MNHQ here: are you a JAM ("Just About Managing")?

[FinnMumsnet]

Hello,

With the Chancellor's Autumn Statement coming up next Wednesday (23 November), rumours swirl that it will include measures targeted at a group the government has been calling "JAMs", or those "just about managing." There's some suggestion that this will include action on things like childcare subsidies, the cost of holiday flights and fuel duty. (For more, here's the Mirror, the Telegraph and the FT.)

We know from previous conversations that many MNers are having to work hard to make ends meet, and we'd love to hear your thoughts on whether you think you fall into this category, what action you'd like the government to take, and whether any of the proposed measures (though we don't have any more details we're afraid!) would make a difference to your lives.

Thanks,
MNHQ

room101
told them that I would pay the fee for a rolling contract
Never pay a fee for a rolling contract. A rolling contract happens automatically at the end of a fixed term if neither party quits the agreement. Letting agents will try to charge for this - do not pay. It's money for literally nothing.

Poldarks but they are getting me to sign a six month tenancy every six months? So if I don't sign it, they cant charge me?

husband and i are fine, but i worry for my kids who are teenagers/early twenties. they are struggling financially, and have (or will have) large student debts. Despite us helping them out.

i can't see how they will ever afford to buy houses. I would like to see older people encouraged to downsize (waiver stamp duty) and also more smaller houses being built and for this to happen across towns and villages rather than being concentrated in specific areas,

If inheritance was taxed more then revenues could be shared more equally amongst the young, rather than just going to kids of rich parents who die quickly (and therefore don't need carehomes)

room101 do you want a 6 month tenancy or do you want it to be periodic?
Letting agents will always charge to renew a fixed term tenancy but they should not charge to move it to a periodic tenancy.

Decent jobs
Decent wages

That is all

Decent jobs
Decent wages
Decent, AFFORDABLE housing, including building new social housing on a large scale.

Cheaper flights? Give me strength, they're having a laugh, right?

Better regulation of private rentals - our rent went up 20 percent this year.

More childcare funding/more incentives for employees to be able to work from home.

More railway fare regulation.

Cost of air fares - not applicable!!!

Yes JAM and I would like the school holiday rules put back to what they were, Heads discretion, to make hols cheaper.

I think its targets Jams and people who cant manage at all, whilst dc peers have richer parents who either flout the rules and pay the fine, or can afford to go in holidays.

Put it back to what it was and stop targeting parents who wouldn't be able to afford to go anywhere, and this is not package holidays as they are notoriously expensive this is DIY .

Anyway thats low down the list, my TWO big Suggestions are

1. Legal aid, free legal sessions, GIVE LEGAL HELP TO PEOPLE WHO CANT AFFORD SOLICITORS.

We have been cut off from legal help in the uk.

In the old days ie back in the 1990's you could through a few different easy routes get quick legal help, and a solicitor sat outside the doors of our local court and you waited and were able to have a quick chat. ie walk up to the desk.

That quick chat, solely was responsible for saving my family home from the clutches of a bank, with barristers from London lined up to reposes the home.

That TEN MINUET CHAT SAVED US.

That service is not there anymore.

GIVE LEGAL HELP BACK TO POOR PEOPLE.

2. Councils dont follow up or prosecute bad landlords, there needs to be a basic standard of accommodation and LL need to be held to account. No quibbles, take them court and get tough. Fines. Its the only language these unscrupulous ones understand.

I am a parent to 3 DC, and don't work as I am a carer for one of them (although other 2 also have SEN) and all demand a lot of my time. DH is a public sector worker and has been on a pay freeze for years. We have never been able to afford a holiday (in 13 years), and money is always tight. We have enough for basics, but can't afford to save anything. I would really appreciate help with dental costs. I need lots of fillings and a couple of crowns, which even on the NHS is £££.

Stop targeting the poor and disabled. I know the Tories would never do it because they don't want to upset their voters, but I really think you should raise taxes for anyone on a three figure salary.

Also agree with allowing people to take holidays in school time (if there is not a general absence problem).

There are no THEM
There is only US

Cheaper child care - funded how?
No benefit cuts - funded how?
More money for the NHS - from where ?

The UK has got to grow up and realise that tax rises are utterly essential to ensure that basic services like the NHS, schools, social housing and the environment are properly funded.

Everything else is just rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic.

Abolish the Carried Interest tax relief.
Abolish non dom status.
Abolish CFC management charge relief.
Make all LLP partners be individuals with NI numbers.
Adjust the rating bands so that they go up to Z

Those 5 will pay for the NHS.
Everything else has to be done with tax rises.

We want Scandinavian levels of service with American levels of tax.
WE need to grow up and pay for what we use.

Personally I'm happy with tax rises to pay for essential services, and to ensure that people aren't dependent on food banks. I think that most reasonable people are.

PS
Many of the employment rights that we do have were forced on the UK government by the EU - the 48 working week, holiday pay, maternity pay, sick pay and the like

If there is a hard Brexit they will be gone in a flash.

And due to demographic changes in the UK we are destined for 20 years of Tory government unless Labour magically lurch a very long way to the middle.

Housing costs.

Child maintenance.

Those are my suggestions.

What about them ?
What do you think Philip Hammond should / could actually DO ???????

Stop the casualisation of labour. The Guardian's investigation into universities using the 'Sports Direct' model of employment is spot on. FE is the same; schools are going that way too.

Permanent contracts, with proper employment rights, are now a mirage. All that exists seem to be hourly paid jobs, or zero hours contracts, or short-term temporary contracts. It's a horrible way to live.

I think private tenants should have same rights as council ones: allowed to decorate after a year, and allowed to buy after 5. But then selling the council houses is one of the reasons that the rents are so high. So we need to build more, and not just "affordable" housing (which like the national living wage is anything but, for low income families)
But instead we deal with worse and worse conditions for more and more rent.

As ever, I would like to know what the Chancellor intends to do about large businesses who avoid and evade tax, instead of bashing the poor and disabled for apparently cheating on benefits. I am dreading the day my DH gets moved on to PIP.

^^THis in spades! they NEVER cut their own pay either, nor their expenses do they?

Agree completely with TAlkinpeace

Stop the casualisation of labour
but the country voted for Brexit to cut EU red tape - part of which is employment regulation

private tenants allowed to buy their properties
Why on EARTH would you want to reduce the flexible housing supply even further.
Right to but has been an unmitigated disaster
tens of thousands of homes are owned by offshore companies that pay no tax

Becker
I have listed the exact tax changes hat need to be made.
I can list the legislation clauses if you like.
Wishy washy stuff is why people get ignored.

demand something specific and the politicians cannot wriggle

if you want fewer rental properties available, then allowing tenants to buy properties is a good way to go. And more regulation.

Another issue re. housing is the amount of it being turned over to second homes and holiday lets, and which is thereby unavailable to longer stay tenants. A bigger problem in rural areas, but Air BnB seems to have encouraged its growth in cities too.

Some kind of incentive or initiative to encourage letting for housing instead of for those would be good. (tax based? other?)

Seriously what a ridiculous comment regarding allowing private rentals to be bought after 5 years

Ta1kin has got it right. If you want more safety net then more taxes need to be paid not less.

We are not JAM for 2 reasons, we bought 6 years ago when I went on mat leave so only factored 1 wage and I am back at work now so we have a wage we didn't expect. We were lucky to be able to buy within our means that has now been taken away from a lot of people.

We won't increase our mortgage as I'd rather have a 2 bed house with 2 dc then be a JAM. Lucky again to have that option as I have 2 dd who can share.

Affordable housing.
Tenancy rights. Affordable rentals.
Access to housing benefit quickly and before you get a rental in place - the housing associations are notoriously crap in our area and I suspect others too.
Ban 0 hour contracts and other sneaky ways of paying you nothing or less than minimum wage or less than you should officially be earning (thinking of carers who don't get paid for travelling between clients, or delivery drivers given ridiculous routes so they have to piss in bottles to get it done, or nurses who skip breaks because they're short staffed...)
Longer paid mat leave.
Tax the super-rich.
Free education.
Help with transport costs for those under a certain amount of earnings.
Tax credits to top up wages to a decent standard.