Right, was fired last week, have a new job to go to next Monday...

[littlelamb]

Well, after putting up with my nightmare boss for so long she finally fired me last week, which, after the initial shock, I can now see was a blessing in disguise. I have a new job starting next Monday, but because of the interim I will be a weeks wages down. Will there be any kind of help available to me? Don't really want to tell working tax credit people as dd is still at nursery this week and if it stops I wont be able to pay the bill. But would the council top up my housing benefit or anything like that? Sorry for the waffle but I spent last week permanently rushing around from one job agency to another and now I have a week to wait before i am back in work the worry has started to set in

I've no experience with this, ll, but I'm sure I've heard other people say that if they even mention a change of circumstances all their benefits stop dead until the DSS have the new details - so if you can struggle through it might be better.

Well done for finding another job so soon - hope you have a nice boss this time

Housing benefit claims can't be backdated so phone today to find out whether you will receive anything.
Otherwise you will definitely get nothing at all if you're back to work on Monday. In any case - if you explain the situation to them they will more than likely be very understanding and allow you to miss a week's rent and pay it off over a few months.
The important thing is to keep them informed.

JanH has a point about the tax people, though!

AFAIK, if you are fired (as opposed to being made redundant, for eg), then you won't get any extra help as it is classed as "intentionally jobless" or some such thing. And JanH is right about the benefits thing - it has happened to us in the past

All the best for the new job!

Take advice re: unfair dismissal - unless you think you deserved it!

Fortyplus I am going to see a solicitor later this week to discuss that very point. Even though I was only there four months, her treatment of me was absolutely unacceptable. My lovely colleague handed in her notice last monday after realising she'd had enough of being treated so badly too. It was her comments about 'it must be hard as a single working parent. Maybe you should get a less stressful job' that got me I did a degree as a single parent ffs, and this job was not at all stressful, apart from the bullying I had to put up with at her hands. The worst thing was being made to feel I'd done something wrong and being squirreled out the back door before I had time to say goodbye to anyone

Sounds like a horrible hag. Get together with your colleague - if you were unfairly dismissed then she will also have a case for constructive dismissal.