To think that shouldn’t be allowed to abuse benefits?

[candiecorn]

I’m slightly annoyed about this one…

I worked with a man, he is around 52-54 years old. He always looked down at us, his colleagues, and made it clear that the job meant nothing to him.

he quit a couple of years ago to pursue his career in creative writing… I haven’t read anything from him, so not quite suee how good he is but he has definitely not been picked up by a publisher.

he lives in a rather nice area, rent free in a friend’s holiday home… he is very proud of this… and initially would make it sound like that it’s his place.

So I recently found out that he is on benefits… he is a fully capable, fit, young middle aged man with no family or children.

I think it’s a bit much that he is fully capable of working, yet he doesn’t … it’s a tough market but still, so something at least part time. Benefits are not there for fully capable middle aged man to live his dreams to become a writer…

I wish him the best, I hope he will succeed one day and probably would cut him more slack, had he not been so full of himself and looking down at everyone else…

I feel like it’s abusing the system though. There are people out there who do actually need help but imagine if we all did this 🫨

Contrary to what many mumsnetters think, it’s not that easy to abuse the benefits system. You have to prove you are looking for work for example if claiming unless you have a health reason why you cannot.

The bit she's pissed off with is that he's lording it over them, whilst his income is "unearned". It's not about benefits as such but that he's a freeloader.

They don't ask for bank statement anymore. You can easily have access to other sources of income. I have a friend on a wishy washy MW job. Works enough hours to claim UC. She is also goes on very expensive long haul holidays every few months thanks to her parents. Doesn't sit right with me.

I think it’s a bit much that he is fully capable of working, yet he doesn’t … it’s a tough market but still, so something at least part time. Benefits are not there for fully capable middle aged man to live his dreams to become a writer…

there are other men and women on benefits that are fully capable, do you concern yourself with all of them or just an ex colleague from a couple of years ago?

@AndThereSheGoes you are seriously projecting. And it absolutely is about benefits, it's the title of the thread.

I can’t imagine feeling envious of someone in their 50s with no security of either housing or employment.

Maybe lay off the gossip and the social media and be a little less judgy unless you have actual facts which i guessing you don't honestly gossips annoy me more then anything else they think theybknow everything when in fact they know nothing

How exactly does the “lording” manifest itself? It sounds like nonsense. Man can’t find work, likes writing and lives in friends holiday home, is hardly offensive. He will get the benefits he is entitled to just as you will.

Surely you wouldn't have to pay council tax if claiming UC? Everyone I know who claims it doesn't pay.

It's absolutely not your business.
Live your own life and stop looking down on others.

That's what you get for listening to rage bait gossip.

I had cancer and I still, as a single parent who was signed off work, had to go to the job centre weekly until my reconsideration went through a year later.

You don't just get to lounge about writing a book.

Agree this isn’t true- OP you should really have a think before swallowing everything you’re told!

but one of the big criticisms of the introduction of UC and severely reduced benefits (which the tories did introduce- no argument here) is that it does stop those artists who build their careers unpaid whilst living on benefits. Noel Gallagher came out and said he was a huge beneficiary of this. Now not all starving artists will go on to become millionaires but we have increased the exclusivity of the arts by leaving it open as a career to richer people only.

You forgot to add the 65” TV, and three foreign holidays a year to your short story.

Council tax isn't covered by uc. You do have to pay some

Council tax is not covered by UC
I think you can apply for a reduced rate but you definitely still have to pay some.
When I wasn't working my council tax was £295 a month

What a pile of bollocks.

For all you know, he's working from home - one of my 'portfolio of jobs' (haha, a whole bunch of stuff I do to make ends meet) is as a copywriter for social media influencers.

There's plenty of stuff that 'writers' can do online that will bring in more than UC - I don't claim any benefits, so maybe he doesn't either.

So you come to this thread with second hand gossip from an ex-colleague, you don't have the facts about how the benefit system works, so you're using up mental energy being pissed off about something that could be utter rubbish.

You need to research the difference between Circle of Control, Circle of Influence (things you have significant and/or control over, in your life) and Circle of Concern (things you worry about, over which you have zero control), and decide if it's worth you wasting effort on.

You are very unreasonable gossiping as you don’t know the facts at all, do you?!
He’s lucky having a good friend who lets him stay in their holiday home (if that is correct).
Maybe he inherited money, maybe friend pays him for keeping their property safe and clean, maybe he is looking for work and receiving a small amount of money to live on, maybe he has an illness you don’t know about (shocking!), maybe he is a carer for someone whose house it is.
So many normal circumstances to could be, and if he IS receiving benefits he is eligible for…..what’s your problem?

I kind of agree. I have a relative, early 30’s, lives rent free, in a family members empty house. On benefits. Has lived like this for the last 6 years.

Occasionally talks of taking a course and at one time did, 12 weeks x 3 days online from home.

Seems a lifestyle choice.

Yanbu. He shouldn't be dossing around at the taxpayers expense. Sounds like he has two sugar daddies/mummies - one who let's him live rent free and the tax payer who gives him nearly £400 a month pocket money.

If one of my kids was living off MW work supplemented by UC, I might decide to take them on holiday with me (a) because I love them and (b) because I have a recently disabled husband who needs help with activities of daily life.

I would not care whether it sit right with you or not.

You seem rather invested in the life of someone who has no links whatsoever with you.

How he lives is none of your business.

Sounds like you and your gossipy colleagues have too much time on your hands...

It's clear you don't know how the system works

The bit she's pissed off with is that he's lording it over them

How is he lording it over the OP?! He used to work with her but left a couple of years ago! How much do they see each other for this ‘lording over’ to have any impact?!

This sounds like bitchy hearsay about someone the OP hasn’t actually seen or spoken to for years!

Most people living off of benefits live below the poverty line. I wouldn't envy that.

I stopped working and claimed my pension at 55, I also have a passive income. The one group who are entitled to hardly a bean are people without children.

We can all hazard a guess at financial circumstances but never have a clue really . A woman who comes along to a free church lunch that I helped at revealed she was left 100k by her BF when he died.