Universal Credit should relax £16,000 savings eligibility rule

[DreamChaser23]

do you agree? This is to ensure other workers who were laid off and have 16k OR higher in savings should also be eligible for help.

www.google.com/amp/s/www.mirror.co.uk/news/politics/dwp-must-change-universal-credit-21792760.amp

NewYearNewJob

Totally agree with you some people have no idea what it like not to have a pot to piss in feels like!!

Some poor souls won’t have £16.00 at the end of next month, never mind £16,000.

But if the government didn’t think it was important to mitigate this why offer to pay people 80% wages? Why give SE 80% of lost earnings? Why not say everyone must live on savings until they are below 16k then claim UC? Those living completely off benefits will not be affected, if anything slightly better off now they have increased slightly. But there will be some people who fall through the cracks and end up not being paid furlough or the SE employment rate who will end up unfairly penalised compared to those benefiting from government schemes. For instance those who were laid off before the announcements were made.

Of course it's a vast amount of savings. I only have that amount for a house deposit - if I actually had a house (unlikely anytime soon with the entire market frozen!), that money would be going straight into overpayments. I'd have a few grand for fixing the car or as a mental breakdown/unemployment fund for a few months, but not 16k. Of course it's a lot of money - 2 childfree people in a small flat could comfortably live on that for over a year.

It is another world on here sometimes - I remember someone trying to explain that they couldn't work because they had to spend all their time doing up their big house in London and tutoring their kids to get into the top London private schools, and that's "just what everyone does".

Peapod29

Because the 80% of wages is there to help the employers stay in business. It's not a nice bonus to the employees.

Yes, I also think it should be reduced to a maximum of 10k. In the past week there has been a massive surge in UC applications. There isn't an endless amount of resources, just resources to help those in need.

That way, stretched funds can be funnelled to the folk who need it most.

Why do people who are lucky enough not to be that needy, think they are being "penalised" for not receiving these payments? Penalised? Really? It's a bit disgusting.

I am sorry but I had to laugh at oh but this is different. No-one saw it coming, so this doesn't count.

That alone shows the type of thinking from some on this thread.
I mean how ridiculous can one person be to even think this?

Get hit by a bus, might see it coming, but not your everyday event.
Freak weather that causes millions of damage. No-one sees that coming until it's too late. Like this.

Savings are there for when shit happens. If you want to maintain the same quality after you have personally recovered, then, unfortunately, you start again and work your ass off.

By the logic on here, we'd be all going around spending money on utter crap knowing our savings are safe regardless of our choices.

If this is a society you would like to live in, you are more than free to go and create such a society. Let's see how long before everyone is bankrupt.

I don't want to bail you out. I don't want to pay more taxes just so you can keep your savings.

And very few taxpayers pay more in than what they get out when you take a moment to look at where the taxes go it should become blatantly obvious.

Do you people who are feeling "penalised" also feel penalised because you can't take stuff from the local food bank?

Go on, I dare you. All you people with 16k+ in savings who feel penalised, go to the fucking food back tomorrow, and claim poverty. Because that's what you are doing.

Of course YABU.

State benefits are there for people who actually need them - not for people who just want them as it would be mean of the government to make people dip into their own savings to survive.

I live in a council flat and get UC because I have a long term illness and for years I've been a drain on society according to a lot of MNetters. Now everyone thinks they're entitled to a share because they've paid their taxes, which I did for years and that paid for their schooling, NHS and university.

That way, stretched funds can be funnelled to the folk who need it most.

You do realise the government is currently paying the wages of millions of staff and SE people? Many of whom will have savings. The only way this helps employers is to keep their staff for them when they hopefully return to business. The main reason is to keep us from having millions of unemployed using up any spare cash they have to pay the rent then signing on to UC, which as we all know would come no where near to covering many people’s bills. The furlough scheme is essentially benefit, as is the SE payments. This is completely unprecedented. The US now has the most unemployed on record. It wouldn’t have been within the realms of most people’s imagination that the majority of the economy would be shut down overnight. It’s only fair to extend help to those who might fall through the cracks.

I am surprised it is that high even, that is already as much as some people get paid in a year. Honestly, if you have a lot of money in the bank then you should use that in the first instance before you start claiming UC. That is why you have savings, in case shit happens.

Anyone who thinks they need government assistance when they have £16,000 worth of savings needs a reality check. £16,000 is more that many key workers are making annually. I cannot believe what I'm reading, the level of privilege is astounding.

I dread to think what this crisis is costing in UC. 105, 000 new applications made in the last week or so as well as the extra they have paid on top of the normal allowance for all existing claimants. Some of the amounts people get are ridiculous and huge amounts of the rent element just going to private landlords. I think 16k is a reasonable savings limit.

We have over £16k in savings which are from when My mother died last year - not much more but enough to give us a breathing space which we've never has before. If we did lose our jobs (which hopefully we won't- both key workers), I would be sad that the money she wanted us to have for nice things would be used to live. I'd be sad but I'd not mind in the slightest as we wouldn't be taking money that we don't need. It's quite right that we should have to uset that money to may bills and mortgage.

Wow! The greed and entitlement is astonishing!

NONE of

Gah posted too soon

NONE of you bitching now "wah it's unfair I have to use my savings" I suspect gave one tiny DAMN when claimants literally have DIED because of the changes to benefits rules in recent years.

NO you shouldn't get to ring fence your savings you are NOT more worthy or more deserving than anyone else claiming benefits.

Tough times can happen to ANYONE you're not more special than the rest of us on benefits!

This govt has treated claimants despicably and callously for YEARS and it's only now it's happening to you that you even pretend to give a shit

Quit whining, tighten your belts and MAYBE you might get some insight into what it's like for non covid only claimants and get a fucking clue and not vote sodding Tory in future

It's really pissing me off I've heard/seen very recently various people on tv/radio/in papers making comments like

"Ssp isn't enough to live on"

"I can't manage on UC"

"I can't possibly wait 5 weeks for a payment"

I'm willing to bet those making those comments didn't give a fuck that the waiting times and amounts were so detrimental to people's lives UNTIL IT AFFECTED THEM

And we're seeing the same crappy attitudes on this thread!

Shame on all the posters whining it's not fair they have to dip into savings that I could live on for 2 years!

EXACTLY, Graphista! 100% spot on.

No, not at all.

They should just be honest.
It's not about protecting the savings.
It's because they think they are too good.
Don't want to be associated with benefit scroungers.

Oh well, shit happens. Do you know what? It's rare to find someone who wants to be on them.
You aren't unique. You're just an ordinary person. No better from those you despised a few weeks ago. Many of whom started life with the same views as you. Then life got in the way, and the 16k needed elsewhere.

Shameless behaviour from selfish people, so incapable of looking at how to make their money work for them. This should be a fucking wake up call to realise how fortunate you are to have £20 saved.

My savings have only recovered from last year. Had to dip into them then. Life happened, I got ill. Did I go cap in hand, asking please can I protect my savings? Did I fuck. You think you are the only one saving for something? Like I said. Nothing special.

Ooooh so angry
You lot will really lose your shit if the government does suspend the rule 😂

canigooutyet Agree with your post, people don’t like to see themselves as those feckless I employ hat they’ve actually now become

If you have a job precarious enough to be lost, then your savings should be there to ensure you can look after yourself.

What’s the point of a rainy day fund if you don’t use it. It’s a monsoon out there ☔️ Maybe the limit could be a little higher, say £30k though.

No of course not! What an incredibly entitled and ignorant view.

Thats what savings are for ffs. Cry me a river. You won't starve or be homeless like others have. Its fine to vote Tory when it doesn't directly affect you