To ask how people will cope with Universal credit cut.

[ponyexpress22]

Surely they aren't going ahead with cutting it by £20 a week? I'm shocked that the government could stoop this low. What the hell are they doing.

Legacy benefits are on more anyway arent they?

@wildmountaintime

If you earn above the Administrative Earnings Threshold a month (£345 single and £552 joint) they will leave you alone and there is no expectation you need to earn more

That's just not technically true though. The AET is only until UC is fully rolled out and there are enough staff etc. Otherwise why have the 16/25/35 hour expectations to work in the first place??

Also, they do not just 'leave you alone' - you are expected to attend appointments, and seek more hours, they just are a bit more lenient on you is all.

It could be absolutely years until Uc is fully rolled out. There has been very little progress with managed migration.

Not wanting to pay childcare? How about not able to. Even if UC pays a large percentage towards it, when your spare money after food, bills and work costs are zero how do you pay the extra

Then now isn't the time to have children if you can't cover childcare with a job and benefits???

Sorely when you are planning a family your factor in who will look after them when you are at work?

@Brokensunflower

Not wanting to pay childcare? How about not able to. Even if UC pays a large percentage towards it, when your spare money after food, bills and work costs are zero how do you pay the extra

Then now isn't the time to have children if you can't cover childcare with a job and benefits???

Sorely when you are planning a family your factor in who will look after them when you are at work?

I had my child with my partner whilst I worked.

I now am unemployed, partner less and have the child.

Should I try to shove her back up? Give her to the circus?

Peoples circumstances changes.
The planned future can crumble and people be left with nothing but emptiness and hardship.

@Brokensunflower

Not wanting to pay childcare? How about not able to. Even if UC pays a large percentage towards it, when your spare money after food, bills and work costs are zero how do you pay the extra

Then now isn't the time to have children if you can't cover childcare with a job and benefits???

Sorely when you are planning a family your factor in who will look after them when you are at work?

Christ alive how do people not get the fact that some children are born before circumstances require UC and therefore don’t disappear when you receive UC?!

Children born as part of a two parent family. One parent fucks off. Remaining parent claims UC and struggles with childcare because other parent vanishes into the ether. How many people plan for that?

@bellabelle1994

Legacy benefits are on more anyway arent they?

Carers allowance is 67.60 for 35 hours plus care a week

@Brokensunflower right, because nobody ever had a relationship break down after having kids. Or was made redundant. Or developed a chronic illness. Or any other of the myriad reasons that they might need UC.

When I had my first DC we had a combined income of 60k-ish. I fell pregnant with second DC when DD was 13 months. At around 15/6 months it became.DD had substantial needs. DS was born and was very very poorly. When DS was 8 weeks (now) ex DH fucked off. He couldn't cope with DD at all and DS being so poorly was the icing on the cake.

My job wouldn't allow me to not do 5am starts, despite premises being open 6am-6pm so always a late shift. They couldn't possibly set a precedent for a manager to not be able to be fully flexible. I had to quit my job and a very lone parent.

DD receives the highest rate of disability and DS middle. DS has just started school, DD into year 2. I do feel like a bum sometimes. I feel the looks of the neighbours who know I don't work (we have a lovely HA 3 bed home on a predominantly privately owned estate).

Reality is I hate that we went from a very good position to a very lone parent of a disabled DC. I hate that when DH decided he couldn't cope I had to give up everything. I went WEEKS without a meaningful adult conversation.

When I quit my job I enrolled on my degree with the OU. I already had a year's worth of credits so continued with them. I completed a First-class BSc and waiting oj my MA results now. I have applied for a couple of voluntary roles as at the moment DD's school-ing placement is a bit too unstable but the aim is to build up relevant work experience and work-place based skills so that in 2-3 years when hopefully she is more stable then I will be in the best possible position to return.

My point to this very long rambly post is that everything WE planned for changed overnight, my life in the space of 7 years now looks entirely different. I adore my DC and I cherish that I have been able to meet their needs at home but it has been tough and I had zero idea what was coming our way.

@Iheartbaby - so are you saying those too ill/disabled to work should keep the uplift? Because noone seems to be arguing for that. Just pointing out it was only temporary and we shouldn't have got used to it! It's a bit hard not to get used to being able to cover your basic outgoings better!

Also for the record,

The DC receive their DLA, that is well and truly spent in their additional expenses due to their needs.

I receive carers allowance, child tax credits, HB, Council tax support and income support. Carers allowance I have two children who would qualify someone to claim carers allowance but I can only claim once. DD requires full time 1-1 care by herself. DS does too. I do it by myself. Some days I get 2-3 hours sleep. Say on average I care 12 hours a day for them. Carers allowance is 40p an hour per child.

@Brokensunflower - I earned a good wage when I had my DC (and was married). I didn't know one would be autistic and that I'd become too unwell to work (and my marriage would break down).

@Threearm

When I had my first DC we had a combined income of 60k-ish. I fell pregnant with second DC when DD was 13 months. At around 15/6 months it became.DD had substantial needs. DS was born and was very very poorly. When DS was 8 weeks (now) ex DH fucked off. He couldn't cope with DD at all and DS being so poorly was the icing on the cake.

My job wouldn't allow me to not do 5am starts, despite premises being open 6am-6pm so always a late shift. They couldn't possibly set a precedent for a manager to not be able to be fully flexible. I had to quit my job and a very lone parent.

DD receives the highest rate of disability and DS middle. DS has just started school, DD into year 2. I do feel like a bum sometimes. I feel the looks of the neighbours who know I don't work (we have a lovely HA 3 bed home on a predominantly privately owned estate).

Reality is I hate that we went from a very good position to a very lone parent of a disabled DC. I hate that when DH decided he couldn't cope I had to give up everything. I went WEEKS without a meaningful adult conversation.

When I quit my job I enrolled on my degree with the OU. I already had a year's worth of credits so continued with them. I completed a First-class BSc and waiting oj my MA results now. I have applied for a couple of voluntary roles as at the moment DD's school-ing placement is a bit too unstable but the aim is to build up relevant work experience and work-place based skills so that in 2-3 years when hopefully she is more stable then I will be in the best possible position to return.

My point to this very long rambly post is that everything WE planned for changed overnight, my life in the space of 7 years now looks entirely different. I adore my DC and I cherish that I have been able to meet their needs at home but it has been tough and I had zero idea what was coming our way.

@Threearm

You have my best wishes tonight. It sounds like a really hard situation for you.

When life changes suddenly, it kicks you in the teeth.
I remember the night mine changed. We were both in bed unable to sleep. Ended up telling me they loved someone else so they no longer wanted another child with me, they were going to leave, etc etc.

Monday I went to bed, we were trying for a child's planning the future, saving money from wages for decorating, for baby equipment. Tuesday I got up single, lone parent, total money saved for new baby would be halved so they could go rent place.

But some people have had evidently.noce lives and not been through such monumental changes, or they have, but they've had support to deal with them better. The only.support I had is a job coach that was a racist bigot and hated housing association tenants, referred to us as "Those types of people"

Oh @Threearm. What an impressive and inspirational woman you are. I wish I was half the woman you are.

Not sure who said this but no, DLA and PIP isn't meant to top up your UC so you can live on it. It is meant to help pay for the care/mobility needs you/your child has due to being disabled/ill.

I have two disabled children and the costs associated with raising them are much higher than NT children. One of them got DLA no problem - the other one we were refused but won our tribunal.

@Clocktopus

It was only ever temporary and seeing as workers are now going to be paying 1.25% extra, it seems reasonable that everyone needs to take the hit.

Roughly 40% of UC claimants are in some sort of work.

Yes, but low paid work by definition, therefore will pay much less of the tax increase than the people who are net contributers to the tax system. Everyone is taking a hit and those that earn more will pay more £££ in extra tax than those on low incomes. Benefits were increased to help people temporarily. It was never a permanent plan.

I hate this Government and it's their incompetence in managing the pandemic at the start that led to furlough/ enormous economic damage/ inflation/ benefit uplifts being needed etc.

The anger should be directed at how they created this mess in the first place, that our children and grandchildren will be paying for. If they had heeded warnings in Jan 2020 we would not be where we are - with a huge death rate and a massive economic disaster, the worst of both worlds.

Then add Brexit into the mix... that was always going to create inflation and make prices rise. It was a certainty and well explained before the vote. It was a vote on whether you'd like to be poorer and the British public said yes. I have absolutely no sympathy for anybody struggling now financially who voted for Brexit or even didn't vote against it. Covid has caused economic issues in all countries but it's very clear from the data that they are much worse in the UK and will deteriorate further because of Brexit. So yeah, if you're poor and you voted for that, enjoy your unicorns.

Anybody struggling who fought against that madness, I feel very sorry for. But you'll get no help that makes any difference from any UK Government. I've been there, with no heating and food, and the only way to dig yourself out of that situation is to do it yourself. The Government won't help you, whatever colour. Not in the UK.

@Heliachi 'breeding willy nilly'

You seem nice.

You heard it here first, folks. Before you get pregnant, make sure you've saved up enough cash to see you through years of divorce/ child disability/ your own disability/redundancy/zombie apocalypse otherwise you are DISGUSTING FREELOADERS WHO ARE SPENDING EVERYONE ELSE'S MONEY.

Got it? Good.

@EmmaOvary

You heard it here first, folks. Before you get pregnant, make sure you've saved up enough cash to see you through years of divorce/ child disability/ your own disability/redundancy/zombie apocalypse otherwise you are DISGUSTING FREELOADERS WHO ARE SPENDING EVERYONE ELSE'S MONEY.

Got it? Good.

I ended up with several thousand pounds after split. Not loads, 8k. It lasted the grand total of 3 months. Once deposit, rent, food, necessities like things to sleep on etc.

To plan for every contingency and have cash to cover it, you would need to be a friend of the government and sell them some dodgy PPE, or a test and trace shambles, or redecorate a flat, build a yacht or train line etc.

@Heliachi

What contingency fund do you think would be sufficient? 5 years of family expenses, 10 maybe? A lifetime’s worth in case neither parent can work again?

Should people only have kids if they have so much wealth accumulated that they never need to work again, to be absolutely sure they won’t ever need benefits if things go wrong?

Where is the line for you?

@PalmarisLongus quite.
Sorry to hear about your situation 😕

Oh good the “only rich people should have kids” squad is out.

Is that not the argument? Or is it that we should all be fucking psychic and know that our circumstances will change dramatically?

How many people can say they have a contingency for if neither they nor their partner ends up unable to work? I made sure I had a good job before I got pregnant which meant that when my partner abandoned us I carried on supporting my family without benefits. But then I got sick and couldn't work.

I don't know anyone who could have survived my situation without benefits. Landed gentry? A list celebrity? Perhaps they're the only ones who should "breed"