a disabilty. The rest is to ensure that they have the same quality of life that you do. It means said person can put the heating on when perhaps you would get up and move about, it means they can purchase the foods/extra vitamins they may need, over and above what it may cost you to feed yourself. It means they can pay for specialist equipment at home, that they may need. It's called fair and equitable.

OP I think you are right that you have been handed your arse on a plate and whilst I understand why so many people are pissed off I can also understand why you feel hard done by. But it's not the benefit cap that is the problem - it's the lack of support from your ex. You have every right to be angry at that.

You are right OP. You are me. I (possibly) just had a better hand to play when the shit hit my fan

Years ago I enquired about tax credits when I was part of a couple both working and and struggling and I put down the phone after saying ' I guess I need to leave my husband and give up my job to qualify then'.

If you were getting proper financial contribution from your ex you could probably weather this change.

There have been pp on this thread who have acknowledged and understood your difficulties.

The pp who have been most angry/critical have given examples of how they have overcome the obstacles.

I think there is a real benefit to listening to both and taking what is useful to you from this thread.

You have posted in AIBU so you have invited discussion on your circumstances and the benefit system as a whole.

If you post in credit crunch you will get support in how to manage the change in circumstances ( if that's what you are looking for).

Your post has thrown up so many social/ political issues that it was always going to get pretty heated. If you want support seek support - political debate won't help you right now.

Good luck OP. Hope things get better for you soon.

Yes dreamfoil, that persons wife actually had the cheek to say they wouldn't have coped without the respite for their disabled son despite having 2 nannies and being able to financially afford respite whenever they wanted.
Then he had the cheek to call people on benefits scroungers and his cuts ensured that the exact same respite care he used was closed down.
Disgusting

I am a bit black and white when it comes to social welfare recipients. It's a safety net, not a way of life. If you want more money then go out and work for it. Do like the Americans do, with limited social welfare, work 3 jobs. Or get yourself an education such that you can work one well paid job.

Just want to add anyone who thinks absent parents are made to pay child maintenance should research the shocking figures of the amount single parents actually receive.
Absent parents are getting away with murder whilst the parent left responsible for their child gets slated

At least his mother complained Dreamfoil!

Do like the Americans do, with limited social welfare, work 3 jobs

That is what the government wants a welfare system like America.

I'm still here and reading just wanted everyone to know I was taking a step back and not just running off.

And also that I just applied for a 16hr cleaning job. I'm guessing you'll all love that

Cartwheelgirl

I don't think OP is saying she doesn't get enough. I think she's complaining that so much of it goes on rent, and they're cutting the cap so she'll lose out. If the rents in her area (and country-wide, really) weren't so expensive, she wouldn't need so much housing benefit to cover it and the cap wouldn't effect her. Nobody should be spending 75% of their budget on rent. It's a shame because our mortgage on a 5 bed detached house is nowhere near that kind of money, only about £400. We always overpay as well.

Sadly, many people like OP will never be able to afford a deposit that will allow them to get a mortgage. If OP were in a better position she could probably have a house of a similar type and be paying only about £250-300 in mortgage.

There needs to be something done about rents and there needs to be more council housing. That's the problem. When my aunty raised her two kids after leaving an abusive marriage in the early 90s, she didn't have housing benefit. She had a council house and paid her rent out of her Income Support. That's how it should be.

More council housing and more subsidised housing would mean the housing benefit bill could go down and we would stop lining the pockets of greedy landlords. Sadly, that won't happen as most of these landlords vote Tory.

Looby, I judge people for the reasons they give for voting one way or the other.

Bollocks smallfox, you judged everyone that voted differently to you and put them all in the same category. And are now judging people that have put everyone on benefits in the same category. Anyway, I don't want to de-rail OP's thread but just find it hilariously ironic

PS OP you should print this thread out and send it to your ex and highlight every single person that commented about him helping you ... maybe he will appreciate the visuals enough to give him a kick up the arse

'Do like the Americans do with limited welfare'

Where disabled people are often homeless due to no state help

Op what about delivery driver you get a fuel card x amount of holiday a year. I would use your licence.

Whatever looby. I only judge people on the reasons they give, however gibven most of them are spurious, as are many of the benefits bashing ones on here I'll challenge them

Oh yes, and Auntie Clare saying the cuts were a "great, great error". I found a link but the video has been removed...