Lower benefits cap

[geared]

Perhaps not, but it does work out as roughly the difference in annual wage if somebody was on the living wage in London compared to someone on the living wage outside London.

 

The London Living Wage is £9.75 an hour. Somebody working full time on this hourly rate would receive an annual salary of 9.75 X 37.5 X 52 = £19,012.50

 

The Living Wage Outside of London is £8.45 an hour. Somebody working full time on this hourly rate would receive an annual salary of 8.45 X 37.5 X 52 = £16,477.50

 

The difference is £2,535 a year. The £3000 difference in the benefit cap between the two areas therefore seems fair to me.

 

Yea when you put it like that it's ok and thats probably the fairest way to calculate it.

 

Otherwise you'd need to calculate cost of living in various areas, and that'd be a nightmare trying to keep control of.

[unbeliever]

Ah, so you have the full facts. The man in her life hasn't run off, been made redundant or indeed dead, having all those kids is all a big scam to get benefits.

 

It means nothing to get into the fine detail of an anecdotal case.

The reality is that there is some perverse incentive right now in the system to support oneself by breeding. That needs to stop.

That doesn't mean that every single parent with more than 2 kids is the devil.

[tinfoilhat]

It means nothing to get into the fine detail of an anecdotal case.

The reality is that there is some perverse incentive right now in the system to support oneself by breeding. That needs to stop.

That doesn't mean that every single parent with more than 2 kids is the devil.

 

How many people have kids just for the benefits though? My mate worked at rental agents years ago and knew a number of women whose goal at a frighteningly young age whose goal was to get pregnant and "get ' an 'ouse on the social". Again acedotal but they are out there (but it was Rotherham so don't know if it counts )

 

On the other hand I knew a woman who when she found out she was pregnant with twins, the father ran off abroad and shes stuck, and can't get money from him.

[ukdobby]

How many people have kids just for the benefits though? My mate worked at rental agents years ago and knew a number of women whose goal at a frighteningly young age whose goal was to get pregnant and "get ' an 'ouse on the social". Again acedotal but they are out there (but it was Rotherham so don't know if it counts )

 

On the other hand I knew a woman who when she found out she was pregnant with twins, the father ran off abroad and shes stuck, and can't get money from him.

 

There are ways,we all had kids and the wife still went to work,sitting on the backside just taking all the time needs to be stopped.

[nickyhelp]

No it doesn't.

There's also a rather large amount of free and subsidised stuff available if you're on benefits.

Please tell me where I can get some of this stuff.

Edited November 7, 2016 by nikki-red
fixed quote tags

[Robin-H]

. Please tell me where I can get some of this stuff.

 

Are you on benefits? If so you will benefit from the list of things that El Cid made, such as free prescriptions, free glasses, free school dinners, free school uniforms, free dentistry etc..

[geared]

On the other hand I knew a woman who when she found out she was pregnant with twins, the father ran off abroad and shes stuck, and can't get money from him.

 

Thats disgusting behaviour, but I'm sure it's not an isolated case.

Absentee parents are an issue though.

 

---------- Post added 07-11-2016 at 13:15 ----------

 

Are you on benefits? If so you will benefit from the list of things that El Cid made, such as free prescriptions, free glasses, free school dinners, free school uniforms, free dentistry etc..

 

You can also apply to have national insurance credits paid can't you?

because you need a history of national tax payments to be eligible for a state pension.

Edited November 7, 2016 by geared

[unbeliever]

Please tell me where I can get some of this stuff.

 

Well there's the obvious prescriptions, and various other free medical stuff like dentistry. Then there's the free school related stuff for the kids that the rest of us have to pay for, for example dinners.

It all add up wouldn't you say.

 

Here's some really big ones if you're thinking of arguing:

http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/family/grants-low-income

[Anna B]

Has anyone mentioned that sadly benefits can be the only reliable, regular source of income?

 

With 0 hours, short term contracts, and our 'gig' economy, I don't know how people manage to budget, not knowing how much money they'll have coming in from one week to the next.

 

Getting work like this is often the worst option and the quickest way into difficulties and debts which spiral out of control. The bills keep coming in constantly, but not the work. It's not as if this sort of work leads to more regular employment these days. For some, regular employment is a thing of the past, and they are trapped in this impossible cycle.

 

I'd be interested in people's thoughts on this.

[tinfoilhat]

Has anyone mentioned that sadly benefits can be the only reliable, regular source of income?

 

With 0 hours, short term contracts, and our 'gig' economy, I don't know how people manage to budget, not knowing how much money they'll have coming in from one week to the next.

 

Getting work like this is often the worst option and the quickest way into difficulties and debts which spiral out of control. The bills keep coming in constantly, but not the work. It's not as if this sort of work leads to more regular employment these days. For some, regular employment is a thing of the past, and they are trapped in this impossible cycle.

 

I'd be interested in people's thoughts on this.

 

I disagree that it's becoming more prevailant but I do agree it's a problem. If I was on benefits and I was guaranteed a months work, would I take it? Probably not if I'm honest. I'm waiting for wages then I'm waiting weeks (and weeks in some cases) to get my benefits back on track. And that's before you take tax credits etc into the mix. Hence my post about more flexible benefits.