To see benefits as a safety net, not handouts?

[ForGreyStork]

It’s the way benefits are talked about. To me, they’re part of a social security system -a safety net that people may need at different points in life, rather than “gifts” or handouts.
I also wonder whether increasing conditions and restrictions risk undermining that safety net over time.

AIBU?

Would I be unreasonable to suggest that benefits should be a trampoline which help someone get back to where they have the ability to be self sustaining?
Rather than a safety net where the person can just relax and go "ok this is acceptable, I can deal with it as-is"
And yes, I have been on benefits in the past, and it was helpful to bridge a gap until I got back on my own two feet again.

That Joseph Rowntree research, @pointythings was qualitative (volunteer interviews), with 47 people in 20 families in precisely 2 locations. Hardly extensive. You are very patronising towards @TheCurious0range ,who, like me, has direct (if anecdotal) experience of families in exactly this situation. YOU ‘do better’.🙄

Because you have morals? Because you were brought up with a strong work ethic? I'd rather work myself to the bone than claim benefits.

Tax credits back when my son was very little meant people stopped doing overtime. Ar that point poverty became inbuilt. Why work overtime if it means the government gives you less.

You’re not unreasonable @ForGreyStork except that, we are now seeing multi- generational families who have never (or rarely) worked, being supported on benefits as their main family income for 3 generations.

That is more than a safety net, and makes it more difficult to argue for a reliable and sufficient safety net.

We seem to have a situation where a lot of people work very hard, for more or less earned income, while a significant minority does not work at all. Something up to almost 15% of young people 18-24 are not in education, employment or training. That’s not acceptable or sustainable.

It 100% should be a safety net. There should also be sanctions if you don't actively look for a suitable job or keep turning down job offers then after a certain time your benefits stop. Obviously that wouldn't apply to genuinely disabled people/carers of disabled people etc.

I came from poverty, my point was it's sad to see children without aspirations beyond a life on benefits

Couldn’t agree more.

And I hate it when people like @pointythings mis-use and simplify ‘research’ to shut down conversations. Because this is a conversation that will have to be had at some point (preferably before Reform form a government).

The Joseph Roundtree survey I believe asked the question ‘have you ever worked’ so a very part time or even a job lasting a few weeks was counted.

Agreed. They even said themselves how hard it was to get volunteers, which is unsurprising given what they were researching!

This isnt a dig at you solely but I do think some people are totally misinformed how UC works and council housing works. This is not the 90s anymore. UC do have rules about looking for work and there is no way you can get away with not working for decades like you could in the 90s.

I live in a council house. I do not have money to buy a house and on my street where I live private rents cost £1500 per month. You are very delusional people simply cannot afford that!

Hm, I think it is still a safety net, just that many families get caught in the net and can’t swim back up because they keep getting pushed back down.

I know a single mum, works full time for the council. Gets UC. Wouldn't be able to afford the rent otherwise. Will she just need it "for a time"

What about disabled people who are unlikely to ever work? For some people, benefits are going to be their way of life through no fault of their own.

@HoskinsChoice And for people who can't afford to buy or rent privately? The trouble with social housing is there's not enough of it, not that people are living in it.

There will always be people for whom the NMW jobs are the ceiling of what they are able to do, for a lot of complex reasons.

@ParmaVioletTea
“We seem to have a situation where a lot of people work very hard, for more or less earned income, while a significant minority does not work at all. Something up to almost 15% of young people 18-24 are not in education, employment or training. That’s not acceptable or sustainable.”

It is due to a lack of jobs that is hitting that age category the hardest.

As of a year ago, 30 Jun 2025, the UK's entry-level job market had plummeted by 32% reducing graduate roles, apprenticeships, internships, and junior positions without degree requirements since the launch of OpenAI's ChatGPT in November 2022.
https://www.liveaiwire.com/2025/06/uk-entry-level-job-market-plunges-32.html

https://bmmagazine.co.uk/news/entry-level-jobs-slump-reeves-tax-raid/

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2026/jan/26/ai-uk-jobs-us-japan-germany-australia

I agree the lack of jobs is not acceptable or sustainable.

Yes, same here. I became disabled almost overnight at the age of 46. Single parent with two DC aged 14 and 10 at the time. A very frightening experience.

How does that work if there are no jobs either as an employee or client if you want to go sole trader/self-employed?

It should be a safety net but we are at a point where people think that living on benefits is a viable choice. Young people see their parents living on benefits abd think 'i can do that, why work?' These people have not learnt a sense of pride in earning your own money or value of being productive or work ethic. There is no incentive to working over claiming so they don't. I worked for as long as I possibly could from my first job during uni in 2006, I even did a short (9 months) stint in Maccas because I wanted and needed to earn money through my disabilty diagnosis in 2022 til i was declared medically unfit to work in 2025.

@monkeysox exactly. How can anybody not realise that not everybody will climb the "ladder". Even if they do its still not enough.... you could be a nurse and have 2 babies and a husband then he might suddenly pass away leaving you with toddlers both under 5 years of age.

Now that 1 wage as a nurse to cover 1 adult and 2 kids isnt enough. Benefits is a way of living unfortunately. Even 2 parent families could be on UC.

This is a frightening article in the BBC today:

One possible solution to my mind is to simply scrap income tax for those aged 18-25. This will encourage young people to get into the job market as quickly as possible, discourage people studying unemployable degrees and set up good working habits for life.

Sorry the article:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/crrpx4p1z71o

These are some of my relatives, so I don't perceive it as rare. 3 generations on benefits who have never worked and no aspiration to work. All their friends are the same. I would be interested to see the statistics!

Exactly.

And don't get me started on the 'claiming but just about to go over 16k savings, how do I spend some money so I can carry on claiming without it looking dodgy' posts where some responders attack anyone saying 'maybe you don't need benefits if you need to dispose of some cash to carry on getting them' with 'poor people should be able to save too!' 'it's not YOUR money they're getting so why are you bothered when Amazon doesn't pay full tax'?

There was a poster recently on MN whose husband earned 67k a year but because of having a disabled child that needed an adapted home, the family were in receipt of almost 4k a month benefits. And the OP wanted more as she was acting as an informal carer to her MIL and was asking about carers allowance.

That's ridiculous and that poster is one of many.

But the response of a lot of posters was 'they're entitled to it' 'well they've got a severely disabled child, would you like to swap places to get the money?, bet you wouldn't'

I've seen posters post about how they don't need DLA or PIP (over 16) for their child as they don't have any additional costs or can afford any additional costs but they're wondering what to do with the money and posters saying 'save it, it'll be a nice nest-egg for them' 'it can go towards a house deposit' when that is not what DLA or PIP are for.

Which is the kind of nonsense which makes people question the 'system' and become aggrieved by it.

Along with all the PIP fraud cases that have been publicised recently which refute all the 'it's so hard to get' 'you only get it if you really need it' 'you have to have tonnes of medical evidence' 'fraud is 0%' myth posters.