Dispatches- Britain’s Benefit scandal

[Sunnywalker]

Anybody watched this? It’s made me so angry. Some highlights include a company that can’t recruit an apprentice on 26k because sickness benefits would amount to 24k so it wouldn’t be worth it. 500,000, 25-34 years old on long term sick, a woman who has never had a FT job and claims 35k in benefits, this lady would like to work but says will never achieve the same income if she worked.

This country is bankrupt, public services crumbling! What is going on? Why isn’t there an overhaul!

Ah, back to Workfare then? Is it Groundhig Day by any chance?

They can do voluntary work as part of that 30 hours.

Come on - how many people do “socially useful” work? Very, very few.

and by extension labour but not paid, seems history repeating itself

How does that work? Voluntary means without compulsion.

Thanks. Sounds good.

Oh OK I wasn’t aware of that
Is this for single parents only
I ask because I know of couples where one works and the other not and they receive UC inc housing. No disabilities.
So is it 30 hours shared between a couple ?

I hope Prince William was alerted to that dispatches program about where his estate gets it's money from they did a shot of him preaching the earth shot thing juxtaposed with the naughty areas they get their money from which are not, eco friendly.

Some of them.

So I started to watch the benefit program and saw the poor fellow with a drink and drugs addiction, his mum died and siblings.
Apparently if he gets signed off as long term sick he doesn't have to come in anymore. The program narrator said that means there is no one to check on him.
If I was in that system I'd also be pushing for long term sick so I don't havr to go to annoying meetings where no one could help me.

I am a million percent completely and utterly gobsmacked by this post, not especially because it was 1999.

I live in a town where you can still get a 1 bed flat or 2 bed terrace for 50,000 (and I'm happy to live here by the way, it's not Beirut). I paid £133,000 in 2018 for a 3 bedroom semi detached with front and (large) back garden, plus period features such as open fireplaces. It's now worth £175k+ but I'm still completely shocked...

(Oh and we do have a university here too)

I work as a supply teacher while on Universal credit and looking for a permanent job. The first two months of this academic year were very quiet. For the month I had no work, my Universal Credit payment was just over £800, out of which apx £400 was for my rent allowance (the rest of my rent had to be still covered though, bear in mind the rents has sky rocketed lately and the allowance does not reflect this). It is not a life of luxury. You just feel gradually worse mentally, more of a failure with each job application with no response, occasional interview, where they don't even call/email to let you know that you were unsuccessful or respond to emails asking for an update).

@Plopandflop So sorry you've been upset by the disgraceful hostility shown to disabled people here. I hope you feel better soon, and I expect the unpleasant posters are just unhappy with themselves and life generally, rather than saying anything they have truly thought about.

But surely entry level jobs are paid just as that - an entry level job where you are being unskilled by your employer. As you become upskilled (and as such more valuable) your earnings increase.
Clearly, these are really complex issues. I think most would agree that parents caring for disabled children are entitled to benefits and I don’t begrudge a penny of that payment.
I do think for those who are healthy and can work, should be compelled to. Or certainly compelled to undertake training of some description. Sitting at home on benefits simply shouldn’t be an option, I don’t care whether that claimant would be marginally better off TODAY on benefits. We need to get people into the work place where they can earn and progress. This work should always be incentivised.
There are so many positive benefits of work for the body and mind. Too often people fixate on starting salaries.

University lectureships at post-92s are at 34K.

If it’s true think it’s completely wrong.

People are slogging their guts out working 50 hour weeks for half of that. Struggling with anxiety and health conditions, dragging themselves to work and coming out with pennies to show for it. To then have the tax man take a massive chunk, mortgage rates crippling the working, extortionate rent and childcare costs.

Makes you think what’s the point

if a couple on UC one person has to earn the couple’s AET and if they do then the other one is left alone

Then she is committing fraud. That's a whole other issue tbf

She still wouldn't get council tax paid from PIP entitlement though. Perhaps her partner is confused.

If they exist at all. Most are zero hours contracts now.

We obviously live in different areas and there are huge disparities in property prices depending on where one lives. We currently can't move for new student housing springing up at every corner. And Airbnbs.

i can’t be sure, but many people probably have never been in a care home or facility to see the patients and the needs they have.
Some can’t even feed themselves, much less dress or toilet themselves.
Care providers work hard for shit money.
And many patients have anger issues about being where they are and lash out at the very people who care for them.
Here in the States, they have no retirement, little insurance and no childcare. I mean, God forbid they get seriously ill here.
I guess it’s not much better in the UK.
Why is it that the people who work the hardest get treated the worst and get paid the least?
And women as a whole at that?

One poster gave a breakdown of all the benefits so yes it’s true.
if you have disabled children it sends the benefits soaring as there is no benefit cap.

A breakdown doesn’t mean it’s true. I’m highly sceptical.

Well I’m not .

Hence the 'can'. If benefit claimants chose to do voluntary work, it is counted towards their 30/35 hour work search/work allowance.

In my work I have experienced so many parents who actually seem to want their kids to have adhd, autism, EDS, hyper mobility, you name it, so that they can claim DLA and PIP.

i know this is a very controversial thing to say but I think the rise in awareness about disability benefits especially for kids is actually incentivising people to put themselves / their kids in the sick role so they can be paid for it.

It really depends on the Lender.
I’ve bought auction property too in a state and again no problem.

I go direct to all lenders myself although I don’t know why that would make a difference really.
We’ve also used Virgin and Santander some years ago, no increase in interest rates either but once we had a requirement to
repair the roof ( it was only partly there large holes ) and install a means for cold and hot water within a specified period of time. ie one year.