Universal Credit

[*_ash_*]

7 hours ago, alchresearch said:

This woman wound me up.  I thought benefits were some kind of safety net.  Not free cash to buy treats like modern mobile phones because her old on was "like a brick" and getting her hair done.

 

"i do think its right that we treat ourselves" she says.

 

Yeah, not with taxpayers money though.

 

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/stories-51389481/universal-credit-i-went-wild-and-it-hit-me-like-a-ton-of-bricks

Almost everything in the programme fell into the bracket of what I consider the problem with it, as I posted before.

 

Too slow, monthly payments or the rent money issue.

 

-

 

The latter 2 of these 3 things should be looked at altering, IMO.

 

The slowness was explained, and we know the system has faults and these are already being looked at. The last 2 will still be there.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[RiffRaff]

Doesn't the reason she's never worked because "It's more fear that I'm gonna do wrong and they're going to get rid of me" bother anybody else?!

 

[catmiss]

The 5 week wait for initial payment forces most people into needing ‘advanced payments’ which is then recovered via instalments (much higher than social fund loan repayments) from subsequent monthly payments. I can appreciate paying HB in the payment mimics the responsibility of a wage earner but can be a big ask for long term claimants who are used to rent/council tax benefits being paid direct. When people have had weekly benefits with housing costs paid at source the move to UC can be a minefield. I don’t think the benefits agency staff ‘holistic approach’ portrayed in the programme is available widespread 

[melthebell]

8 hours ago, RiffRaff said:

Doesn't the reason she's never worked because "It's more fear that I'm gonna do wrong and they're going to get rid of me" bother anybody else?!

 

Not really, people are different, some have anxiety issues, I have anxiety, worse than some, not as bad as others, a mate is on the sick with his, some times he can't leave the house for weeks, Mi dad suffered from it, he had aggophobia for more than 30 years, barely left the house or he'd faint/blackout

[Car Boot]

On 07/02/2020 at 12:32, nightrider said:

I know several people who manage without them - everything you "have to do"  can still be done without a smart phone.

A mobile is pretty much essential for job seekers. Employers will not contact anybody without a telephone number these days.

 

A mobile phone is essential to get a job. Landlines have gone the way of the VHS recorder.

[taxman]

On 08/02/2020 at 00:26, catmiss said:

The 5 week wait for initial payment forces most people into needing ‘advanced payments’

This is the worst, most deliberate and most egregious aspect of Tax Credits..it's almost as if they designed it so people had to go to food banks.

 

 

[nightrider]

On 08/02/2020 at 23:01, Car Boot said:

A mobile is pretty much essential for job seekers. Employers will not contact anybody without a telephone number these days.

 

A mobile phone is essential to get a job. Landlines have gone the way of the VHS recorder.

I suggest you read my comment again more carefully. Smart phones are not the only type of mobile phone you can buy.

[the_bloke]

On 08/02/2020 at 23:01, Car Boot said:

A mobile is pretty much essential for job seekers. Employers will not contact anybody without a telephone number these days.

 

A mobile phone is essential to get a job. Landlines have gone the way of the VHS recorder.

Yet unless you have cable Internet, everyone in the UK with broadband at home has to have a landline telephone number.

 

You also don't need a £700 iPhone to have a mobile phone either. You can get one for 99 pence from Argos with a £10 Top Up.

[mickey finn]

On 07/02/2020 at 10:30, Halibut said:

Is a modern mobile phone really a 'cash treat' or is it a necessary tool for modern life and work?

 

Why I do I get the feeling you think the poor should be dressed in rags and living in the gutter?

Its odd how the ammunition of choice to use against the not so well off is the mobile phone, is that really the only straw they can clutch at.

 

[catmiss]

The majority of benefits claims have now to be made online , confirmation of job seeking commitments, and on line job search/application are required by UC and many organisations won’t accept hand or postal delivered CVs. Not everyone receiving benefits can afford home broadband but need a phone/package that can allow them to fulfil benefit requirements and then there are those that are IT illiterate.............