To think too many people are happy to live off benefits forever?

[BritishQueue]

Okay, I know this is a touchy subject here on MN, but I need to ask, AIBU to think that too many people are just choosing to stay on universal credit rather than work?

Obviously, I’m not talking about people who genuinely can’t work - disabilities, carers, etc (even though a lot of those who claim to be unfit for work are perfectly capable, and I’ve seen “carers” for people who don’t actually need any care…). But I know multiple people who are completely able-bodied and yet have no intention of ever getting a job. They say things like “it’s not worth it” or “I’d be worse off working,” and honestly, I don’t get it. I work full-time, pay tax, and yet I see people getting rent paid, extra handouts, and still managing holidays and luxuries I can’t afford. Not to mention that a lot of women think the government should subsidise their SAHM lifestyle.

I just don’t understand how it’s fair? Surely benefits should be a safety net, not a lifestyle choice? AIBU?

@Catterbat
It is the left wing that bang on about envy, believe me.
I have lived in Europe for nearly 40 years and have even had a letter from the tax office starting with "you have earned over xxxxxx". Yes, well I did, but you plodding civil servants didn't, is the my problem?
The left are all about making things better for the "working classes", which is now slightly out of date, but spending everyone else's money except their own.
Please research people like Harriet Harman, Tony Benn etc.
Just look at the recent budget.

Oh here we go again. You might want to rethink your username.

If you love him and can afford to care for him, I don’t see why not 🙂 I’m glad to see positivity on this kind of thread

Nothing wrong with being a foster fail. I don't know how anyone can foster TBH. I would want to keep them all.

Did you use your brain or just read the Daily Mail?

@drasticdonkey "I’ve seen it with my eyes too. There are many people that have made more money by milking the system." Many? How many have you seen with your own eyes? 5? 10? 50? Or just the 1 relative in your anecdote?

It’s a lifestyle choice for some people.
I don’t think MC MN who live in nice places see it.

I was unemployed ten years ago, on the dole.
All the regular doleys would be greeted like old pals.

”Hiya, John!” “How’s the new grandchild, Rita?”
I was treated like dirt cos “you should have a job”

Here on good old MN claiming any benefits is like having children under 30 you will get looked down on.
But what some netters seem to forget is that most of you with kids claim child benefits that is still drum role please a benefit.
Im dirt poor to MN standards.
Ive been on benefits i had no choice now im working took me 2 year to get a job but i got one i do get pip.
I will not look down or judge anyone for benefits because we dont know there story.

I've een the opposite. I've been working at a jobcenter in Denmark for 6 years with the insured unemployed. I currently have one client like you describe, and she's actually the first one I've met.

I'm not saying that the others are easy, but they absolutely want to work.

I think there's something in this. I looked up the number of people of working age who receive benefits. It's 22.8%. I'm guessing a lot of these are top up benefits. I think there's something wrong when so many people require "top up benefits". That just means the wages are too low, doesn't it.

The super wealthy will just up sticks and leave.

I see it loads in the field I work in. Sometimes no one in the house works, sometimes Dad is in a low paid job, Mum doesn't work, lives in a council property claiming. They usually have a minimum of 3 or 4 kids.

Sometimes one parent has a hidden illness and other parent is their carer.

It is very common for people that could work not to or to work very minimal hours.

Interesting. Denmark is not Britain however. Is this insured benefit like our contributory JSA? If so I guess it runs out at some point unlike universal credit which would make people more motivated.

I live in a deprived city and work with families. Benefit dependance is common. Playing the system is common. Count yourself lucky you don’t live in such areas.

To where?

People threaten this all the time, but we have one of the lowest tax rates in the world, except tax havens like Dubai, where women's rights are questionable at best. If women are dense enough to move there to avoid tax, I'm sure they can be easily replaced in their current role by someone else in the UK.

A neighbour's sons are middle-aged. One did have a job but lost it - probably because of his alcohol intake. The other has never worked and is currently being regulated by methadone. Both work for cash in hand as well as receiving benefits.

The neighbour keeps trying to persuade me to employ her sons to do gardening, etc. I've been resisting. The alcoholic son does do the gardens for several people in the street.

Each son has his own council flat. Their mother would be able to house them, but doesn't want them living with her. She doesn't trust them, she's told me, but that doesn't prevent her from trying to get me to employ them.

I've no doubt that there's some kind of genetic problem which has led to both sons having an addictive personality, but it does leave a bad taste in the mouth.

I'm trying not to rock the boat. One time, my late husband saw a strange man in the back garden and told him to eff off. DH didn't recognise him - his eyesight was bad by then.

It turned out that it was the alcoholic son, having a kick-about with his children. The ball had landed in the garden. The bloke was so pissed (I presume) that it hadn't occurred to him to open the back gate - he climbed over. (On a later occasion, his brother actually did the same when I was on my own. He was too far away for me to recognise him. I also yelled and he came a cropper.)

After retrieving the ball, the son had the nerve to come to our door and berate my visibly disabled husband for swearing "in front of the kids". (Why they weren't at school, I've no idea.) Well, the kids weren't in our garden, so...

He then tried to belittle my husband by referring to his physical condition. DH - by then in his late 70s - merely replied "So what are you working at now?"

"What are you asking me that for?!" and stomped off.

I have every sympathy for those who have to be in receipt of benefits. None for those like the neighbour's son.

I used to work in a NMW job and had no top ups. It was enough for me to live alone in a one bed flat, buy a few nice things, and have a social life ( this was 15 years ago). It is the price of essentials and bills that means that what used to be an adequate wage is no longer enough to live on. The price of everything has gone up, but wages have not kept up with it.

That just means you spend time with a load of scroungers…it’s not a good evidence base, and maybe you need to rethink the company you keep….

I know and work with many people on benefits who have found themselves in dreadful and scary situations. I hope you never need help OP.

@Frequency to the same places they’re already going presumably. We’re losing more millionaires than almost any other country currently.

Sometimes it works out better to work part time and receive some sort of top up because childcare is so expensive and scarce in some areas.

That makes no sense. Unless someone has a disability or caring responsibilities they won't qualify for endless benefits, and they'll never be better off than working with how UC is calculated.

Isn't that the only circumstance that you can work PT and not be harassed by the Job Centre?
I don't think a single person with no kids can opt to work part time. I am fine to be corrected if this is wrong.
I know it was different with tax credits (I knew people who would DJ a club night twice a month as "self employed" then be topped up).

I have been a single parent to 3 for over 15 years now, one with a disability who receives DLA. I claimed tax credits for much of that time - whilst also working full time in teaching, exam marking, tutoring, running holiday clubs and teaching at holiday camps for foreign children. Why do you consider me, and people like me, to be scroungers?

I disagree

Tax Credits was actually a great system for people who are too disabled to work full time..it meant they could still work as many hours as they could, but still get support.

UC decimated this concept instead making people fall into one of two camps. Fully fit for all full time work, or they claim LCWRA and dont have the requirements. This is a massive fuck up on their part.

And part of why I refused to claim UC even though I can only work part time due to my disability.

Also most disabled people do not want to spend their life on benefits. When I was too unwell to work for 3 1/2 years following my last suicide attempt ALL I wanted was to go back to work even though my psychiatrist said it was highly unlikely I'd be able to. I pushed myself and I got a job, and then I signed off ESA and have been in that job for 12 years now. Yes I did claim Tax credits as it was a huge help and enabled me to keep working as much as I could. I have massively struggled financially since but I won't claim UC because if they force me into unsuitable full time work I can not cope ith the likelihood is it will lead to a mental breakdown and suicide...and even if survived that what good can I be of I then can't work at all? I'd rather work as much as I can with a supportive employer and reasonable adjustments than go the UC route even if it does screw me over financially. The lower rate of PIP I get is used for therapy that I'm unable to access via NHS. And that goes a long way to keeping me stable enough to continue working

These stats are pointless. You mean people caught out. The stats won't show the people who don't get caught out. The government doesn't have time to check everyone's claims. The fraud rate would be much higher. The same as crime rates, most people wouldn't bother reporting their car getting broken into, phone getting stolen, low level crimes because they know the police won't do anything but it doesn't mean a crimes not been committed. It won't show in the stats though.