To think unversal credit is a disaster *trigger warning*

[jnfrrss]

This just popped up in my feed. Talking about someone that had an abortion as they wouldn't be able to afford the child without credits. It's not just an isolated issue, a charity says they've had a huge increase in women contacting about abortions as now they won't be able to afford to have any more children. I'm not sure what the answer is but this is very worrying

www.mirror.co.uk/money/it-wasnt-planned-very-wanted-12480380

Off course you do - it's the ones struggling that need your service - I doubt you have queues of people waiting to tell you how easy they found it.
Except of course this is repeated in every town and city across the country, one office; try the bigger picture.

Well if you are Lorna then your FaceBook is full of Left wing support - I wouldn't say Lorna was an impartial claimant.
So what you are saying is that if a claimant is left wing then their experience is null and void. What if they are tory and going through this? Does that make their experience any more valid? Or a non voter?
You're dismissing what ALL the newspapers, charities and voluntary organisations are saying because they may be left wing? How about the government select committees that are saying it's not fit for purpose?

I just felt 'Lorna' wasn't the innocent victim of the system. When your FB page shows activism against the Tories and Theresa May she doesn't come across as impartial and unbiased.

I think we have every right to question peoples claims. It's wrong to take everything at face valu without looking deeper..

I'm not saying these people aren't legitimate and I agree the system has it problems, but take the chap who was the taxi driver who said he was owed weeks/months worth of money. There was a brief but 'moved on swiftly' comment that he hadn't provided all the correct documentation which held up his first claim. That's hardly the fault of UC if they don't get all the information they need. And he has now received all that he was owed.

I I don't mean to be disrespectful but do you honestly believe people choose to put themselves at a disadvantage so they and their children have to eat dog food? Isn't all Financial disadvantage circumstantial? Are things so bad in Great Britain that people and your children have to eat dog food?

I just felt 'Lorna' wasn't the innocent victim of the system
So what you're saying is that because she's a left winger, she's likely to be lying.
I'm a left winger. When I move to an area with UC I will lose 175 pounds a month. That's the cost of most of my incontinence supplies. I'm voting Labour at the next election, does that render my incontinence supplies unnecassary? Does that mean I'm lying? You can look up the loss of monies; it's there for all to see.
Interestingly a significant amount of DWP staff must be lying and biased Labour voters too as something like 70% have said that UC should be halted with immediate effect.

a UC case manager
In February 2017, the former Work and Pensions Committee began an inquiry (relaunched by its successor Committee following the General Election) following receipt of “compelling evidence” of problems with the roll-out of the Universal Credit Full Service. Issues highlighted by local authorities, housing providers, charities and pressure groups include claimants experiencing hardship and falling into debt as a result of the minimum 6 week wait before the first payment of UC, and significant increases in rent arrears.
Concerns about the impact of the Full Service have led to calls on the Government to pause the further roll-out of UC to allow problems to be addressed. On 18 September, the Work and Pensions Committee Chair, Frank Field, called on the Government to heed the “unanimous call we are hearing from front line providers” to pause the Full Service roll-out, to prevent a “human and political catastrophe.”
Speaking on 2 October 2017, the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions insisted that UC was working and said that roll-out would proceed according to the planned timetable. Guidance for DWP staff has been “refreshed” to ensure that “anyone who needs an advance payment will be offered it up-front.” On 18 October the Secretary of State also announced that the UC helpline would change to a Freephone number over the next month, as will all other DWP phone lines by the end of the year.
From a house of commons briefing paper.
Oh, and it still hasn't happened. In the meantime, the wait for UC is six weeks. Six weeks with no income. But that's leftie nonsense isn't it.
charities call for UC halt

Are things so bad in Great Britain that people and your children have to eat dog food?

As with most western countries generally no, but....
There are pockets of severe poverty in the uk (same as the USA.) we have a benefit system that should Ensure that no child goes hungry and we have free education and free healthcare.

However: we still have people struggling.

Severe poverty is often (but not always) linked to other poverty related aspects like drug and alcohol abuse and violence. Services to help people get out of such situations are being cut to the bone at the moment - saves money short term but of course means problems down the line. This is probably the hardest problem to tackle because it’s complex and requires a multidisciplinary approach

Then you have a whole section of society who are just about managing but no surplus - the uk is a low wage economy in western terms and again, worker protections are being cut. This means that it doesn’t take much for a family who work hard and have been getting by into serious trouble. In theory these people are easier to help - they just need help quickly and short term and frankly that should not be an issue

Then you have people who have serious illnesses, disabilities or who are caring for a family member with such conditions reducing their capacity to work. Again disability claimants are seeing the effects of austerity politics.

So I think you have a few issues: a section of society who are entrenched in poverty - their kids deserve intensive intervention, support etc to break that cycle. But then also people who have just been in a slightly marginal situation and who have fallen foul of administrative changes etc. It is crazy to penalise these people because it costs so much to do so - timely short term help is literally all they need to keep the show running.

No one in the UK in 2018 should be hungry, homeless or feeding their kids dog food. We have the resources to deal with it butcthe political will seems lacking.

There is also brexit looming - and I would bet an ideological shift coming up which will align us more with the USA and less with Europe in terms of working rights and benefits. Great for business, less so for people.

This to me is a harbinger of this:

Austerity
Generations pitted against each other (boomers v millenials)
Socioeconomic groups pitted against each other - remove sympathy for benefit claimants
An ‘other’ group to blame (migrants)
Brexit
NHS being run into the floor - then you just need to introduce something that will let you integrate with insurance company pricing, and you can asset strip the lot. Make a fucking fortune.
Insurance based medicine
Welfare state stripped to the bone
Worker protections gone

It’s all being played on ideological lines. We are headed back to feudalism

smeaton I’m a two wage, nice house family type (although I have been poor and grew up poor) and I’m very very aware of poverty, the ideological drive behind it and how people suffer. It’s not something I dismiss - it’s literally going to crack society apart if we don’t tackle it. Disproportionate Inequality is a huge threat to a society.

It is morally repugnant to me that children do not get an equal start. Subsidised childcare, early intervention and having a welfare system that is genuinely in the interests of claimants, not punitive in nature, is the minimum needed. Or else the country is fucked.

We need a better educated, healthier, more equal workforce to build the future and we ain’t getting that by driving people into poverty and competing with the lowest common denominator.

Eating human food is cheaper than dog food. Although you will not have a balanced diet.

This comic strip on Rich Vs Poor upbringing totally changed my views on people. It's eye opening and might make some people see things from others points of view.

www.peterstavrou.com/rich-vs-poor-comic-strip/

Imagine having no.money for 5 weeks

Claimants can apply for a hardship load to see them over the initial period.

Claimants can apply for a hardship load to see them over the initial period

How long does that take to process?

I know of one situation where a single mum was given £33 to last 3 weeks for herself and two young girls.

The problem is that that short term intervention isn’t fast enough - friends of mine experienced this. Both work, both have always worked. Two kids, always saved, had a couple of months surplus to fall back on - basically doing everything they should do. Not extravagant living, we are talking three bed Northern semi, just totally average family.
Then they had two or three emergencies over a couple of months that just wiped out their savings and then she lost her job due to council cuts.
They found that almost no short term help was available - they did eventually get that hep but it was weeks later. She did get another job and they are now back on an even keel but it really shook them - I think it showed them (and me) how easy it is to just start down that route. If she’d been pregnant at the time, and thus pretty much unemployable, that level of hardship would have continued for several months, not just a couple, and who knows where they would have ended up? It honestly doesn’t take much for people who are getting by to suddenly not be getting by.

Wow Stalking people on the thread

That is low!

@HelenaDove what’s happened? Did I miss something?

Well i havent located the MNer who was on Dispatches on fb because i havent gone looking.

But clearly Gin has.

@HelenaDove I missed that bit. I’ve been dipping in and out of this thread. Not on though.

@LifeBeginsAtGin I read Helena’s posts. And I like that she defends people who are getting a rough time, it’s not the first time I’ve seen her do it. I think it’s to be commended.

Smeaton Do you have any hope of getting work before the payments come though?

I do assume that they back date money?

@LifeBeginsAtGin My name is Tracey not Lorna!