There's too much animosity towards benefit recipients.

[Threadkillacilla]

Any and every flavour of benefit recipient, disabled, pensioner, out of work, low paid, single parent etc etc.
There's a mean and nasty cohort on mumsnet who are vitriolic in their hatred for them all.
What do people want instead of giving people a basic level of existence?
What do they think will happen without benefits?

benefits payments could or should provide a lifestyle that's equal to that of people in full-time work. To be clear: clothes, but not designer labels. Food, but not luxury items; and not the very latest in phones/tablets/devices for example. And certainly not beauty treatments - they're a luxury that I (who have never claimed but always worked ) have never been able to afford/justify.

Are you familiar with how pip works at all?

I can't not claim it. I wouldn't be able to access the other things I need without it. It's £100 a month give or take. How many clothes and luxury food items do you think I'm getting with my £100 a month?

It's as though some people won't be happy until those on benefits live in one room with a flickering bare lightbulb above and furnished only with a single hardbacked chair to live/sleep on and a can of gruel to eat from.

*to SLEEP/sit on

@ChristmasisRuined -you've made a judgement so no point in engaging further. I'm not what you think. Not that it matters either way but it does shut down any discussion.

As a general point - not directed at anyone - MN threads often go the same way.

We saw it with Brexit, Scottish IndyRef, General Election threads, anything to do with Immigration. Certain opinions or questions or challenges or observations are leapt on and reduced to an extreme - and sometimes an insult. End of conversation.

By the way - that "monster" - might be the lovely neighbour who helps you out, the nurse who does an extended shift to treat your seriously ill child, the paramedic who makes your elderly mum feel safe when she's fallen, the kind person who hands in your lost purse or the teacher who patiently teaches your child to finally get long division. They may be dealing with disability themselves, be rich or barely managing. And - against all the odds - they may not vote Tory at all!😂

However - many MN threads go this way and then the people who don't want to fight leave. The discussion then fizzles out - usually.

There will be some who exploit the system and many that don’t and are genuinely in need.

To be honest I don’t worry about it too much. As long as I’ve got enough for me and my family I don’t really give a shit what other people do.

A lot of investigation happens in the background before a claimant is contacted.

A lot of the time claims are found to be compliant and there is no action to be taken.

Some claims are found to be potentially fraudulent and the claimant is invited to 'Interview Under Caution'. Others are very serious and involve a multi-agency approach.

The number of reports from malicious bystanders greatly outnumbers the actual fraud. As I said DWP look at each case brought to our attention; we don't give feedback to the person who reported the potential fraud.

I didn't give a version of events. I advised of the process that is followed internally.

Every case reported has an initial assessment. The severity and type of the potential fraud is assessed to enable the case to be sent to the correct team for further checks.

@ChristmasisRuined because she tells me she isn't! Again it is well managed with meds but before every appointment she comes off them for 3 weeks which makes everything worse.

For context a new Audi for £4000 up front costs £500-600 a month so not too sure what your point is?

@anyhopehere

You don't sound like a good friend.

Why are you persisting with the friendship? Is it to satisfy your own voyeuristic pleasure of watching a person with disabilities/ chronic health condition in distress?

@OhLordyWhatNow I haven't dobbed her in so doing better then most of our original group. 4 friends have left the group over her actions (2 have taken it further and one resulted in an investigation where she came off her meds for 4 months in order to prove she was deserving - interestingly it also resulted in a revised payment to her of a lesser amount)

Why is it always about money? Your friendship group sounds toxic and jealous.

This woman is obviously unwell; seems she has MH issues too if she's so anxious about benefits stopping she's prepared to stop medication for months on end.

Now she's being targeted and bullied by so called friends? What lovely people you are... not.

@OhLordyWhatNow it's nothing to do with the money... it's more to do with the attitude she possesses.

There is no MH issues, she had a back issue alongside asthma. Both of which are now well controlled on medication.

She has said before she is better off now then she was before hence not going back to work

It might also interest you to know that she has alienated her family over the same issues so it's a well known fact

Or her family are as unsupportive as her friends?

If she was struggling to work f/t before due to her health conditions and needed to go p/t or not work at all to recover/ get by why do you feel you should judge her?

Her medication may be affecting her in ways that you don't comprehend. Particularly pain meds that can affect brain/ processing.