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Lone parents

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Original poster

26K CUT affecting you or am I the only one?

158 replies

Feli · 08/10/2010 09:59

I am a 25yr old Lone parent to one. Not planned I was abandoned by her father.

Begining of this week I was crying over how cold me and my child are at home as we cant afford heating or hot water (all wired up to electric) and the flat is so cold as its the end of the building, my child has a cold because of it.

I am also paying off the electric debt for which I used to survive last winter which is why I have barely any money to cook more than once a week let alone bills.

I moved where I live 2 years ago after the flat I was living in before got broken into and ransacked my daughter was 8days old, I had 4 days to find somewhere. The rent went from £500 a week to £340 a week after cuts were made to this postcode early this year. I have no family, I am completely by myself and last night I calculated my annual Benefit. Its £3K.

Watching QuestionTime worried me even further to hear the attitudes, I AM shaking like a leaf, I have been crying all night - the cuts they are making seems to be on the basis of people having loads of children to get more benefits to live a high lifestyle but there are genuine situations like mine who are in this circumstance not willy nilly.
I dont know what is going to happen to my daughter and I. I have just found her a school and we have well and truely nested.

When my child is in pre-school I will be running to university to get a degree which I will only get help to do if I am not working(i think)...

You know all I want to do is bring home the bacon, I dont have enough qualifications to get a job better than a telephonist, I just want to study so I can get a REAL paying job cos at the moment whatever I earned will open more expenses the debt repayments wil be increased, I will have to pay part of my rent, I will lose discounts on my electric, and so much more but worst of all I wont be able to study as I cant afford it.

I am NOT work shy or see benefits as a way of life!
Sorry for rambling but I am all over the place.

Thank you

OP posts:
MumInBeds · 08/10/2010 10:09

From what you have written I think it is likely you will benefit from (what we know about) the Universal Credit scheme that is upcoming.

If you only have one child and you only get £3k in benefits pa then I'm not sure how the £26k limit will cause you problems.

Original poster
Feli · 08/10/2010 10:09

Also everyone is saying 10kids on benefits. What about the parents with ONE child! :(

OP posts:
Original poster
Feli · 08/10/2010 10:09

Also everyone is saying 10kids on benefits. What about the parents with ONE child! :(

OP posts:
Original poster
Feli · 08/10/2010 10:13

I am thinking either they will move and uproot me and my daughter and push us into another area. Or cut/stop my benefits, housing benefit...

I am feeling the nation is expecting people like myself to feel regretful of becoming a mother...

OP posts:
Mummiehunnie · 08/10/2010 10:18

There is a lot of scapegoating single parents who often do not choose that position, I was married to a man with a good job, he left when mine and the kids health got bad, I now look like a scrounger, although don't claim housing benefit or income support, do get dla though!

frogetyfrog · 08/10/2010 10:20

Feli - you appear to be panicking over nothing as you are nowhere near the £25k cut off if you get £3k per annum!!!

You are obviously not getting everything you are entitled to - go see CAB.

redderthanred · 08/10/2010 10:25

i expect thats a typo and she means £30kpa

else why would she be panicking.

Original poster
Feli · 08/10/2010 10:27

Oh no thats my error! I meant £30k.

OP posts:
frogetyfrog · 08/10/2010 10:29

How on the earth are you getting £30k with one child? Are you sure you have calculated correctly.

Thats well over £2k a month - we live on less than that and we are 5!

frogetyfrog · 08/10/2010 10:30

(Admitedly we have more than that coming in but it is committed elsewhere and not used for our living expenses so am not making out we are hard up!)

MumInBeds · 08/10/2010 10:32

What are your ties to the area? Are you able to make investigations into moving somewhere cheaper before your daughter actually starts school and it all gets more complex?

Have you thought about doing Open Uni study now? If you are not earning then the fees are paid and it gives you a head start. There are certificates you can do which you can 'top up' to a full degree but also stand alone in getting you into a career.

Original poster
Feli · 08/10/2010 10:32

Its my rent, London rent is so expensive unless you live in the areas where knife crime is a daily activity. My rent expensive.

OP posts:
frogetyfrog · 08/10/2010 10:35

You said your rent was £340 a week - so approx £1500 a month? That is a lot.

Do you think rents will go down as the cuts bite - if the government wont pay, then landlords will have to reduce or only get tenants not on housing benefit, of which there will not be enough around to fill all the houses.

I dont think the cuts some in for a while, do they?

redderthanred · 08/10/2010 10:39

Which is why you are worried - beacuse the benefit will be capped and you will be forced to move to a ' worse' area. Plus you feel safe ( after being horrilby burgled) and settled, having got your daughter into a school.

You know, i think we are all worried. I work part time and claim some HB and Council tax benefit, and if it wasnt for them and tax credits i would be stuffed. With the hole system changing its really worrying. But i keep thinking, they cannot leave people homeless and starving. They just cant.
Its all very well asking people to move, but there is a housing shortage. There has to be some leaway in there.

How much debt are you paying off on the electric? could you not speak to them and get the amoutn lowered if you expain your situation?

Original poster
Feli · 08/10/2010 10:39

My tenancy ends middle of next year BUT as its privately rented the landlord has said not to be concerned about the expiring tenancy and that we can stay here for as long as needed. Which wont be garenteed from another landlord if we move. To have that security is amazing as its not housing association or the like.
My ties are that I have already investigated schools and we have really settled here...surely that is understood?

I dont know much about open uni but I WILL look into it, however the degree will take me 4years. So it wont be done in time.

I cant believe I am even having this conversation if that makes sense, I feel so broken... To start all over again :(

OP posts:
lal123 · 08/10/2010 10:42

Am Shock that someone getting £30k per annum can't afford heating!!!!!

Original poster
Feli · 08/10/2010 10:45

@redder I have spent most of this week on the phone to EDF. I have a payment plan at £42 a month plus my monthly expenses of £136. They said they should install a metre to the property and said it will cost me £5 a day to keep the flat in working order. Which is impossible for me to afford.

OP posts:
scruffymuff · 08/10/2010 10:46

If you can't live on 30k benefits then how do you think that those who work for less than that can?

redderthanred · 08/10/2010 10:46

But its due to her rent. Its not like she is being given £30kpa and then a free house on top of that.

Its just an example really, of how ridiclous rents ( and house prices generally) are.

Its not her fault is it.

whiteandnerdy · 08/10/2010 10:47

Yeah, I'm really worried for friends of mine, they have been bringing up their own children one of which is special needs, he's had to give up work as now draws incapacity benefit (which I think isn't going to be affected). But about 2 years ago the wife's sister died, and the brother in law is such a dead-beat (I've only met this guy once, well creepy guy) that the 3 nieces are now part of my friend's family unit. So they were advised that they needed to move out of their current council house to somewhere bigger. The council having nothing big enough advised them to go for private rental as housing benifit would simply increase to cover the increase in house size.

The method of capping benifits is simply so unfair, all the means testing that is part of the benifits system and then you have a cap basically saying if your situation is worse than the average person you really don't deserve the help, and we don't care serves you right for your situation being more dire than the average person. Therefore the system simply punishes any extreme situations, why should people be punished by finding themselves in extreme situations. DUMB DUMB DUMB!

Few ... Rant over!

frogetyfrog · 08/10/2010 10:48

There isnt a housing shortage everywhere. In fact a lot of landlords are struggling to fill houses, and in many new developments (good developments - not crime ridden) there are empty flats stood empty.

You dont sound like you have massive ties to the area - why dont you take the opportunity to move somewhere cheaper. I know its not nice but could be a massive advantage to you later on when you are working if rents, house prices etc are cheaper in the new area.

Original poster
Feli · 08/10/2010 10:50

@lal123

Its funny because when people see or hear 'BENEFIT' they think easy money/riches...This is not the case. Every day I wonder how these people on benefits afford 'boob jobs' or 'holidays' and expensive clothing because I cant. The money recieved goes STRAIGHT to where its supposed to go, Landlord, Bills and Debt...the change from that goes to food shopping. I spend £40 every 2 weeks on everything that is needed to keep us clean and healthy, from nappies to meat. Some days I do not eat and I give my child cereal cos I simply cannot afford it.

OP posts:
frogetyfrog · 08/10/2010 10:51

I would imagine house prices will drop and so will rents. The ridiculous rents were maybe made so due to landlords being greedy knowing the council would pay. Once the council doesnt pay they will have to drop.

ASecretLemonadeDrinker · 08/10/2010 10:52

Why are you living in London? Sorry to be harsh but my DH works 2 jobs, 60-80 hours a week to get about 27-30k. We have 3 children, a mortgage etc. and really struggle but scrape by. I am sorry to sound harsh, but if you cannot afford to live in London, you cannot live in London. I would love to live a million other places than where I am, but we cannot afford it. It's life. Are you having to top up your housing benefit or something? You should get funded OU courses too.

redderthanred · 08/10/2010 10:54

so thats £178 a month for all your electric. Im presuming you have no gas ( you said it was heating and everything)
How come you are paying that amount now? thats high for not having heating on all the time?

Do you have all energy saving light bulbs? turn everything off when its not in use. Turn lights off if you are not in the room?

How big is the flat? what did you have the heating set on to? could you have it on low the whole time , say 20. It wont be cold, but it wont be really hot. But will cost less.

what are the windows/doors like? are they leaking hot air? or not insulated enough?

Sorry for all the questions, just trying to help.

Im actually on meters myself. I put in £20 a week electric, and that pays off £10 a week debt. I never use all of the £20 either.

£15 gas, £7 for debt and im credit on that on the meter of about £60.

This is all from the beginign of aug and ive a 3 bed semi detached.

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