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Original poster

Two Child Limit

705 replies

MobilityCat · 09/07/2021 16:00

Will you be affected? Campaigners have lost their legal challenge to the government's two-child limit on welfare payments.
They had argued the policy breached parents' and children's human rights. The Supreme Court dismissed their case.
The rule, which came into force in April 2017, restricts child tax credit and universal credit to the first two children in a family, with a few exceptions.
It was one of George Osborne's most debated austerity measures.
The policy has affected families of about one million children. Campaigners described the decision as "hugely disappointing".
Full story here www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-57776103

OP posts:
woodhill · 09/07/2021 20:00

Yeh, cut your cloth is long overdue.

We really struggled financially when mine were little but DH earned just a little too much and your outgoings are never looked at. We had no spare money

coulditbecominghome · 09/07/2021 20:01

@woodhill I said upthread that we are lucky to have generous death in service & private health insurance. Do people on low incomes &/or zero hours get these benefits? Even with the above & insurances I would certainly see huge income changes if DH or I couldn't work any more despite only having 2 dc.

chaosrabbitland · 09/07/2021 20:02

@FreeBritnee

Having more and more children did become the career choice of some women and I think it was really problematic for everyone. So I did support it at the time and still do.
this , i used know someone whos never ever worked , just had kids one after the other , as soon as the youngest started to get to school age she was pregnant again , it was a few years ago now , dont know if eventually she has ever worked , but its an example of why this bill was amended and i was all in favour of it ,still am
OnlyFoolsnMothers · 09/07/2021 20:04

@StrangeToSee

How can someone "ensure" they can afford kids for their entire future, or even the next 18 years? You might have a good idea but to "ensure" you're essentially saying you need tens/hundreds of thousands of pounds in savings before you conceive.

Life insurance, health insurance. Savings. Careers going in the right direction. Getting on the property ladder and budgeting for the cost of raising each child rather than just having 3 and hoping for the best?

Wow millionaires only need reproduce yep?!
Wheretobuy · 09/07/2021 20:09

@OnlyFoolsnMothers
But that list is achievable on average U.K. pay for most families. You don’t need to be a millionaire to buy a place of your own and have medical insurance (which a lot of families don’t have any way).

DingDongThongs · 09/07/2021 20:10

@SleepyGnome you're factually incorrect! Having spent four years studying Social Policy I can reliably tell you you're talking utter rubbish.

Suggest not reading Daily Fail and open a broadsheet...

FTEngineerM · 09/07/2021 20:13

You don’t have to be a millionaire to get life insurance @OnlyFoolsnMothers.. mine is £7/m and covers mortgage and enough to look after DC for half a decade. Someone should be able to sort something by then.

OnlyFoolsnMothers · 09/07/2021 20:15

[quote Wheretobuy]@OnlyFoolsnMothers
But that list is achievable on average U.K. pay for most families. You don’t need to be a millionaire to buy a place of your own and have medical insurance (which a lot of families don’t have any way).[/quote]
What you’ve basically said is everyone who works in a shop, or restaurant, even nurses etc. can’t have children. You do realise how unattainable getting on the housing ladder is for millions, people who work hard but don’t hve the luxury to live rent free at home to save and don’t have any family money…you do appreciate women’s fertility has a time bomb?

Wheretobuy · 09/07/2021 20:19

@OnlyFoolsnMothers
It’s true that so many cannot but their own place right now. But having children will only complicate it further. A housing reform act is long overdue in this country but it does not mean that we should be paying for having as many children as a couple wants.
You will still get benefits for two children if you earning low wages. Why have more when you can hardly afford them?

StrangeToSee · 09/07/2021 20:19

but those things are a privilege

Not necessarily. Often they’re achieved through hard graft, wise decisions and careful planning.

Wheretobuy · 09/07/2021 20:21

@FTEngineerM

You don’t have to be a millionaire to get life insurance *@OnlyFoolsnMothers*.. mine is £7/m and covers mortgage and enough to look after DC for half a decade. Someone should be able to sort something by then.
Can you please DM me the details of your insurance? I am interested in buying a similar deal. TA!
coulditbecominghome · 09/07/2021 20:21

@StrangeToSee Often they’re achieved through hard graft, wise decisions and careful planning.

What, owning a house & having a good career? I think in the vast majority of circumstances hard graft & wise planning can't replicate having invested parents.

OnlyFoolsnMothers · 09/07/2021 20:34

@StrangeToSee

but those things are a privilege

Not necessarily. Often they’re achieved through hard graft, wise decisions and careful planning.

Actually the majority of what we all achieve is down to luck, luck who are parents are, luck with our health, luck with our continued health, luck luck luck!
coulditbecominghome · 09/07/2021 20:34

Also it's one thing to have life insurance but critical health insurance is often quite tricky. Many don't cover certain cancers, loss of limbs or pre existing conditions for example

TheNameTheWebsiteForgot · 09/07/2021 20:35

Some of you are so concerned wanting to punish 'feckless' parents that you seem to forget that we are talking about children (often already the most vulnerable children of society) going hungry.

Going. Hungry.

BarbarianMum · 09/07/2021 20:39

@OnlyFoolsnMothers Id be quite comfortable with only millionaires having more than two children .

lynsey91 · 09/07/2021 20:41

@coulditbecominghome

My parents didn't even receive child benefit for me as I am the eldest so they certainly did not scrounge off taxpayers

So now people who receive CB are scroungers? A lot of people receive that.

When were you were born? I'm pretty sure my parents got some old form of CB as it wasn't means tested.

It was actually Family Allowance and, no, you didn't get it for the first child
OnlyFoolsnMothers · 09/07/2021 20:41

[quote BarbarianMum]@OnlyFoolsnMothers Id be quite comfortable with only millionaires having more than two children .[/quote]
Yep they usually are the better more decent people amongst us!

lynsey91 · 09/07/2021 20:46

[quote coulditbecominghome]@lynsey91 I don't think it's that hard to understand.

You said

"As I said, if couples all stuck to having 1 or 2 children there would be no problems if something happens such as the main earner dying."

I then asked what insurance exists that completely mitigates the financial impact of a parent dying.

Your reply was

* "Me and DH chose not to have children because even 40 years ago we knew the planet was overpopulated*"

I then asked how come your parents weren't so enlightened....

[/quote]
No your post mentioned the unicorn insurance and then you said "how come your parents weren't so enlightened which lead to me to think you were referring to whether they had insurance or not.

70 years ago people didn't really think about overpopulation (plenty don't now) so why would my parents have thought that?

When me and DH told my parents we were not going to have children my mum said she thought we had made a very sensible decision as the world was pretty shit and would only get worse

Puffalicious · 09/07/2021 20:47

Actually the majority of what we all achieve is down to luck, luck who are parents are, luck with our health, luck with our continued health, luck luck luck!

*we are talking about children (often already the most vulnerable children of society) going hungry.

Going. Hungry.*

At this very moment I have DS3's little friend here. She is one of 6. Her father up and left with no notice this time last year. Her mother is one of the strongest people I know. If it takes my tax to make sure she gets on her feet I'll double mine. Her 3 eldest are all working and training to be a nurse/ mechanic/ carpenter respectively ie contributing to society/ future society.

MotherOfCrocodiles · 09/07/2021 20:48

Crikey, I hope everyone supporting the policy would feel comfortable explaining to the 'extra' children why they don't deserve shoes/ a bedroom/ fruit because they have too many older siblings

Puffalicious · 09/07/2021 20:48

Sorry, should have said I wholeheartedly agree with the posters I quoted.

These are children.

This place is increasingly becoming the Daily Fail for sure.

Viviennemary · 09/07/2021 20:50

Its a very good idea IMHO. And I hope it will also be applied to child benefit eventually. People can have as many children as they like but they shouldn't rely on other folks taxes to pay for their choices.

DammedifIdo · 09/07/2021 20:53

This punishes innocent children for their parent's mistakes.
It also assumes that people are making rational and well informed decisions and that nothing in life will ever go wrong. Which is fine for the more privileged in society

Awwlookatmybabyspider · 09/07/2021 20:54

It makes me wonder why the hell im paying my Taxes if they’re not going to one of the most vulnerable groups in our society (Children). Expect for those born before 6April 2017. They don’t ask to be born, do they.