in thinking that the Government cannot possibly ensure people are better off working than on benefits unless they increase wages massively?

[TheJollyPirate]

TBH I cannot see how the Govt are going th achieve their aim to make sure "nobody is better off financially on benefits than in work".

I work part-time as I have a son with a disability. I take home £849 and get Tax credit of £190 plus Child benefit of course - Working Tax credit adds another £50 - all in all just over £1100. I am just over the limit for housing benefit and all other help although if DLA is approved for my son that may change a bit.

One of my families gets housing benefit of £700 a month plus tax credit, plus income support, plus child benefit. On paper at least they out-strip me and unless wages drastically improve (oh - was that a recession I just saw over there) then nothing much CAN change. The Govt are talking big but cannot deliver no matter what they say.

I will stay worse off financially than the family I work with who will remain unemployed because wages are NEVER going to amount to enough for them to get work and maintain their home. Not their fault and I am more fortunate in other ways but financially - nah - they are doing a bit better than me (but probably only just).

I am watching the Govt but not holding my breath on this one.

Or do you know different?

If so - explain because I am being a bit thick about it.

Milady, I use to turn on the washing machine at 6AM. We had a squeaky arse dryer. Right over the neighbour's bedroom. I used to turn that one at 6, too.

I'd also blast music, opera usually, at 6AM.

Just for the neighbours.

ooooo I like you're style expat

"It doesnt matter how many hours you work, you got to do what youve got to do."

like I said earlier, hope you never find yourself a single parent and that doesn't come round and bite you on the arse..........

now if you'll excuse me I'm an idiot who looked at last months appointment card, I haven't missed my appointment but I have just had to order a taxi to make sure I do get to todays on time

YOUR style not you're

He once had the nerve to complain, the downstairs neighbour. Everyone thought he was scary. Well, when he left our place, he never bothered me again .

No more karoke and rows with his girlfriend at 2AM.

Thing is, he worked! He was a porter at the local mental hospital.

But of course his shifts were all over the place.

You can let it out, sunshine, and live some place else.

Very neighbourly of you expat, I too see myself as a sort of community health guru as we sing loudly on the school run. Helping people to establish healthy sleep-patterns etc.

My friend lives in a beautiful 3 bed semi, private rented. HB pays this for her and her coucil tax is also paid. Is this the same in other area's? She doesn't work and has 3 dc's. (1 car, holidays abroad)

My other friend has a husband on min wage and by the time tax credits have topped it up she tells me they are quite comfortable. (2 cars, holidys abroad, mortgage)

Dh and I work full time, not min wage but not max wage either! We are only marginally better off than my friends above. (We have 1 car, mortgage and holiday abroad)

I considered the Three Tenors, Puccini and Andrea Bocelli as culturally enriching him and exposing him to new forms of music he may not have otherwise had the chance to experience.

I also liked to exercise. I have one of those Reebok step things. So my chosen form of exercise was to put on some Prince tunes and march. Up and down. On and off that step.

To the poster who mentioned shift work and being a single mum.

I did it before I met dh. Nights, weekends, earlies and lates. No set days, different shifts every week. Not easy but I managed.

Not allowed to let this place out its a clause in the mortgage (I am with a subprime company cause loads of the peoples mortgages where sold off) I dont mind living here any way and I love my flat. I just get annoyed on days like today when I have work in a bit and babysitting a lot of the night for the cash for the mortgage whilst everyone else is getting it for free around me. I really hope this government does change things, but Im not holding out for it.

dh is minimum wage earner. we get wtc top up with disability element, and ctc.

we dont have a car (cant afford one)
we dont have holidays abroad.

Riven - That was before I had kids. After I worked at a nursery mainly 25 - 30 hours and then just bring my kid along. (thats my main job). Used to do flyering and the bars or cleaning and just get my mates or my husband to look after the baby. When I was doing cleaning I could bring my baby with me.

It strikes me that in order to make work pay the whole benefit structure including housing benefit and council tax benefit needs to be looked at carefully.

I agree with an earlier poster - a full time worker on minimum wage earns roughly £12k per year. Benefits should be capped in total at that amount, no family living on benefits regardless of number of children should get more than that unless perhaps disabled children or similar. Those who work (esp with children) should get tax credits to make it more worthwhile.

And there shouldn't be higher rent allowances for London - if you work and can't afford London rents you move out maybe into Essex and commute, why should the unemployed be entitled to live in Westminster????

Also slightly horrified that people living solely on benefits can afford holidays especially overseas ones. I know lots of people who work who can't...

well there you go litte miss bullshit sunshine. You have just answered your own question there. You worked all hours god sent when you didnt have a child. Then when you did have one your job enabled you to take your dc along and you had other provisions where you could get someone else to have your dc.

There are loads of mner on here who have little or no support. If you have 2 or 3 kids your childcare costs are going to be massive.... you think we could seriously go out and work on minimum wage, cover child care costs and still pay the bills....... I'll leave that one for you to figureo out!

You speak with no experiance and a whole lot of ignorance. When you have an educated view come back ad have a proper discussion!

I am told i would be better off working 16 hours a week at minimum wage than i would working full time in a job earning £20k.

That is ridiculous.

yay I can get a job
I can just take dd with me, bet the boss will love that
a 15 yr old in a wheelchair cluttering the place up

Spookycharlotte121 - How will your child care bills be massive if you are on the minimum wage. Mine are £112 a week and I get £117.86 in tax credits. That means its free and I live off my wages?

2shoes - as I said I am not talking about disabilities/special needs etc

JollyPirate, YANBU. But I don't think this government is going to put any pressure on businesses to raise wages any time soon!

Im on my own and get no financial help from exp. I have to children therefor the childcare costs will be high.
If Im right you have a dh therefor another income. Im happy to go out to work but whilst I have been at uni have had to claim benefits. I would rather I did that and give my children a decent home to live in and good food on the table than turn my nose up and live in a bedsit with them. They deserve better.

I object to people like you telling benefit claiments they are scum because its not a choice you would make youself. Some people really do not have any other choice but to claim benefits untill their circumstances change ie their kids go to school.

At the end of the day if benefits were removed then yes it would punish those who didnt work but it would be even harser on the children of those families.

It would be nice if you could acknowledge some of the things said on this thread. I really hope you never end up on your own becuase its fucking hard and thats before people pull the benefits = lazy scum card. I wouldnt wish it on anyone.

*two children

"Kaloki - My family had to move because we couldnt afford where we used to live. It makes sense doesnt it? I dont see why its punishing you. If you cant afford it, then you cant afford it."

" I just took a suitcase and my handbag on the train when I moved here. I didnt have anything else lol. My husband brought a suitcase and a portable tv. It was before we had kids and we were considering having them in the future so knew we had to move. That was when we were 18 as neither of us could afford to be in our mums flats anymore."

That's good for you. However (ignoring the fact I am disabled) if I needed to move somewhere cheaper to live I would have to be able to afford to move all my stuff. And pay a deposit on a place. Which would be an interesting experience on a minimum wage job. It would also mean moving me away from my support network of family and friends.

And it would narrow my opportunities to get a better paid job.

I'm glad it worked out for you, and wish I could have done the same. But life hasn't worked out that way, and I would really struggle to move somewhere cheaper.

Now I'm off to catch up on the rest of the thread.