Skint Britain: Friends without Benefits on C4

[amrscot]

Is anybody else watching this?

One of the couples take their dog out to hunt rabbits and squirrels that they can eat.

They've just shown him with a dead rabbit he has caught skinning it in the kitchen

Horrendous..

JustAnotherPoster00 I’m sorry you have to go through such a hard time 😞 i was only saying to a family member just the other day it seems if you don’t “look” disabled you’re classed as lazy/undeserving it’s wrong & uncalled for you shouldn’t have to prove you’re ill/disabled to receive what you’re legally entitled to. You’re right a lot of PP’s really do need an empathy transplant I really hope they don’t find themselves unemployed & having to claim any form of benefit(s) as they really would be in for a shock !! Wishing you all the best & although it’s a continuous fight to get what you’re entitled to keep your head up & don’t give up xx

There are a couple of posters on this thread in very good careers whose posts on here prove that brains and common sense are two different things.

Im a full time carer for DH and we have been together for 27 years. No gym involved when we met.

Because hes not a shallow arsehole. And its because of expectations like these that prefer much older men.

inews.co.uk/news/uk/universal-credit-jobcentre-dwp-smartphone/

"A Universal Credit claimant has alleged that his local Jobcentre ordered him to purchase a smartphone for his job search because his basic model was not good enough. Arthur Chappell, who is unemployed, argued that his existing phone allowed him to answer calls and receive texts from employers and that he had a tablet with WiFi access to show the Jobcentre he was actively seeking work. However an adviser told him he needed to own a smartphone by the end of September in time for his next session. The 56-year-old called the request “offensive… on many levels

With people starving and [dying of] suicide over the Universal Credit changes, forcing us to use credit-hungry phones is really beyond the pale,” he told i. Basic phone is ‘good enough’ On 6 September, Mr Chappell attended his monthly meeting at the Friargate Jobcentre but was instead informed that he would be signed on to the Universal Credit “full service,” following the system’s roll-out in Preston

He was told he would need to bring his iPhone to the next briefing on 27 September. Mr Chappell, who does voluntary work, has a pay-as-you-go model he tops up with £5 every three months

“It’s just a basic, very simple phone that will only take calls and texts, but it’s good enough for somebody phoning me up to say we’ve got a job you might be interested in. I’ve got a computer at home as well. “I had my tablet with me right there [in the meeting] but [the adviser] decided that I am unlikely to carry that round with me 24/7.” “[The adviser] said ‘this isn’t good enough’ and I need to get an iPhone.” Mr Chappell was handed a paper briefing on ‘Universal Credit Full Service Group Sessions,’ which specified he would need “access to a computer, smartphone or tablet for future use”

Jobcentre offers to pay for phone In a statement given to i, a Department for Work and Pensions spokesman said: “There is no requirement for Universal Credit (UC) claimants to own a mobile phone, nor is a mobile phone required for a UC claim. Computers and free WiFi are available in all Jobcentres to enable claimants to maintain their accounts.” However Mr Chappell claims he was told in no uncertain terms that he needed a smartphone. When he raised that he could not afford one, the adviser told him they would pay £40 towards the device and specifically directed him to the Argos website. One model can be found for £34.99. “He said they pay for the phone but not for the top-ups,” said Mr Chappell, who fears a smartphone will need topping up more frequently

It’s obviously [going to cost] more than what my current arrangement is because I think they actually want me to have internet access on it as well which will obviously strain the budget a lot more than the unit I’m using now.”

Mr Chappell said it felt as though the adviser wanted him to be able to search for a job round-the-clock with a smartphone. “The official reply [from the DWP] seems to be about what they expect claimants to bring to the Universal Credit registration meeting while my adviser’s demand is going beyond the registration to a device he expects me to have on me 24/7.” “It has been a standing rule that we should spend 35 hours a week job-seeking, though finding that many jobs in your skills range is extremely difficult. Having us contactable 24/7 by iPhone exceeds [this] boundary.

“Sleep, shower, being in a cinema, eating lunch, all go out the window if that all important call comes through. It is extremely intrusive and invasive. This isn’t remotely about improving our job searching. It’s about policing every move we make.”

Mr Chappell said he considered the adviser’s request “highly bogus”. He also admitted it had initially caused him concern. “I might get sanctioned and that will cause me big problems. It’s only now they’re making this transition [to full Universal Credit] that I feel threatened by it all.” He worried about how the public would perceive Universal Credit claimants with smartphones. “It is also likely to make more people look on the unemployed as scroungers. ‘Ooh, look at them walking round with the best [smartphones].’ That we didn’t pay for them and in some cases don’t want them is beside the point. We will get stigmatised.

FUCKING RIGHT THOUGH ISNT HE!!!!!!!!

Having a smartphone paid for seemed unnecessary when some claimants, including himself at times, could not afford the basics and used food banks, he added. Mr Chappell, who hopes to be working again by mid-November and is due to have his book on pub signs published in April, said he was managing at the moment but having to fork out for more credit for a new phone could mean he had to use food banks again. He said he would be sending a letter of complaint to the DWP and would hold off purchasing the phone until he heard back"

Helena. The problem with these news stories is that you can take many different angles from them.

From that particular link for example you could also take that the DWP have confirmed that free WiFi and computers are available in every job centre so that claimants do not need to have their own phones, internet, Pc’s.

You could also take that Mr Chappell mentions not wanting to be disturbed by the job centre (maybe with a job opportunity?) when he’s eating, taking a shower or watching a film in the cinema. 🤔

Once again the fuckwits are flapping their gums. One of these people on this thread by the way thought me, a disabled parent of 3 disabled kids, should go out and get a £100k job so we could get off benefits. That poster has also been banned a few times but jeeps coming back like a bad smell.

How I would fit that around self care and caring responsibilities I don't know. Shows just how based in reality these posters are, really.

I'm not going to engage so these kind of posters can get off on their talking down to povvers fetishes but just want other posters to know that apart from the new utterly deluded poster who doesn't realise their privilege (the assertion of hard work being the sole reason for their success and not acknowledging that a fair dollop of luck is involved too and how their view might have some merit of this world is equal and it really isn't) other posters on this thread have such form for their posts they've been banned for it. More than once.

You could also take that Mr Chappell mentions not wanting to be disturbed by the job centre (maybe with a job opportunity?)

This shows how clueless you are, you should be embarrassed.
The job centre would never phone someone with a job opportunity, that's not what they do, they don't help you find work, they tick boxes and that's it.

No gym involved when we met.

No gym here either, I met my DH in a pub like a normal person

Unless someone is disabled I would question why they would spend their days “under a duvet for warmth” when they could be out undertaking voluntary work

Firstly, Where have I said I don't?
Secondly, you think I could afford a bus trip to town every day to do unpaid work? Yeah? No I can't... you think UC will pay for it? No they won't.

Thanks for trying though, maybe think before posting.

And to whoever said my working out of bills was incorrect i beg to differ. Many of the figures you quoted were average numbers for households. I would expect if you were on benefits that that is the time to make a consious effort to only use a minimum amount of what you need, buy a minimum amount of shopping at the least expensive places. So if your on benefits you should cut back to the minimum amount of things needed.

Erm, most bills I pay are non negotiable.
Rent - social housing so although not a 'free house's as some claim they are, generally a few quid a week less than private, though you do need to provide your own flooring etc, much of which is provided in private rent - so imo it's a fair price.

*Council tax - try not paying, see what happens.
*Water - see above.
*School uniform and shoes - without which my child isn't allowed into class.
*Work shoes - unless perhaps because I'm a benefit scrounger I should go barefoot? Who cares if I injure myself..... Really should cut back.
*Travel (to work - full time work btw!!!) Or should I walk along 60mph rural roads to work and back in the dark? Because safety doesn't really matter for the likes of me.

*Gas/electric - which is pretty essential when you need clean and dry people and clothes for work/school and electric for light when ya know it's dark and your child needs to do homework. We do use as little as possible though - is that ok or should I be beating our clothes down at the river?
*Food - I did an essential shop yesterday. Bread, milk, pasta etc. Local co-op as nearest supermarket is 40 minutes away (and £6 for return on bus) it cost me £24 it will last until Monday. No meat and frozen vegetables as it's the cheapest there. Maybe I'll just raid the bin outside next time.

We have Freeview TV so a TV licence is needed.

Phone - have the smallest PAYG that gives me data, calls and texts. Needed for work.

No internet because an ex trashed my credit - but manage with phones/friends allowing use of their WiFi for luxuries like home banking to pay bills and homework and for my online education.

*Online education - it became pretty clear when diagnosed with arthritis that I have a limited amount of time left in my current job, in order for me to continue working when that happens I need to be able to do something less labour intensive. But don't worry, it was a birthday/Christmas present from family so didn't cost you hardworking tax payers anything!

So go on, which of those should I cut back on? Because I can tell you I'm already using the minimum through necessity.

The problem is many on benefits think they are entitled to the same luxurious and lifestyles as the the rest of the population and they're not. They need to cut back. I understand some of them are in debt and are finding it hard, but again debt needs to be paid off and they need to take resonsibility for that.

I don't think I'm entitled to the same luxurious lifestyle as anyone, but I do think I'm entitled to the basics in life. I get tax credits, some say they're not a benefit but they are really - and that's fine.
I'll get moved to UC eventually, and things will get even tighter. At least as things stand I probably won't have to look for extra work (impossible as explained in an earlier post) because I meet and exceed the 30 hours.
And all that could go tomorrow, if my employer decides they no longer need my job role, or if I get too ill to work even for a short period of time, or my DC does and needs caring for..... The list goes on.

But I'm not allowed to say it's not enough? I should be grateful for what crumbs I'm thrown?

Fuck right off.

You won't get another private rent because you're in arrears with your current one, you go to the council and they tell you to stay put until the bailiffs turn up and then you're on the street hoping they find you something, anything.

If you're evicted because of rent arrears, the council is quite likely to deem you intentionally homeless, in which case they don't have to help you at all.

It really sucks.

I posted this on the Stacey Dooley thread.

The African poor are patronized. The British poor are vilified.

There is a thesis waiting to be written

WTM I'm certainly not of the opinion that you shouldn't stay in bed. After all, who knows what your life is like, what challenges you face etc. It's bloody freezing. If I had no spare money and was cold there's a good chance I'd be doing the same as you. I hate judgemental people. Who knows what someone's life is like? We're all different and react to different things in different ways, none of which are wrong. So no one had the right to judge any one else. Even when it comes to criminal stuff - for example, having a child taken away or being put in prison or committing benefit fraud (it does happen). They're people just like us. We shouldn't judge.

Re the volunteering though. When I was on UC, thankfully only a short period, I was so down and felt a bit depressed. Felt worthless, why couldn't I find work etc. It was swimming (so getting out and about) and volunteering that kept my morale up. I still volunteer now, albeit a different organization. It makes me feel good about myself knowing I'm really helping others. Atm I volunteer with sex workers and previously with victims of DV. It was so rewarding. Challenging at times but really rewarding and great when I helped someone or got them support or engaged with services etc.

It also developed my skills. My confidence improved, my empathy grew a hell of a lot. I wasn't nasty but I was naive and perhaps had certain views and stereotypes, which were quickly challenged. I developed my people skills. Gained lots of employability skills, - liaising with other agencies eg police or DWP or SS, problem solving, dealing with challenging behaviour, calming situations, motivating people etc. I use my volunteering experience and skills more than I do my actual job, in interviews. And lots of organisations, especially the 3rs sector, send their volunteers on free courses. It's really beneficial. Not just for employment opportunities, which are helped a treat deal by extra, and free , qualifications. But also for your MH. It's good just to go out. To do something, and feel valued and appreciated, and it makes you feel more like a human being

Regarding expenses, if you're volunteering you can get expenses paid by the organisation. They have to pay them. You might need to keep receipts etc, I've lost a few of mine but am lucky that the place I volunteer at is understanding. I know it's hard because your expenses are paid afterwards and you need the money in the first place. The way I worked it was doing my food shop on a Friday and volunteering a Monday and Tuesday. I'd borrow the tenner off my food bill for volunteering expenses and would get paid in time for shopping. If they can't do it that quick, which they often couldn't, I'd borrow the tenner off next week's or the week afters, shopping budget, instead. It'd be in by that point. I did also borrow money off family to volunteer. It's hard if you're family is struggling too and I do appreciate that some people may not have any family or friends, but I would imagine (at least from the knowledge I have of my friends and colleagues, from all different backgrounds) that most people have someone who could lend them bus fare etc. Also I found there's no need to look in your nearest city. There's more choice of organisations there, but most towns and villages have something. Even if it's helping at the local after school club or helping to read to the children in your local primary, or keeping residents of local nursing home, company. Of course this requires a dbs but again the organisation would pay that

Weetinker. You gave us all an example of your typical day which included doing nothing between school runs other than keeping warm under your duvet...or were you just exaggerating for effect?

You don’t need to take a bus trip to do voluntary work. You take your Dc’s to school...you could help out there? Or as I said before organise something yourself locally.

And my point about Mr Chappell was tongue in cheek, obviously lost on you 🙂. For clarity, it was rather more about him being inconvenienced by the job centre whilst he was busy sleeping or visiting the cinema (during the working day).

When you say "its a roof that someone else could have bought" you are entirely right. So why didn't they?

Because people higher up the ladder have taken cheap houses they have no intention of making a home in off the ladder and forced FTB to need more deposit, more mortgage.

Do you think that someone just hands houses to Landlords from the magic bag and they just sit back and wait for the money coming in?

I'll explain this in just a second..

They've had to furnish and decorate the property, advertise the property, write up terms and contracts for the property, arrange payments for rent on the property.

Most places are unfurnished, most landlords use agents to do everything else you mentioned.

These are decent hardworking people who the majority of the time are just trying to earn an honest living for their family.

No, they're usually people with some spare cash that think investing in property and renting them out is a good way to make extra and give them a retirement fund.

Its tedious explaining common sense but the Landlord bought the house usually from money he earned
You're right it is tedious trying to explain things.

if he got a mortgage to pay it then he pays even more for that house because he also pays interest as profit to the bank who lent him the money

Okay, as well as the other point above.. let's use a very easy to follow explanation.

Once upon a time in every town in England...
Barry the bank has a meeting with Larry the landlord.
Larry asks for some money from Barry.
Larry uses the money from Barry to buy a house.
Larry isn't going to live in it, he already owns several others, Larry is going to rent it out.
Toni the tenant comes along, she'd have bought the house that Larry bought but she couldn't save enough deposit as the rent she's paying took 50% of her wage. So she instead rents from Larry.
Toni has a friend called Terry the taxman.
Toni and Terry give Larry the rent money and Larry passes it along to Barry the banker.
At this point Larry thinks,
"Barry only wants £500 a month, but I can charge Toni and Terry £800 a month.. hmm?"
So Larry charges Toni and Terry £800 a month, gives £500 of that to Barry and puts the other £300 into his cookie jar to fund another house and another house to rent to Toni and Terry.
At this point Toni realises that Larry is little more than a middle man and her and Terry both realise they are buying Larry's house for him whilst he profits in their inability to buy the very house he bought instead of them.
The end.
Next week Larry buys a 3 bed room family home and turns it into a HMO and charges each tenant £500 each.

I'm struggling to see where up to now a landlord could be thought of as a parasite. In case you were getting mixed up, this is a contributor.
What does a parasite do? Lives off the body of its host, effectively sucking its host dry. What part in the housing market do private landlords play?
They suck up cheaper houses from the ladder. They turn family homes into HMOs so a family is homeless but their profits are maximised. They refuse repairs, to maximise profits. They charge what they can, not what they should. They make people homeless on a whim, as their relationship broke down so they want their house back. They believe they provide a service and expect everyone to kiss their ass for it. Even the best landlords, I'm sure there's a few, won't ever forget that the property is theirs and thus put in demands such as no pets, no DHSS', workers only, permission needed to hang pictures, paint a wall etc ensuring the tenants always know where they stand, below them in the ladder.
Above all else, they'll happily watch money flow from those below them and the tax man through their account and to the bank whilst skimming a little for them selves.

This is why I think stopping BTL mortgages on homes below £250k would help the housing market.

@WeeTinkerMonkey

You are my new hero 🙌🏽
I would never have had the patience, but you were spot on on every point

"(during the working day)."

We live in a 24/7 society now So why dont Job Centres work around the clock.

What about UC claimants who work nights? Are they supposed to sacrifice their sleep

We are constantly told that its now a 24/7 society. So why cant you attend the JC at 10 pm 1am etc.

HelenaDove

Don't give em ideas... they're already visiting poor bastards in hospital, they'll be conducting night visits next to make sure people are sleeping when they say they are..

Helena. Read your own link, Mr Chappell is unemployed.

Thing is, those of you whining about how your Hard Earned Money might somehow, somewhere, be paying for an unemployed person's bag of chips or manicure and How Dare They?... The government has just spunked THIRTY THREE BILLION POUNDS on fixing one of their own ridiculous fuckups.
Why do some of you get so angry at poor people having any pleasures in life, or any assistance when they are in trouble, yet not seem to mind at all when wealthy people demand huge amounts of government money to fund their vanity projects, or to reward them for impoverishing other people? The biggest drain on the economy is wealth hoarding - those people who dodge their taxes and pile up their money in offshore accounts are literally taking it off everyone else. They are holding on to far more money than they or three generations of their descendants could possibly spend. It wouldn't take much of a raise in corporate tax or top rate income tax to reverse quite a lot of the social damage that has been done in the past couple of decades - rich people could still afford nice houses, five holidays a year and all the rest of it, but the country could also afford a better-functioning NHS and education system and infrastructure.

We as a society need to redistribute wealth. Yes, that means taking some away from the stupidly rich.No one needs billions of pounds/dollars, and an effective tax system would stop any individual accumulating that much. This isn't about forcing posh people to scrub floors or starve, it's about making sure that everyone has a decent standard of living and a functioning society.
If you have billions of pounds in your own name, you didn't earn that money all by yourself. You inherited some; you got some by effectively gambling, you built your business on the labour of others (not just your employees who you are probably underpaying but the people who educated them to enable them to work for you, the people who built the infrastructure your business uses eg roads, computer networks, premises...) You don't get to siphon it all out of the economy.

Dorset READ MY POSTS and try to be a bit less of a gaslighting fuckknuckle.

I said what about UC claimants who are working nights? I wasnt referring to Chappell

UC is not an out of work benefit

UC is not an out of work benefit

UC is not an out of work benefit

UC is not an out of work benefit

UC is not an out of work benefit

UC is not an out of work benefit