£26k annual cap on benefits

[Titch]

i think i might have a whine at this point

i recently lot my job after 10 years and have been in the unfortunate position to claim JSA etc
During the last 3 months i have applied for countless jobs, as has the wife who has brought up out kids for the last 9 or so years, with a couple of part time jobs in between.

i am just getting all the benefits claimed for and filled in , after they loose forms etc

whilst it is helping me out just now, and i am grateful for it, i can see how people live there life on the system

i will not go into specifics, but i would need to earn around £19K to £20K to get the same as were on now.

i now know why people produce kids like a factory,

so tax free earnings break down as follows for a family with 3 kids

Child Tax Benefit
Child Benefit
Job Seekers Allowance ( if it is income based it unlocks more money streams)
Mortgage interest paid for after 13 weeks.
This equates to around £1100 to £1200 TAX free every 4 weeks
then on top of that you get council tax paid for which is another
£160 ish a month

So approximate figures are £1300 to £1400 every 4 weeks tax free for no work other than looking for a job and showing someone a record of it.The lady on the desk is not interested if i have or havent they rarely check what i write in my diary, and never offer me any jobs when i sign on.
I have my 13 week interview tomorrow so that should be fun, maybe he will care a little more.But somehow i doubt it,
he might give me some jobs to apply for.
But you have to think that the long term un-employed are professionals when it comes to benefits they can and cant get
i was told recently by the JSA people the wife could work up to 24.5 hours and still sign on,get no money but still sign on.This would allow us to keep certain other benefits.

So the question is where is the incentive to work, if we bought went part time and still claimed would we be better off care of the government ?

This country is the cause of its own problems sometimes

Whilst i am eternally grateful for this help just now, i am looking and putting wheels in motion to start up on my own if need be.



Rant over... now do not shout at me for the money i am only claiming what they will give me, i am not screwing the system.
and i do plan on doing something or getting a job, i am not here for the duration.

 

[Hawks]

One of the reasons the bill got defeated was because opponents wanted the child benefit portion removed from the 26K. When you consider that someone earning 80K will still get child benefit it does seem unfair that those on 26k wouldn't get it.
Of course all this does is highlight the need for a radical total overhaul of the entire benefit system.

Some people who work and take home 26k ( single earner just in 40% tax bracket must be close ) won't get it either.. I know who I think deserves it more

Hasten to add I also agree with the welfare system when it is working to do as designed.

 

[Duncs]

How do these people get £26k on benefits anyway? my father-in-law had polio as a child so has problems walking and now has crippling arthritis in both hands, so much so that he has to wear splints on his wrists. He worked for the council for the last 30 years and was recently let go because he can no longer do the job. He went to claim disability allowance, but they told him that he's not disabled enough to claim anything, he tried to sign on but they told him he is too disabled to work so cannot claim job seekers allowance. They are now living off my mother-in-laws state pension alone for the next 2 years until he reaches retirement age.

Forget capping the benefits rate at £26k, a full review of the benefits system is needed.

That's because the councils are too busy selling off their housing stock and not replacing it with new builds...it's a situation of their own making

Now THAT I agree with!

 

[hairybiker]

Well I have been unemployed for 5 years now, (Got a degree, worked last in IT for 10 years now can't get a job filling shelves :nono:, own my own house so am trapped locally as I can't afford to move), I gave up signing on as they had NO training to offer, there were no jobs and the hassle from the JSA was BS just for NI contrib's.
I would LOVE 26K in benefits :thumb:
I get my council tax REDUCED that is it. No kids you see :x
My wife earns a MASSIVE £6K a YEAR. That is what we live on, it is enough that we get no other benefits and if she was to loose her job we would get about the same in benefits :wha:

I must just not know how to fiddle the system :whistle:

 

[pittsy]

my missus is almost totally blind she can only see out of the side of here vision and that's misted, bit like wearing glasses with centre blacked out and covering the outer part with vaseline she says she only gets £50 a week plus £150 a month (cuz she lives on her own ,she's amazing how she copes with her vision) and her rent paid although she has to top that up by £60 per month out of her money , no other income, no other things paid for (she gets a bus pass ) if she was able to work but on dole she would get a lot more or even if she was disabled by her legs etc , being blind puts you on the bottom of the system , she gets by she does well in fact (god knows how ) if those lazy F""""ers that have never had or wanted a job changed places with people like my missus not only would they truly be skint they would thank the gods they can work (if chosen to) and look to the future for a better life for them and there families by working for it (i'm not talking about folk who try and still can't get a job) People like my missus might even get more money if there wasn't so much being taken from the state , btw i'm self employed have been all my working life been lucky to have had constant work for over 20 years except the last 3 years with a poss 9 months off work with a week here and there (like just now got 2 weeks no work again) where's my money , i should be able to claim a small amount when i don't work it ain't right if i was given £50 a week (prob should be more) then i should of gotten about 2 to 3 grand and to be fair it would be about 5 to 6 easily . so come on WHERE'S the justice , i feel better now i've said that ( everyone else was ranting thought i would)

 

[Dave1970]

the daft thing is that politicians of all persuasions and most of the public agree that the system as it is discourages people from working.

20 years ago after Uni it took me a year to get a permanent job. I signed on and joined a couple of temp agencies. A lot of the time I got full weeks of work, no problem, do the work, lose the benefit. However when the agency rang me with 1 day's work I had to say no, I was allowed to earn £10, after that anything I earned came off the benefit. By the time travel costs were factored in you would be working for nothing. 20 years later it's exactly the same and this is breeding dependence.

If it was worth people doing 1 or 2 days when offered this would lead to other opportunities, people would gain skills, make contacts and become more employable.

The problem with the proposed cap is that it seems to be 'one size fits all' solution. Someone like Titch who's been paying their way for years and obviously wants to get back into work shouldn't be treated the same as someone who has never worked and doesn't really intend to. The whole system does need reworking, but not necessarily (and this is a problem in the current situation) making cheaper. A system that got people back to work by allowing them to keep a decent % of anything they can earn would in the long term save us money.

 

[graysalchemy]

Titch I don't think anyone one here is having a go at people in the situation that you have found yourself in. You have paid your taxes and are worthy of all the help available. However as you have pointed out there seems to be little actual help in getting you back into full time employment and it is easy to see how someone in your situation could fall into the trap of long term unemployment, through no fault of their own.

I would love to be able to take someone on in my business but the stark reality is that I couldn't afford to give someone who is on benefits the level of pay they would require in order to be better off.

 

[Titch]

bonkers isnt it Grays

and they wonder why the black market economy exists cash in hand is still with us

 

[eggman]

I've got no problem with people that have genuine disabilities or have contributed all their working life claiming benefits, they're entitled to it. It's the ones that live in west london and rich places having £4000 a month rent paid that makes my blood boil :evil: :evil:
All this nonsense about putting children into poverty and homelessness, i don't see what the problem is all they need to do is move somewhere where the rent is cheaper. I work hard but can't afford to live in Chelsea or somewhere similar so why should i fund someone with 8 kids to live there?? The rent should be capped at £700 a month max and if they have to move well thats just tough.
Also we should stop people being able to claim child support for children that don't even live in this country, for example Britain pays over £20m in child support to children living in Poland, Every year! Grrrr :evil:

 

[BarnsleyBrewer]

I must just not know how to fiddle the system :whistle:

TOP TIP:
Knock 6 kids out plus the odd one or two that need to be coloured, remove one of your front teeth and let the others go brown then apply to appear on "Jeremy Kyle" show. :thumb:

BB (Happy 2 Help) :whistle:

 

[eggman]

:rofl: :rofl:

 

[pittsy]

it's my dad !!

 

[BrewDan]

Hahaha I am glad someone lightened the tone a bit, I don't think anyone on here is having a go at people who genuinely use benefits for what they are there for, its the ones that abuse the system...

I myself have been there. Refused to sign on, using up all my savings in the process, then signed on for 4 weeks and got myself anything just so I didn't have to go back to the jobcentre, since then I have been fortunate enough to stay in work.... Not that I enjoy my job at all, and I can't see it ever getting me anywhere in life, but at least I am back in work.

For those unlucky enough to be out of work who are signing on, if you feel you are not getting the support you need I would speak to your advisor when you go in, ask why they dont check your jobseaech, and ask what they can offer you which may be useful.

I remember my experience, getting no help at all, being seen late and having my name and personal information broadcast infront of everyone. Bringing in pages of jobs I had applied to for it to not even be looked at, and for no one to offer any help. While I glance over and see some kid who has never worked pricing up a flat and getting his rent paid. I then look over and see builders who have worked for years , saved hard, own their own home, to be told they are entitled to nothing at all.... The whole system is wrong and open to abuse, it needs a revamp

Maybe this magical Olympic year will sort out everyone's problems like the government seem to think it will

 

[pittsy]

Maybe this magical Olympic year will sort out everyone's problems like the government seem to think it will

you been drinking Grandpa's cough syrup again

 

[hairybiker]

This stupid "jobsearch" system is a waste of time. I used TWO forms one for week 2 and one for week 4 I just changed the dates on them, kept them on the pc and printed out when I went to sign on. I was NEVER asked why I was applying for x jobs every alternate time.

If you ask they say "check the job search", ok try entering LOCAL (<20 miles) in to the ones here and get jobs in Inverness (200+ miles) or Newcastle (100 miles) (this is local?) all so that NOTHING never appears.

I totally agree with capping the level of housing benefit, why should someone get £1000's just because they live in central London, MOVE them out to somewhere cheaper. :shock:
As to the Olympics making a difference yep there is even LESS money available now 'cause London has it all :nono:

@BB nice idea. There is one woman locally who does this, 4 or is it 5 kids by different fathers (if she knows who they are) has her own social worker to keep her happy :wha: :nono: Get her into a clinic and get them tied up!

 

[Titch]

Get her into a clinic and get them tied up!

is that her tubes or the kids ??

 

[Darcey]

There is a chap that comes into our pub everyday. He has been on JSA for 38 years (or what ever the system was called then). He has done HALF a days work in his life. As a window cleaner he fell off the ladder after a boozy lunch and broke his leg. Ever since then he has limped on a different leg every other day. He has a council house which he lets out to his brother, he lives in his mothers house which is in his name and gets paid as a full time career for his mothers. He has a rather nice car, can afford to be in the pub everyday for several hours, regularly takes holidays. He is slightly shady about his income as he well knows he is abusing the system.

So this was the perfect man to ask!

I asked him to work out (in all his spare time!!) what I could apply for in benefits. I gave him the basic details of where I lived what my income was and of any illness etc etc etc..

He came back to be and gave me the detail.. if I worked the system I could be earning only £200 less PER YEAR.. by NOT working... I do 40-50 hours a week and love it.. but it takes the **** you can if you know how too shag the system sideways. Hey if I had a couple of kids i'd be QUIDS IN!

I was going to point out that he was perfectly qualified to work in the job centre and be a benefits advisor but that would end up costing us all ALOT more.

Maybe he should work for the fraud squad :evil:

rant over..

 

[BrewDan]

That's disgusting, I'd be right online doing a benefit fraud report

 

[sledgehammer]

unfortunatily i was unimployed for two years (redundancy)
i lost count of the jobs i applied for but............
as asi said in a earler post on here the job center staff are hopeless
they where disintrested and unhelpfull
when i went in there i would go in with a a4 piece of paper listing everything i had done that period they wouldnt bother looking at it i was constantly being told there are no jobs they didn't even bother looking and i often ended telling them about job vacancies they didn't know about
the system needs a overhaul sack the lot of them and get somebody who will do the job properly and with some enthuisasm and intrest
another rant of mine is about the companys the govenment employ to "train" job seakers
they squander the money (when i was sent to the "training company" i was told there would be money for training etc but when i got there i was told there is no money i sat through leactures on how to write c.v's etc after i showed them the one i had already done and was asked why i was therethe job ctr already knew i had a c.v and had a copy themselves
these companys usally go bust or dissappear after a year when the source of money dries up



apologies about the long rant and going off topic

steve

 

[Archtronics]

Hows this for job center staff, we had a guy live with us last year he stole £1000 worth of stuff and skipped out on the rent we told the police and there is still a warrant out for his arrest then the other day I see him working as a bloody recruiter.