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)

Yes I think yabu- very much so! I am a single mother to one child. I work full time - 45 hours and my take home pay is slightly less than 1600! With that I pay the usual household bills rent,council tax etc and have less than 200 per month to buy food/ clothes/ days out. We don't have holidays or luxuries and I work hard and am missing out on spending time with my daughter as I am at work 5 days a week.
I wish I could afford to rent a £900 per month property!!

"Benefits are for helping people when they are down on their luck"

I would call being abandoned by a partner to care for three children alone 'down on your luck'.

This thread terrifies me.

I have three children who, without reaching the threshold for DLA, would make it extremely hard for me to hold down a full time job (one has serious mental health problems, one is autistic). Last week there was only one day where I wasn't called into school/had to take a child to hospital/physio/doctors appointments. They cannot be left alone after or before school despite being of secondary age. If DH left I'd be fucked.

In the states single mothers live in all out slums, or work three minimum jobs while their secondary school children spend many hours alone at home. People use the cheapest, unregistered illegal childcare for younger children.

This is what people on this thread want to happen because they would rather see a single mother and her whole family trampled into the dust than get more than them.

It's vile.

So I am not going to say this is reflective of OP at all.

But I was speaking to a mum recently at a child's event. Her job is working with single mothers to help them through the new benefit cap.
This is in a town with very cheap rents so they are probably quite well off

She told me it's awful working with them - all they say is 'I don't want to work' 'why should I - I've got kids' 'I need to be home all day in case the school rings'

The mum in question has 4 school aged children and works full time and has no sympathy - some of them criticised her for working when she has children - not understanding that she wouldn't get the benefits they do
And she has no choice

She's retraining in her spare time to get away from the job