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

Broken_hearted

Two houses same street same layout one council on private, the council rent is capped well below the market rent value.Which is why people are desperate to get council houses. If the rents were equal value people would opt for the private rents where they could choose the house they wanted.
A tied house is a completly different issue.

Lifeisbutadream

Broken_hearted wrote: »

Then like a lot of businesses it is no longer viable. There are no easy answers. If you push your health to breaking point you are going to fail either now or later.

Extremely helpful and optomistic view thank you. :rolleyes:

Broken_hearted

Lifeisbutadream wrote: »

Extremely helpful and optomistic view thank you. :rolleyes:

Sorry not sure what you want me to say. It would be better for you to give up now, rather than end up losing your health and racking up debts. It's very hard letting go of your dreams and giving up things you value. Many of us have had to. Its not as bad as it seems the scary part is accepting the inevitable. The number of times I put myself through heartbreak hoping my husband would get better, grasping at any straw for hope.

Lifeisbutadream

Broken_hearted wrote: »

Sorry not sure what you want me to say. It would be better for you to give up now, rather than end up losing your health and racking up debts. It's very hard letting go of your dreams and giving up things you value. Many of us have had to. Its not as bad as it seems the scary part is accepting the inevitable. The number of times I put myself through heartbreak hoping my husband would get better, grasping at any straw for hope.

If we give up the business we will end up racking up debts - the mortgage doesnt pay itself!

We are also not just talking about us - we have an apprentice, plus 3 semi-permanent contractors - thats up to 5 families affected just because of me.

The system in this country is wrong, whatever you may think - I dont dispute that it is helping some people who need it, but there are many people out there abusing the system and many people who need help who arent getting it. I dont even want money - if I could have help with taking on someone to do my role for a few weeks, that would be a start!

beingjdc

Broken_hearted wrote: »

Two houses same street same layout one council on private, the council rent is capped well below the market rent value.Which is why people are desperate to get council houses. If the rents were equal value people would opt for the private rents

You're missing the other important thing about a council house, which is that you can't be kicked out a two months' notice if your landlord thinks it would be funny, nor overnight when they go bankrupt.

elaina79

churchrat wrote: »

I have just read this one--the point is that if you are in work and working then you can work. Surly thats the point. I gave up work (with no safty net) because I had no other choice. There was a very real chance that we would lose our home, and lots of people who leave work for health reasons do lose thier homes.
I am glad that you still able to work--being in the situation that for example Broken hearted is in, and we were in, is much worse because you lose all control.

I second that. When I gave up work I thought there was a real possibility that we would have to move. I could have stayed at work but for me the life of my husband was far more important than my job or where we lived. I told him at the time that I would live in a box as long as I still had my family with me.

I nearly lost my own life 4 years ago and every day is a blessing for me. They saying "you don't know what you have until it's gone" has never been more true.

moggylover

terryw wrote: »

Sorry but the fact is that council houses can never make a profit. The biggest factor is the cost of repaying the capital sum borrowed to build the things in the first place. The only true non-subsidized social dwellings are the ones where they were gifted by philanthropists and there is consequently no interest to pay on the capital borrowed. For example, say a council borrowers the money to buy a flat now, say £100,000, then a rent of £100 per week will not pay interest on the corporation bond let alone the on-going admin and up keep costs.

terryw

I am afraid that you are wrong about this. Council House rents are profitable, although those profits have been harder to make in the last few years as massive refurbishments needed to be done due to savage cuts in spending on repair work from the 80's onwards.

http://www.normanbaker.org.uk/pr/2008/080819_rent.htm

http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2008/jun/04/housing.

http://www.lga.gov.uk/lga/core/page.do?pageId=772228

leveller2911

churchrat wrote: »

leveller2911 wrote: »

"I totally agree with "lifeisbutadream" your wrong broken hearted, when your self employed you have to carry on, you can't take "sickies"you don't get paid leave, No one and I mean no one has said on any post on this thread that there are't genuine cases , BUT and its a big but there are a lot of people who are playing the system and if they weren't there may be a bit more in the "pot" to help out genuine people.It is a FACT that if you add up all the benefits a lot of people get it will add up to £20k a year, its easy to just let the taxpayer (MUG) to keep on paying out.

I actually think everyone should be self employed, if you don't work you don't get paid, that would concentrate peoples minds a little more on what is important.People will always need a form of "welfare" at some point in there lives, we should all be entitled to say 5yrs of "welfare" during your working life ,after you have used your "quota" your on your own, its down to you as an individual to plan your life."

Finally I was chronic asthmatic who could have easily got a fair few benefits but chose not too, I also know a chap who lost both his legs as a child, got an education and has always worked and not claimed all the benefits. He IS amazing and puts so many to shame.I still say SHAME on those who sponge off the rest of us and I make NO apologies.



yes--bring back the work houses and children starving in the streets. Also, on levellers plan--don't get an illnes that would last longer than 5 yrs.

Iv'e never said there aren't genuine people in need, the 5yr figure was just that a figure and not set in stone. As for everyone being self employed it does have its plus points, it certainly concentrates the mind when it comes to feeling a little under the weather, no work no pay.To a certain degree being self employed makes you master of your own destiny especially now so many people are on short term contracts.
In a ideal world benefits for all is great, sadly we are in a far from ideal world.We have a benefit for just about everything now.Why are so many people receiving benefits for children with learning difficulties when they are almost un heard of in France and Germany?.The problem is with the benefits system it is all "carrot and no stick".There is no incentive to go to work if you can live comfortably on benefits, that is the bottom line .end of.:rolleyes:

Silencio_2

LilacPixie wrote: »

There is WTC and CTC. I think WTC cut of is around 20k for a couple with 1 child and 16k for a single claiment. CTC cut of is around 56k but anything over a 25ishk earnings asa couple you get £10 per week.

From what i remember for those who do claim WTC their award is reduced by 37p for every £ they earn. I would imagine for alot of families that this would mean that working additional hours or a second job not worth it.

The cut off point for a single person living in London, to claim WTC is around £12K

This is what I've been told... And also, that I have to be working 30+ hours a week,

F*cking appauling.

mardatha

Instead of !!!!!ing about council house rents and tenants - why not remember which tory female PM started selling them off ? Council housing was for people who would never be able to afford to buy. If you were better off then you bought a house in an area you liked etc etc. Why pick on council tenants because we couldnt afford to buy a house ? What is the point of that ?