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

and we dont need to import extra workers to support an increasing elderly population - that's why retirement age went up. Provides more workers and reduces the number needing to be supported. We also need to get more of our unemployed back into work and the underemployed into full time work. That means changing the educational system to teach responsibilities as well as rights, a benefit system that doesnt have 80-90% marginal tax rates for those trying to increase hours and a culture that stops making people feel their work is crap. We should encourage pride in working in McDonalds or cleaning floors or care work, because you are supporting yourself and it's useful work, and shame in working in tax evasion or being a manager having an income that is massively more than your coworkers.

We also need boards to include a substantial number of those working in the business - not a single workers rep - to get away from the culture where you vote big pay rises for your friends so it puts your pay up later. The chance of the greedy party introducing most of these reforms is remote.

Yes I am Just About Managing. I am a LP with a DS6 who was very ill for the first 2 years of his life and so couldn't go back to my old job. I am separated from my husband who pays child maintenance but only after his massive pension contributions have gone out each month. I am working part time and also training to get a better job. I am in my forties, and my paid hours are less than 16 hours per week and I don't quality for any help other than child tax credit. my training will take a year and also involves voluntary on the job work which I need to do to qualify. It would help if there was some financial help for older mothers who want to go back to work but need to retrain to get work. The divorce laws are also a complete joke!

Housing. This is the main reason that we have lived abroad for most of our family life. We knew that we would never be able to buy in the UK but wanted our kids to have stability. In the UK we would be JAMs, no question.

I like the German system of accruing security and a longer notice period the longer you stay in a property, keep to the contract and pay rent on time. After a certain number of years, the notice period goes up to 6 months, then a year. You can do anything you want to a property but must return it to the way you found it when you move out. Measures like this would protect renters in the UK and provide more security.

Honestly, I think that taxes must go up. Especially for richer people. And companies/individuals not paying tax must be chased. In our host country we pay around 50 percent tax as low to moderate earners but have truly excellent public services. I don't begrudge any of the tax we pay. You really do get what you pay for in my opinion.

Get absent parents paying a fair part of their children's costs, with that income to the mother counted in their income for benefit calculations.
Shocking that the state supports parents who fuck off and don't pay.
And no reduction in what they pay for first family children if they choose to have a second family! If you can't afford more, you can't have more.

alreadytaken - very good post. Whether the govt will address any of these issues or not is doubtful

May is hinting about lowering corporation tax rather than helping JAMs.

May is hinting about lowering corporation tax rather than helping JAMs.
No.
May is just saying that she will carry through what Osborne committed to at the last budget.
CT is the least efficient tax and raises comparatively little.
But it does send a very bad signal.

*probably controversial, but i would like them to make CTC not take Carers allowance as income.

Its bad enough that i can't work because i have to care for a disabled child in receipt of Higher Rate Care element DLA, so it means we're also reliant heavily on CTC to subsidise the income we're losing through me not being able to work.. but if i claim the Carers Allowance i'm entitled to, i lose the corresponding amount of CTC.

Caring isn't a job.. i'm not being employed by anyone, and that extra £200 a month would make a world of difference*

^^same here. though DC gets lower rate just because ''she can walk a few steps'' (even though she needs a wheelchair when shes made those few steps FFS.

Careres should be taken seriously, no its not a job, but its a necessity.

I've not RTFT and I am not a JAM but I do think we need to start fighting for our employment rights. I know that being in the EU has not been a universal panacea for everything employment right-related and I also know that David Davies promised that employment rights will not be adversely affected by Brexit. However, given that the very first thing the coalition government did was to increase the unfair dismissal claim period from 1 year to 2, I am not convinced. They also imposed high tribunal fees.

I'd like to see a review of employment law to make sure that employers can't take the mick. They're the ones in the strong position and they should not be allowed to take away someone's livelihood on a whim.

We're not JAMs at all - we own our house outright, my DP and I are both professionals working in the public sector, him FT, me PT, no children. I also let out a house so earn rental income. We have no money worries at all.

However, I believe strongly that people should be paid enough to live on. A family with 2 adults working should not need top ups from the government. The tax credit system has allowed companies to pay their workers shamefully low wages, as they know that these wages will be topped up. This system costs the country and the tax payer. The only people to actually benefit from this system are the very rich who own the companies or are right at the top of the pile earning huge salaries.

Yes we are JAM and partner works for government. First rise in six years this year.

chickenowner - I would believe that if it were not for the fact that pre-state top ups (basically through most of history), pay was frequently not sufficient to enable people to live on what they were paid, and employers can't control the cost of housing, which is the main consumer of people's incomes. Something like a third of people in the U.K. are employed by small and medium sized businesses, not hugely wealthy multi-national corporations. Not all businesses can afford to pay staff more. As for state schools, the NHS, etc, they are suffering from increased pension contributions and to a certain extent an increase in the national minimum wage, because that money then cannot be spent on providing enough staff or facilities to meet need.

As for state schools, the NHS, etc, they are suffering from increased pension contributions and to a certain extent an increase in the national minimum wage, because that money then cannot be spent on providing enough staff or facilities to meet need.
Because of a political decision to not raise taxes to fund the services properly.

Well, yes, of course because of political decisions - because too many people want to believe you can lower taxes and still have high quality universal education, health and social care, and because politicians are liars and cowards who avoid honesty where lies sound more palatable to those desperate to be deluded.

Yes JAMs. Talk about lowering flight costs is laughable and shows how out of touch Government is.
What would make a difference are NHS having pay rises again, DPs has been frozen for years. Employment rights,and higher statutory sick pay. I am in my 50s and had a lot of ill health earlier this year. I only get statutory sick pay, so life was very tough as it is very low.

The state is paying more into employees pension contributions, because when the stock market was doing well, most state employers stopped paying anything in. Of course the stock market does not always do so well, and so they are now paying for that. The few local authority schemes who continues paying some employer contributions, have schemes that are in surplus. So no, it has nothing to do with life expectancy. It is about mismanagement.

Holidays are by the bye; if you can afford one at all you're doing better than us!

I want better public transport, cheaper too. Has anyone in government tried to get about on buses in a rural location? Or even in a not-terribly-rural-but-definitely-not-a-city location?

Can we also have sensible rail links in the south west.

Better broadband would be nice too. Almost every country in the world has better bb than us. We need to cable up everywhere, not just places where Cameron goes on holiday.

House prices.
Schools.
Universities.

Actually, I've got to stop because when I look at it, there's very little left that's OK and fair, and I don't want to depress myself by finding that there is absolutely nothing which works properly or fairly in this bloody country thanks to stupid silly point-scoring party politics and politicians whose main aim has been the betterment of themselves and their friends who don't give a shit about us.

Sorry MNHQ.

brasty
The state is paying more into employees pension contributions, because when the stock market was doing well, most state employers stopped paying anything in. Of course the stock market does not always do so well, and so they are now paying for that. The few local authority schemes who continues paying some employer contributions, have schemes that are in surplus.

That is utter and complete bollocks.

ALL funded public sector schemes pay in Employer contributions - normally in the order of 20% of pay - it would be contrary to the regulations not to do so.
NO Public sector schemes are in surplus

Many Public sector schemes - eg the NHS, Teachers, the MOD, Civil Servants are "unfunded"
but the future actuarial projections on them are horrific for current workers

Almost every country in the world has better bb than us
HA HA HA HA HA
Ever been to Germany ? Or France ? or the USA ?
let alone the many countries that barely have electricity, let alone fripperies like broadband

You are wrong. I am old enough to remember for Local Authority pension schemes when employees and employers both paid 6% in. And then employees carried on paying 6% while different Local Authorities reduced their contributions, with some paying 0%.
And legal responsibilities around pension funds were very different in the 90's.

brasty
I am a local government auditor. Have been for a couple of decades.
The pension holidays of the 1980's were a one off.
LGPS employee rates vary between 5% and 9%
Employer rates are between 16% and 19.8%
Find me the local authority that is not paying into its LGPS scheme .....

I'm single, no kids, and am definitely a JAM. I am in the lucky position of being a homeowner but only because my parents helped me out. I now have a lodger to help pay the bills as I was barely scraping by. I can't afford to rent my own place locally as rental costs are prohibitive. I'm nearly 40; I shouldn't have to still be living in a bedsit or shared accommodation or as someone's lodger. Even housing associations recognise that those over 35 should have their own place.

Based on my own experience, we need more housing, more regulation of landlords and letting agencies, better employment rights, proper funding for the NHS (as I certainly couldn't afford to go private) etc etc.

Childcare costs. When you've 2 kids under 3 and a working mum it feels ridiculous the amount that goes on childcare. Working mums need help before the kids hit 3! (I know some get it at 2, but not enough)...

Broadband in the uk is far better than most countries i've ever visited. clearly memories hasn't been abroad recently........greece, spain, france, speeds are silly slow just to do simple things like look at websites. there's now way i could work with such speeds.

Broadband in the uk is far better than most countries i've ever visited

Broadband in most reasonably well populated areas of England is fine. I can't speak for Scotland or Wales but I doubt there is great coverage away from towns.

Try living in some parts of SW Yorks, 8 miles out of Sheffield centre - 2Mbs if you are lucky.

Some parts of North Yorks you can't get broadband OR mobile coverage.