Can we all take a moment to pray for Thea, living life on the brink of poverty at £6k a month (£3.2k of which is UC).

[BananaramaDefence]

In a good month when UC gives full entitlement, Thea has a total of £6,142.00, from £2,800 in take-home pay and £3,342 in universal credit plus child benefit. Her monthly expenses such as childcare, rent, council tax, energy and food etc are usually around £6000. She says: "So it’s living very much on the edge."

And now the cap is removed she will get more!!

From this: Pregnant mum-of-four: 'Budget benefit change saved our Christmas' - The Mirror https://share.google/QGbNeuIKPAmg1qNG5

No wonder people get pissed of with welfare in this country. I work 40 hours plus a week, have children, have to pay a mortgage, childcare and I earn way less than this!!!

No child should live in poverty but at the same time no family should get this muxh in benefits.

Before people say, yes but it's to pay rent and collate, I also have to pay all that and my mortgage is half my wage!!

I doubt she chose to be a single mother.

Either would do

My daughter is 19. Shes worked every day full time since she was 16. She had a cryptic pregnancy last year. Didn't know she was pregnant until in labour. Shes been given a housing association house. And on U.C. They did a financial check on her. After her bills are paid and shopping. Shes left with £1.54 a wk. That's not a joke.
Shes looking to go back to work now. I'll help with child care. She has a 1 yr old and can't afford to buy her an Xmas gift.
People on UC aint rolling in it like people seem to think.
She was earning 500 a wk b4 the baby.

Would you rather she didn’t work?

Its divide and conquer. Turn everyone against each other. And we fools for falling for it.

It’s about 2500 a month for one child full time. A person that earns 100 k from paid for employment, loses the childcare….

Make it make sense.

The whole benefits system is out of order. People on 100k should not expect free childcare, and people should not be receiving benefits to top up their pay to 6.2k a month. Regardless of their circumstances. People should work for their money and live their lives accordingly. If that means that people can't afford to have as many children as they would have liked to have if money wasn't an issue, so be it.

Where have these numbers come from..??!! there's no way that she's being paid money like that.. I just don't see it..😳

Someone on 100 k loses child care. It costs about 2500 a month for full time child care in central London. The person on 100 k will take home circa 5500 - and has to pay child care and rent/mortgage and will not get child benefit.

If you cannot comprehend that a person on 100 k in London (like that lady) does actually need the child care help…..it’s basic maths. This country is actually f88ked.

I earn about the same as her but have a long commute because I can’t afford to live near work. Where I live has worse schools, shops, not many jobs. If I’d known I could live in a nicer area and universal credit would top up my salary, I’d have done that.

If I was accepted onto a private rental in a nice part of London (or other expensive city), would I just get universal credit to cover my lifestyle choice?

Try it and see.

Most like no, beacuase a) most private landlords refuse to take uc claimants, and b) only about a 1/3 of private rentals are at a price covered by uc. So you'd probably end up in a shitty place anyway.

How would you police how many children women who can't afford them have?

Genuine question.

Wow

Come on.

The way to choose not to beca single mother is to

a) be EXTREMELY prudent in choice of man
b) wait to be married before conceiving
c) termination if the above two factors aren’t met

Haha I won’t try it because I actually have a mortgage so more secure than renting and wouldn’t qualify for universal credit if sold.

For this situation to happen, I guess you’d have to have a relationship breakdown so you’re left renting somewhere you can’t afford.

She could have done all of that. He might be dead. The article does not say.

But this is typical for a website that is meant to be for mothers, judging single mums and blaming them for being left with the kids.

Put the wine away. Fucking hell.

Precisely. It is much much more prudent to be paying into a mortgage if at all possible. This women's children will grow up and leave and she will have no asset in a house and at that point lose a massive chunk of income.

It is an unstable situation.

Exactly. Her husband could have died for all we know.

She was young and maybe a bit foolish. Sorry if you've led a perfect life and never made mistakes. Or bought up perfect children. My daughter is a good girl who found herself in a position she never expected. Shes made the best of it, and is looking to go back to work. My granddaughter is amazing and would never be called a mistake. She's a brilliant mother with no warning this was going to happen. Im very proud of her. She was on contraception. It does fail sometimes. I really hope you or your children dont find yourself in this position. Empathy? Ever heard of it?

Yeah, like choosing a man who never gets ill or dies.

Fucking hell.

This isn't a benefits problem. This is a housing market and childcare problem. London is broken.

I think the state does need to subsidize housing and childcare because clearly when it's left to the free market, things get ridiculous.

It's not great that our state does it through benefits transfers to individuals instead of subsidising the housing and childcare directly as is the case in other countries. It props up whatever ridiculous costs the market produces and (as this thread shows) creates resentment.

If everyone was paying £400 per month council rent and another £300 to a council run nursery, there wouldn't be any talk about scroungers as the subsidy would be hidden.

I was extremely, even EXTREMELY, prudent: I married an educated professional in a high earning area after a relationship and living together.
Conceived always while married. Devoted father, loved his children etc.
Still couldn't stop him becoming an arse who eventually decided to abandon us completely and has probably taken his high earning potential to another part of the world to earn even more with his new woman. I cant know because he's been "no contact", even with the children he adored so much.
Just interested in how I could have chosen not to be a single mother as I'm desperately searching for my choice here...
I have a friend who is a widow. Any advice there for her?