Working families £18k worse off than benefits claimants after budget

[shoelances]

This is madness. Can the last taxpayer in the UK please close the door behind them.

www.msn.com/en-gb/money/other/households-on-handouts-to-be-18-000-better-off-than-families-on-modest-wages/ar-AA1RqxlQ

My council told me today that HB accuracy forms will now be sent out to HB claimants once a year, pensioners, single ppl, families

Isn't it better for the kids if one is part time? Why both full time?

It is excellent that she is trying to improve her situation but I would also expect her to work full time once she’s received her qualifications as she is also receiving more than some full time working folks do at the moment

If they can afford it and not rely on benefits to do it.

We absolutely can't do this easily. There is a reason why successive governments haven't done this.

Fundamentally a lot of this comes down to the fact that building houses is expensive, ties up a lot of capital and is practically quite difficult to do in terms of planning, infrastructure etc.

Think about it this way. If you are the government right now, if you want to fund a load of social housing then you are going to have to borrow lots of money. Obviously there is a huge risk that the markets simply won't lend it to you, but if they do then it's going to come with interest attached of around 5% at the moment if you look at Bond rates.

The average house built as part of social housing currently costs the government £160k. So each and every year the government will be paying £8k a year in interest on the cost of the building the house whilst the average social housing rent is only £4k. Add on all the costs of maintaing the property and you will soon see that social housing is hugely expensive. Remember whilst making these interest payments the government wouldn't actually be repaying any of the original cost of the property but just servicing the debt.

Social housing is absolutely not always better deal for the state than private renting using other people's capital to pay for the properties.

Childcare needs to be cheaper, they manage it in other countries
and absent fathers to pay
that would sort a lot out

How?

Her total income (wages, UC, child benefit and housing benefit) is £24K. Full time nmw plus child benefit would be just over £27K so she’s worse off.

I don’t know if you know how TAs are paid? She works 3.5 days a week, and 1.5 days in college but the monthly wage is so low because the annual amount is spread evenly over 12 months. School is closed for 16 weeks a year. So £800 is for a lot more hours than it seems during term time, if that makes sense? She’d never earn a full time wage as a TA over 12 months.

Do something else in those 16 week off?

Because there are hundreds of jobs that only need filling during half terms and they super easy to get. Ditto childcare, arranging childcare for 1-2 weeks here and there is a doddle.

It's a gift from the government.

Whatever their social welfare payment is, they get double.

No they aren't. I am certainly not on UC.

It’s not double. It’s a £500 cost of living payment.

I'm not in UK.

Who the hell is going to give someone a job for one week at half term, or a fortnight over Easter and Christmas? What about childcare? She has no relatives in this country.

Some people just don’t live in the real world.

I'm not in the UK.

Certain social welfare payments will be doubled this week.

Sickening really.

If you're not in the UK, what is the point of posting that on a thread discussing UK welfare and taxes other than to whip the frothers into a fury?

Then it isn't relevant.

I agree! Starmer started yapping today that he wanted to reduce the welfare budget. Um - what did you do last week??

It makes me sick that there is no growth in the budget AT ALL!

What jobs? You’re making it up. Arranging 2 weeks childcare is not a ‘doddle’ unless you have a support network. Childminders here have waiting lists for months. They wouldn’t let someone take a place on their list for two weeks if that meant rejecting a potential long-term client.

Im sorry, but you’re talking rubbish. What other childcare options are there for a 6 year old?

Us pensioners and some others get a tenner as a Christmas bonus sometime now, do some people get more than that.

Solidarity.

Are you frothing? A bit ott.

I resorted to Google and the £10 Christmas bonus for UC claimants is all I found.
Nothing about £500

We had no support network
Family too far away, too old or/ and too ill

Moved to a new area as we couldn’t afford to buy near where we worked
so didn’t know anyone either

We both worked full time and sourced holiday and before and afterschool support without much trouble.

A waiting list for the holiday care, that’s all
Our childcare rolled over from one year to the next and we used Summer holiday camps aswell. Not cheap but we had no choice

Or don't be a TA! Get a job with full time hours. Lots of TAs I worked with topped their hours up with babysitting or working in school holidays clubs.