Husband being made redundant

[letsnotscaretheneighbours]

My husband is a Chef. He has been put on notice of redundancy. He finds out on Friday. If he loses his job we will be £1100 short on our bills every month. I feel sick, and very stressed.

If my business completes (I work in property) then I get commission but its the wrong time of year and covid so I'm frightened we're going to struggle hugely.

Plus he has 3 children he supports and I don't want that contribution to stop, but it is significant and I don't know how I'm going to cover that, our mortgage, all the bills and eat 😭

He has already started applying for jobs (he was told Friday, and started applying Friday) but who knows what will happen in a covid Christmas.

Think I just need someone to tell me it'll be ok and to breath.

@Alittlebitofthis I have been in your position myself with an ex. Obviously I am not going to make any suggestions as to how you move forward because that is your decision, but I left.

If you need an ear, mine is always here.

Hi All

I came across this conversation over the internet and felt compelled to join, I've seen many post from mumsnet in the past and reckon its is a really good community with very little trolling (from what ive seen) which is nice to see.
Anyway I feel for the OP as myself and my partner have both fallen victim to redundancy both being in full time work over the last 3 years! We have always been careful with money but still have bills to pay and the companies we worked for made use of the furlough scheme to try and save our roles but now just simply cant afford to contribute so had no choice, it seems that there is no help for people who have recently been made redundant due to Covid and it is a difficult job market out there for the same reason and in any other situation we would all be in work or would able to find another role. We get no support apart from job seekers as universal credit only helps towards rent so if you tried hard in the past and have your own home you get basic job seekers. How can anyone survive on £74 ish per week, the house bills alone are that over the month let alone trying to get food (we cook from scratch so kept food bills low) but we will all be forced into debt, when all we did was try our best!
Considering we have all been tax payers and hard workers over the years it seems very unfair that there is no support for us even thought there is still some support through till March if the business you worked for can afford to pay your NI and Pension.

This isn't trying to spam but I set up a YouGov petition to see if we could get enough momentum to get the government to rethink the support package, if they can support jobs then couldn't they support redundant people in the same way but not include NI and pension, it doesn't need to be a lot but it needs to be enough to survive on (for utilities and food).

I hope you guys feel the same we all need a little bit of help sometimes and for anyone who is in this situation of facing it, their mind and wellbeing will take a massive knock.

I feel for you all and hope we can all get through this as its even tougher at this time of years as the bills are even more and the little ones don't understand that the jolly man in a red suit might not bring everything they had wanted this year!

I didn't put the link in here as I believe that is against this forums rules

So I put a new thread in the petitions forum called Supportcovidredundants

Thanks and stay safe and keep your chin up as best we can

Manetnoname

Not sure if your aware you can put in a claim for local council tax relief, this will help you with your council tax whilst you are on a low income. Its really important you paut in a claim asap and often you can do it online with your district or county council - look on their website.

its just you seem to think all you are entitled to is jobseekers as job seekers is only towards rent. The job seekers you are presently receiving is due to you having been in work and paid a stamp - so you get that first 26 weeks, after this if you are still unemployed then you will move benefits.

but please make sure you claim LCTR as you are entitled and there is a limit on back pay

it may be worthwhile getting an appointment with citizen advice for a benefits health check if you can. try entitled to to see how or what your entitled to

lastly good luck with the job hunting

Thanks Ive just applied for that which is spooky I understand there are benefits but unfortuanletly as a home owner most of us only get JSA and yes the council tax reduction but for many of us it just simply isnt enough for the bills and food we are using our saving for the mortgage and will cancel all non essential contracts, we wlak most places so will sell the car, it just seems harsh that there isnt any help and the main kickers seems to be paying a mortgage and not rent, if we retned then would be entitiles for the rent or bills to be covered which would lessen the blow, we are not after much just enough to get by until work comes along, at this rate any savings will be gone by Jan and thats just covering the basics, we dont smoke either, it just seems the only difference in getting some support until March is being on the employment books for a company (even if that is a Zombie job that will go as soon as the gov withdraw the support!
Thanks for your advice much appreciated

I think you have the wrong end of the stick on benefits manetoanem

you don't get your bills paid for you if you are renting and depending on your circumstances, not all your rent is covered if you are a tenant, so you have to take the money from your other benefit to cover the remaining rent.

benefits doesn't pay out a lot for anyone, that is it for everyone, its a fallacy that press feed out in newspapers that you get money for nothing. Everyone in society pays in somehow and we all get very little back when we fall on hard times.

Im sure you'll find something soon and thank your lucky stars you've got savings and are allowed to claim before the savings have all gone

don't forget you may only pay 10 months council tax, you can get that spread our to 12 months if you ask

I do understand that its not a free meal ticket as everyone thinks, where you live for free so to speak but its just that help should be help really and these are different circumstances to normal times where another job might be found relatively quickly but due to the pandemic that is not possible so the gov needs to help out a little more than usual which it doing for businesses indirectly supporting people, if thye coudl offer the same for anyone made redundant since the lockdown came in and just bump up the value a little bit to help people cope, technically they are already doing this just companies are paying then claiming it back, maybe they should just pay a lesser figure but direct to the recipient, or just allow a boost ontop of JSA to help cover some of the bills too, Gas and lecy, water and internet are pretty much essential now but none of those businesses will help anyone out as they are private entities making a pfit for share holders.

Even BT broadband deal for people on benefits is a bit of a scam as they make you have a phone line if you want broadband even though its a £10 pcm the line is £5 and so is the broadband, when most only need broadband as a pay as you go mobile is much cheaper if only used when needed.

It seems that out country hasnt progressed much really when what would be deemded basic needs like utilities (not incudling TV) and even things like sanitary products are run by private companies so when people do need some help (now more than ever) the wont get it.
It just seems a little unfair that as working people all our lives and paying taxes and taking very little from the system the one time you autually need some help there isnt much available but had you not worked and never tried there seems to be much more aid available.

I know they try their best (the Gov that is) but I do think they are out of touch, I think many of us would be prepared to carry out tasks that our local council need doign in exchange for the benefits if they meant us not geting into debt and being able to eat and survive, like community service in exchange for a higher rate of benefits maybe. I know many of us in the same boat who would be more tha happy to work for it rather than sit around waiting for a job to come along.

Thanks for your help though I think I have applied for all that Im elegible for an as for saving they really are not much and will be gone very quickly. So soon any credit rating we had will be reduced so the downard spiral will start as the cost of borrowing will increase if its even possible due to no income, so it looks like if something doesnt happen then the house will have to go on the market or be remortgaged but that probably wont be possible as we will have no income to pay so we would be paying the mortgage back with the money we take out whih would also cost.

I hope we can all find some new work and stay safe but it would appear that the recruiters are having a great time but for the people looking it still comes down to your past experience and not what you are capable of for the future and with so many people looking that seems a bit daft whe the same jobs are advertised over and over for months at a time as they havent found the perfect person meanwhile there were probably 255 people that could have doen the job, but it an employeers market at the moment and they aslo have to pay large fees to recruiters hence not wanting to take a chance.

Stay safe everyone and enjoy time with the family at Christmas and lets hope next year might shed some positives for everyone.

Labour where laughed at for wanting free broadband for everyone. I would strongly disagree with you that this government are doing a good job - they are corrupt beyondd measure and millions of £ have been wasted in going their pals contracts that they can't even deliver - this money could have been used to help. Unfortunately though we get what we voted for as a nation and a Tory government is what we got, who believe those unemployed are fecking lazy and don't deserve any help as that'll get them working again.

I do agree when I meant the were doing their best I meant it kinda jokingly I dont think any of the parties had a plan for this and some things the current lot have done has been a goo idea but the rest is a joke I agree. In all fairness all the politicians are so far removed from the people they represent regardless of party or area, most will never know what life is like for the people they represent.

@ivykaty44

Labour where laughed at for wanting free broadband for everyone. I would strongly disagree with you that this government are doing a good job - they are corrupt beyondd measure and millions of £ have been wasted in going their pals contracts that they can't even deliver - this money could have been used to help. Unfortunately though we get what we voted for as a nation and a Tory government is what we got, who believe those unemployed are fecking lazy and don't deserve any help as that'll get them working again.

Quite.

If anything good can come out of the shitshow that is Covid, I hope that at least it will be the realisation that almost everyone bar the very rich are vulnerable to financial disaster.

Couldnt agree more, if you have tried your best you get penaliased when you need a little help meanwhile the tax dodogers keep earning more and more than they need mainly for the kudos, lets face it the worlds billioniares like Bezos could never spend the wealther they have even if they could cash it in so the wealth is kinda wasted as it never gets put to use. Most of us just want to work to have enough to not have to worry about bills or living that is all but the greed of the banks and providors of services we all need on a daily basis is the biggest problem companies dont exist to server their customers anymore they exist to serve their investors, which is fine for non essential items but not when its a utility like heating water or lecy and even to some point travel, Im not think flights more lie bus and train for people to get to work and back. just think the pricing on season train tickets! the train doesnt cost any more to run up there between 07-09am but cost silly money but after 0930 its a bit more sensible.
If I found a job in London I couldnt afford to travel to it anyway! And as soon as this vaccine comes about our old fashioned working ways will try and get everyone back into the offices and commuting as they cant be trusted working at home (thats still the attitude most companies have) working from home is only temporary!
Without any help looks like us redundants will need to get some sleeping bags and wooly hats for xmas so we wont need the heating on! And this year is gonna be a cold one so some are predicting!

LakieLady Sadly I don’t think it will, the poor will be conned continuously to vote to make the rich more secure and there own position more precarious. Many newly unemployed are now facing Ian Duncan Smiths brain child & can’t understand what’s happening to them 🥲

@letsnotscaretheneighbours how are you getting on? Did your husband start his new job?

@Alittlebitofthis yes, started his new job. Its not what he is used to, but it will pay the bills and stops him working so many ridiculous hours.

How are you?