What A joke

ceridwen

Re the lock on the bedroom door - obviously that has no relationship to your chances of finding a job - but I presume its one of the little "tests" the D.W.P. has as to whether 2 people sharing the same address are a "couple" or no. They are hoping these 2 people will be a "couple" - as basically in simple language - people only get the full benefit assessed for them as a person if they are single. If they are half of a "couple" then the D.W.P. starts taking into account the spouse's income - with the intention of paying them less if anything.

Its wrong I know - you pay as a person in your own right for your benefits (via your N.I. stamp) - so should get back those benefits if required as a person in your own right. I was only too thankful that when I've had to claim benefits before now (due to spells of unemployment) that I was clearly single in every sense of the word. I had a steady boyfriend during one of those spells on the dole - and I remember having to make sure that he didnt stay more than the "allowed" number of nights per week at my place (either 3 or 4 nights - cant recall for sure now) as the number of nights two people literally sleep together is one of the "tests" as to whether they are a couple and the employed person can be made to subsidise/support the unemployed person. Daft - as we could/did get up to all sorts of any daytime we decided to - but he had to be out the door at night the requisite number of nights per week - just in case of a nosy neighbour seeing a chance to "have a go".

When I had male lodgers in before now - I made sure there were locks on all bedroom doors and they had rent books (proving they were lodgers - not my boyfriend) - just in case I got "landed" with another spell of unemployment.

I was always very well aware that I would be in severe financial difficulty pretty soon if I became unemployed and was married/partnered up - and would have been worrying myself sick as to how I was to pay my half of the mortgage and bills. So worried in fact that it is one of the reasons I remained single - so there was never any question of not being able to cover my own expenses. Obviously too there would have been the worry that any husband I had might become unemployed himself - and it would have been impossible on my low salary to cover his half of the mortgage and bills as well as my own (I obviously would have wanted to help him - but my salary has only ever been enough for my own expenses). It is very sad that "rules and regulations" have militated against me being free to do whatever I myself chose to do as regarding getting married.