Boom-time on benefits: The 140,000 families who claim £20,000 a year in handouts

fc123

treliac wrote: »

It is a problem though fc. These changes in society are getting more and more extreme and there's no sign of any reversal on the horizon. We have to feel disturbed about it.

I heard the boy interviewed and when asked about financial arrangements for his child, he didn't know what the interviewer meant.

What's the likelihood of a prepubescent child being fertile anyway, for goodness sake :eek:

I have to say I looked at his piccy and thought 'How?'.

elaina79

The way that the media are all over this story is almost like this is the first time this has ever happened.
This is alot more common that people realise I think but no doubt over the next few months if there are more stories they will be spashed all over the papers.

Anyhoo back to the original topic of this thread regarding families on benefits. I know I'm gonna gets lots of abuse for this but I fall under the catagory of a family that gets over £20,000 a year in benefits.
However I am not fraudulently claiming anything, nor am I breeding for money. Up till last year I had a full time job, while my husband was looking after our kids. I became ill at the begining of last year and my husbands existing medical condition became worse.
As a result I had no choice but to leave my job to care for him and the kids as he was unable to carry on doing this.
I am only in receipt of what I am entitled to as a parent and a carer. Does this still in the eyes of some posters on here make me a scrounger or as some people have said "scum".

My husband and I would love to be able to work but with our circumstances we cannot at the moment. Would people prefer if we didn't get any money to live on and not be able to feed and look after our children.

leveller2911

I have sat in on council meetings, parish level-hard working but little effect........Town council- party political b i t c h ing and no power.........district council is party political and personal b i t c h ing and also district wards are un even,more than 50% of the seats are held by councillors of one town and thus most expenditure is spent on the one town............county council is more or less totally political.

There should be NO party politics in councils what so ever even at county level.When it comes to MP,s they should serve there constituents,serve for only one 5 year term so that they can't get too set in the "gravy train" .They should also NOT be allowed to have 2nd,3rd, or 4th incomes, we employ them full time they should work for us full time.There should be accomadation provided by the state in the form of an apartment which they have the use of when parliament is in session.It would end up with more hung parliaments but would that be any worse than what we have now??

lostinrates

leveller2911 wrote: »

I have sat in on council meetings, parish level-hard working but little effect........quote]

Our parish council seem to exercise a fair amount of control on planning decisions in particular. I'm fascinated by how it all plays out and take much interest...not least because there would were the parish council not the neighbours, prospect for my parents to make good use of their garden plot later in retirement.

ETA: with respect to the three children, sadness rather than anger is my first sentiment. It reflects on all of us IMO.

leveller2911

elaina79 wrote: »

The way that the media are all over this story is almost like this is the first time this has ever happened.
This is alot more common that people realise I think but no doubt over the next few months if there are more stories they will be spashed all over the papers.

Anyhoo back to the original topic of this thread regarding families on benefits. I know I'm gonna gets lots of abuse for this but I fall under the catagory of a family that gets over £20,000 a year in benefits.
However I am not fraudulently claiming anything, nor am I breeding for money. Up till last year I had a full time job, while my husband was looking after our kids. I became ill at the begining of last year and my husbands existing medical condition became worse.
As a result I had no choice but to leave my job to care for him and the kids as he was unable to carry on doing this.
I am only in receipt of what I am entitled to as a parent and a carer. Does this still in the eyes of some posters on here make me a scrounger or as some people have said "scum".

My husband and I would love to be able to work but with our circumstances we cannot at the moment. Would people prefer if we didn't get any money to live on and not be able to feed and look after our children.

I don't blame you for claiming it, I blame the government for allowing you to have it.£20,000-00 in benefits? I work around 60 hrs per week, get NO benefits apart from 2x child benefit.I am self employed and earn about £27,000 a year.I see form your sig that you have 2 children and a baby due in Sept 09 , We chose to stop at 2 children because we couldn't afford to have any more, why are you choosing to have another?.
I know a few who are DLA and carers allowance etc and to be quite honest they are raking it in, £379-00 for DLA on top of a good career earnings and Im sorry but they don't need it.
From what you say you DO deserve benefit, its was brought in to help those who had either lost there jobs or illness, my arguement is 1 : benefit culture encourages long term need, 2 the benefits in general are too high.
Only you will honestly know if you want/can ever go back to work but the system should not be "easy" and from my experience it is..Its a "CULTURE" and not a stop gap for most.

Lastly thousands of children have been diagnosed with behaviour problems which the parents can claim benefits for, in the rest of Europe its almost unknown.I think that says it all.

elaina79

When I was working I was still getting a majority of the benefits that I do now, with the exception of the Carers allowance and Income Support. The rates havent really gone up by that much either suprisingly, so even when either my husband or I do go back to work again they won't change much.

My baby is due in June and we have been trying for another baby for a few years. Unfortunately I have lost 5 babies in that time due to me being ill (but not knowing it at the time). I also know that even on benefits we wouldn't be able to afford more children, and I am limited to having 1 more child after this if I did anyway.

My husband doesn't get anywhere near £379 for DLA and if anyone was legitimately claiming it they probably wouldn't have a high earning job anyway. I know that is one of the main benefits that are fraudulently claimed and the hastle I had getting for my husband was unreal.

I can see how people would be comfortable to live on benefits in the long term but I would gladly swap mine if that meant that my husband didn't have to take all his medication and go through what he does on a daily basis.

owls

This situation is outragous, children having children, something is going wrong somewhere.

i just hope the sun is not paying them for there side of the story. its fine though because the tax payer will pay for the child anyhow.

i dont understand why myself as a tax payer should fund a family of any age to have children that they cant afford, you should only have children if you can afford them.

appologies for rant but it irritates me so much.

leveller2911

elaina79 wrote: »

When I was working I was still getting a majority of the benefits that I do now, with the exception of the Carers allowance and Income Support. The rates havent really gone up by that much either suprisingly, so even when either my husband or I do go back to work again they won't change much.

My baby is due in June and we have been trying for another baby for a few years. Unfortunately I have lost 5 babies in that time due to me being ill (but not knowing it at the time). I also know that even on benefits we wouldn't be able to afford more children, and I am limited to having 1 more child after this if I did anyway.

My husband doesn't get anywhere near £379 for DLA and if anyone was legitimately claiming it they probably wouldn't have a high earning job anyway. I know that is one of the main benefits that are fraudulently claimed and the hastle I had getting for my husband was unreal.

I can see how people would be comfortable to live on benefits in the long term but I would gladly swap mine if that meant that my husband didn't have to take all his medication and go through what he does on a daily basis.

Its actually a member of my family who is claiming DLA for a child, both parents a honest , good careers etc and wouldn't claim anything fraudulently, also friends of mine are claiming too, I just don't belive its necessary.Motorbility is another benefit where too much money is paid out, people have a new car every 4-5 yrs, most of the running costs are paid for, what is wrong with 2nd hand???.Like I said I don't blame you.Its rather like government beaurocracy the spending is way out of control and as the tax revenues fall cuts will have to be made.

Thanks for your honesty.

leveller2911

owls wrote: »

This situation is outragous, children having children, something is going wrong somewhere.

i just hope the sun is not paying them for there side of the story. its fine though because the tax payer will pay for the child anyhow

Its all pretty sick, children having babies and the "SUN" paying them for their story, I can just see it now..........

reporter to young child dad " we will pay you £10,000 for your story".....

young child dad to reporter: "wicked, can I have a PS3???"

owls

Thats the problem, you can see the sun paying them for there story, mind you who nowadays buys the sun newspaper its like a comic for people with an IQ of about 4 but that another story.