To wonder why benefits should rise in line with inflation when no job is?

[Bananil]

Massively struggling with food prices and absolutely no chance the heating is going on for a long time yet. DH and I work full time but have not had a pay rise since before the pandemic and wouldn’t ask for one as our industry has taken a real hit. I can’t think of any jobs that are expecting a pay rise in line with inflation so why do much fuss about making sure benefits do?

@The4teddybears If they spend that much on fuel in a 1 bedroom Property they need to turn the heating down. . We don’t pay that for a family of 4 in a 3 bed house

First of all, who mentioned a 1 bedroom property? Did I miss that post? Even if I did miss it and we are talking about someone living I a 1 bed property with £265 after rent and CT, that leaves less than £70 per week. after gas, electric, water rates, how much is left for food or clothing etc?

And have ypu not heard of the cost of living crisis and energy bills going up? Good for you if your energy bills stay under £265 for your 4 bed house in the coming months. Let's hope one or both of you don't lose your job or become ill, struggle to pay your mortgage/rent, feed your kids and pay your bills. But I'm sure you're that bloody superior that youve planned for every eventuality in life, you'll have thousands in savings as a back up plan cos you definitely won't be resorting to the lowly and shameful position of having to claim benefits, will you?

And of course, as others have mentioned state pension is the most protected benefit with the biggest increases, as well as entitling people to other “benefits” e.g bus pass

It’s something like 40% of UC claimants are in work. The issue there is surely that FT work should always pay enough to live, without benefits being required. If it doesn’t, then taxpayers are effectively subsiding employers that pay poverty wages. And I think it was Labour who brought in in-work tax credits, as there was such resistance from businesses to the idea of being forced to pay a living wage. If people are working PT for a good reason (caring commitments, young children, ill health) then support makes sense. Part of the issue is also the lack of social housing. People who would have been in secure council housing are now in the insecure and much more expensive private rental market, and it’s the taxpayer that foots the bill. The sell off of council housing has cost the taxpayer an absolute fortune, and continues to do so. It’s frankly disgraceful, but with housing and land costs so high, I’m not sure how the lack of council housing can be rectified.

Standard Universal Credit for the Unemployed is £334 a month. They get rent, but it's at LHA rent and that's woefully lower than actual rent. Near.me, for a 2bed, LHA says £147 a week or about £637 a month. 2 bed properties for rent oth is around 750 - 1200

So out of that £334 you have to top up from £637 up to £750.
Then electric, gas, water, council tax, food.

So, if anyone wants to have a go at living on that amount and see how they get on, punch your boss and off you go. Enjoy.

Say it as slow as you like. You’re wrong

Isn't the point of this thread that those working and just above support levels will not receive 10 per cent rise, but they'll have to pay extra fuel, transport costs, etc - plus tax, NI, pension contributions - so they're also going backwards in terms of the value of their take home pay - but no one seems to care about that.

@JustLyra I do try to be open minded and not judge but I was trying to provide a clearer perception on why people like the op can at times get bitter at the rise in benefits . Of course it's not fair on innocent people who are dependent on benefits and just about getting through life but at times it can be helped . Also to respond to your point , there are lots of other groups who get unfairly judged for the actions of their cohort- but that would be digressing!

You can claim universal credit if you're working and your income is low. In fact, most recipients are working if they're not disabled, carer's or pensioners.

I believe that figure for benefits includes the state pension. Do you want that to be stopped too?

@The4teddybears thats not till 2025, so not much help now. And is one reason many landlords are getting out of the industry, especially smaller landlords rather then big professional companies. Surely you’ve seen in the news all the scandals about awful private rented housing?

That's why we go on strike. We have unions and we support one another. Benefits claimants don't have the option of striking, so need our support.

If those working are on a low income they may still be entitled to UC.

The issue is completely separate to benefits. OP isn’t not getting a pay increase because someone is having their benefits increased is she?

If OP can’t afford to eat or heat her home she’s not a net contributor.

The problem is low wages and high housing costs, not benefit claimants.

*@AnonWeeMouse

Standard Universal Credit for the Unemployed is £334 a month. They get rent, but it's at LHA rent and that's woefully lower than actual rent. Near.me, for a 2bed, LHA says £147 a week or about £637 a month. 2 bed properties for rent oth is around 750 - 1200

So out of that £334 you have to top up from £637 up to £750.
Then electric, gas, water, council tax, food.

So, if anyone wants to have a go at living on that amount and see how they get on, punch your boss and off you go. Enjoy.*

There was an op on another post two nights ago who stated that she earned £18k and with benefit top up earned close to £39k a year! She's certainly not doing bad thus not every claimant is in this dire situation by the sounds of it!

The amount of benefit you quoted is for a single person under 25. . So the assumption is they would only be in a 1 bed or they’d also have bedroom tax or pay .

Yes, some benefits are less than a wage, some really are pitiful. However some are more than a minimum wage, full time worker would bring in.

For a start not everyone online is who they say they are. That could easily be someone deliberately trying to rile people up about benefits.

Also do you honestly think benefits is brining everyone’s pay up to £39k? If the poster was being genuine there are other elements at play - a mixture of rent, children/childcare, and disability.

No ones getting that for nothing, and if you believe they are what’s stopping you claiming?

For those hard of thinking on this subject, may I recommend some further reading which may answer your questions?

The Spirit Level: Why Equality is Better for Everyone amzn.eu/d/3KTuU0m

If you are able to work, you should not receive benefits. I expect there are lots of excuses for why this isn’t possible, but in countries with less extensive benefits systems people find a way. As someone raised by a single mother in one of those other countries I know exactly how challenging it can be, but far too many in this country feel entitled to an easy life.

I think the government like to get.people looking the wrong way.

Op here is questioning why the people drowning should get an extra float, not questioning why the government are handing all the floats to people already in boats.
The people drowning and dying aren't why your pay is crap, it's the people in boats.

@The4teddybears You have no idea what kind of citizen I am. I do a lot of work with the most vulnerable in society . But i have also seen how much some people do get in benefits. Not all. But some. And when those few are getting more in total than someone working full time then something is wrong. For millions of people benefits is a life style choice .

Well, I'm afraid I can only form an opinion as to what kind of person you are by what you post. Good for you working with the vulnerable, I hope you have no problem in helping them claim and receive whatever benefits they are entitled to. But in your original post, you didn't say anything about 'some people', it very much sounded like you made a sweeping generalisation about all benefit claimants. Which makes you soundike not such a wonderful citizen, no matter how much you backtrack now and make yourself sound like a Saint to all of the vulnerable in society

Indeed. Fucking Thatcher’s children.

it's unlikely anyone would get that much, there's a benefit cap
23k in London.
20k out of London.

www.gov.uk/benefit-cap/benefit-cap-amounts

@SarasandmanYes you are correct most CONTRIBUTION based benefits go to pensioners and you do realise that pensioners also pay tax, I am a working pensioner the extra tax I pay (over and above the tax and NI combined I paid when I was working age) equates to a weeks pension every 4 weeks, a pension that I paid NI for the best part of 51 years before I qualified for it, even when I stop work I will still be paying tax.

This. Most people on benefits massively struggle, not to have decent standard of life but to afford the very basics to keep themselves fed, clothed and vaguely warm.
Yeah of course there's always the odd exception who seems to be thriving and managing to play the system in some way but the percentage is tiny, the cost of 'benefit fraud' is so so small it's barely worth thinking about.
We live in one of the richest countries in the world and aside from the US we have the most inequality, the biggest gap between the richest and the poorest.

I'm not well off, in my 40s, rent, me and my partner earn less than the average income, I can't work f/t due to a health condition, but I don't resent my taxes being used in part to support people that need it.

Surely we should all be aspiring to an easy and enjoyable life as possible? Why do you want people to have difficult lives? This is very odd.