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Council are being a pain & won't backdate my housing benefit
Comments
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:TThat was what I thought as well on reading her post. It's nice and refreshing to see people who show a little compassion.
You've managed to avoid quoting the most impostant part of Jomo's post, "it's clear that there is little or no entitlement to retrospective payment."
You can be as compassionate as you like but it doesn't alter the fact that the OP isn't eligible to have a claim backdated in the grounds of ignorance.0 -
Jomo handled the query and delivery of that bad news far better than anyone else on this thread did and others would do well to follow his/her example.Oldernotwiser wrote: »You've managed to avoid quoting the most impostant part of Jomo's post, "it's clear that there is little or no entitlement to retrospective payment."
You can be as compassionate as you like but it doesn't alter the fact that the OP isn't eligible to have a claim backdated in the grounds of ignorance.Owing to financial constraints, the light at the end of the tunnel has been switched off until further notice.
Illegitimi Non Carborundum!!!:cool:0 -
Oldernotwiser wrote: »
You can be as compassionate as you like but it doesn't alter the fact that the OP isn't eligible to have a claim backdated in the grounds of ignorance.
Which is fair enough, but its a shame that the tone of many of the discussions around it is barely disguised glee that a graduate is unfamiliar with the benefits system and cannot recover a sum of money that she would have ordinarily received if she'd had more experience of how it operates.
It took a rather bizarre twist with the inference that she was morally obliged to spend her own savings and her overall cheekiness in seeking state support without wanting to compromise her career goals. Is it only possible to lament the accidental loss of a benefit and the hardship it has caused if don't possess a degree, in which case you then deserve it?
Apparently, she is not allowed to consider herself poor despite having irregular and low income, qualifying for benefits and having no savings because she has the temerity to work in a creative capacity.0 -
So when I worked part time in the Coop when I first moved here, it really was below me due to me having a BSc and a PhD ? Or was it a job as needs must (both to fill my time and make some money). By all means get as much experience in your 'field' but this must also be combined with the reality of making a living in the meantime.There's no point in a skilled graduate in a specialist field applying to work in a supermarket because the prospective employer would realise upon application that its not an area they have an interest in. Their forms get binned by employers.
I am not patronising you, I just think you have naive expectations and expect the tax payer to fund your dabbling until you find something you deem worthy of you. I do wish you all the best, but I also think that you need to accept that that world does not revolve around your career aspirations. I too have been a graduate, and also a woman (although not sure why you pointed that out to us really), and do not express glee at your mistunderstanding (or whatever you or anyone else wish to call it), but ignorance of the benefit system is not an excuse for backdating of a claim.gandalfsbeard wrote: »I'm not a child I certainly don't need you to give me a dose of reality. I have recently graduated, I'm working part time within one of the most difficult industries and also freelancing to earn some extra cash and experience. Please find someone else to patronize.
Anyway, lets hope you get one of those jobs you are going for.
That's all.
Jowo, I appreciate this was your take on the 'proceedings' but it is a slightly slanted one IMHO. Noone is being horrible to the OP because she was a graduate, my main points were:Which is fair enough, but its a shame that the tone of many of the discussions around it is barely disguised glee that a graduate is unfamiliar with the benefits system and cannot recover a sum of money that she would have ordinarily received if she'd had more experience of how it operates.
It took a rather bizarre twist with the inference that she was morally obliged to spend her own savings and her overall cheekiness in seeking state support without wanting to compromise her career goals. Is it only possible to lament the accidental loss of a benefit and the hardship it has caused if don't possess a degree, in which case you then deserve it?
Apparently, she is not allowed to consider herself poor despite having irregular and low income, qualifying for benefits and having no savings because she has the temerity to work in a creative capacity.
1. She has already paid the rent therefore could afford it.
2. Ignorance is not normally treated as a reason for back-dating, graduate or not, and be this right or wrong.
3. She can work in her 'field' and get experience but this also has to be combined with the reality of making a living (sadly it is not walking in a great job as some universities may infer to their graduates while they are stydying).
Anyway, I presume you have already made a judgement on me based on my earlier reply, but as I said, all I wanted to do was inject some reality. I have been a graduate and do understand the problems so am not just sprouting for the sake of it!Ermutigung wirkt immer besser als Verurteilung.
Encouragement always works better than judgement.0 -
OrkneyStar wrote: »
I am not patronising you, I just think you have naive expectations and expect the tax payer to fund your dabbling until you find something you deem worthy of you. I do wish you all the best, but I also think that you need to accept that that world does not revolve around your career aspirations. I too have been a graduate, and also a woman (although not sure why you pointed that out to us really), and do not express glee at your mistunderstanding (or whatever you or anyone else wish to call it), but ignorance of the benefit system is not an excuse for backdating of a claim.
Anyway, lets hope you get one of those jobs you are going for.
That's all.
Jowo, I appreciate this was your take on the 'proceedings' but it is a slightly slanted one IMHO. Noone is being horrible to the OP because she was a graduate, my main points were:
1. She has already paid the rent therefore could afford it.
2. Ignorance is not normally treated as a reason for back-dating, graduate or not, and be this right or wrong.
3. She can work in her 'field' and get experience but this also has to be combined with the reality of making a living (sadly it is not walking in a great job as some universities may infer to their graduates while they are stydying).
Anyway, I presume you have already made a judgement on me based on my earlier reply, but as I said, all I wanted to do was inject some reality. I have been a graduate and do understand the problems so am not just sprouting for the sake of it!
If you read the thread properly you might notice the reason I mentioned I'm a woman is because several people presumed I was a man, (dmg24 even continued to refer to me as a man despite stating otherwise) that's the only reason I brought it up. The initial response I received from people in this thread was unhelpful and judgemental given my circumstances. I accept I may have come across as naive with regards to my claim but some of the comments that ensued where unneccesary. I don't expect the world to revolve around my career aspirations. You need to accept the simple fact that people such as myself are struggling to get by, and your cynical comments are very unhelpful.
I will fully accept the councils decision after my appeal. It is atleast worth trying to appeal against their decision given my current bleak financial situation and implying I have to be considered homeless before I qualify for such benefits is laughable.
Just to point out I was unable to afford my rent for those 3 months, somehow I managed to get the money together with help from a kind friend. I'm living with the consequences as a result. I have exhausted my savings. I'm down to nothing but I'm hopeful that things will turn round for me.
To clarify my situation. I work as a part time Graphic Design Intern and Freelancer. I have been on job seekers for 9 weeks, I was quite reluctant to receive benefits. This is the first time I have done so and I wish I had done sooner had I known as I have exhausted all my savings and money. I expanded my search by applying to coffee houses, bar jobs, museums and so on but I haven't been successful with these applications. Mainly due to my resume consisting of freelance or design related work and little else and also tough competition.
Mediocre jobs are difficult to obtain as these kinds of jobs are receiving double the interest they usually attract due to the current economic climate we're in. Luckily I have kept focused and managed to get some interviews for Graphic Design positions which I pray will turn out a result for me. If not then I will of course reassess my situation and leave my Design aspirations behind.
I'm appealing the councils decision who have rejected my claim to 3 months backdated rent. I realise this may be a fruitless attempt but I will give it a shot. I'm also appealing against the councils decision to penalize me because they think they have overpaid my housing benefit by £500. This makes no sense as the period in which they refer to I was earning no income. I was working full time as an Intern without pay with my travel expenses paid for. I have a feeling they are referring to my travel expenses in justifying their decision.
And yes we did make a judgement on you Orkney regarding your earlier reply just as you judged me with mine and continue to do so. It's sad that some people here are intent on making people feel even more miserable than they already are, as if we somehow deserve judgement to be passed on us because we might have been god forbid 'naive'. However it is reassuring to know that there are people out there who can empathise, offer advice and encouragement through these difficult times we're all going through.0 -
They are correct, ignorance is not a good enough reason not to have claimed earlier.
Can you not look for work outside your 'field'?
I was the initial response. Can you clarify how this is unhelpful and judgmental?
Why do you think it is worth appealing against the decision that is clearly correct? What do you think makes you different from every other claimant?Gone ... or have I?0 -
You need to accept that not everyone will agree with you, this does not mean they are being patronising, cynical, harsh or anything else, just that they do not share your view! It is not a dig at you as a person, just pointing out some other ways to look at things. I really do understand your frustration at how the system works but by telling you the straight facts people are being as helpful as those who want to wrap you up in cotton wool!.gandalfsbeard wrote: »If you read the thread properly you might notice the reason I mentioned I'm a woman is because several people presumed I was a man, (dmg24 even continued to refer to me as a man despite stating otherwise) that's the only reason I brought it up. The initial response I received from people in this thread was unhelpful and judgemental given my circumstances. I accept I may have come across as naive with regards to my claim but some of the comments that ensued where unneccesary. I don't expect the world to revolve around my career aspirations. You need to accept the simple fact that people such as myself are struggling to get by, and your cynical comments are very unhelpful.
I will fully accept the councils decision after my appeal. It is atleast worth trying to appeal against their decision given my current bleak financial situation and implying I have to be considered homeless before I qualify for such benefits is laughable.
Just to point out I was unable to afford my rent for those 3 months, somehow I managed to get the money together with help from a kind friend. I'm living with the consequences as a result. I have exhausted my savings. I'm down to nothing but I'm hopeful that things will turn round for me.
To clarify my situation. I work as a part time Graphic Design Intern and Freelancer. I have been on job seekers for 9 weeks, I was quite reluctant to receive benefits. This is the first time I have done so and I wish I had done sooner had I known as I have exhausted all my savings and money. I expanded my search by applying to coffee houses, bar jobs, museums and so on but I haven't been successful with these applications. Mainly due to my resume consisting of freelance or design related work and little else and also tough competition.
Mediocre jobs are difficult to obtain as these kinds of jobs are receiving double the interest they usually attract due to the current economic climate we're in. Luckily I have kept focused and managed to get some interviews for Graphic Design positions which I pray will turn out a result for me. If not then I will of course reassess my situation and leave my Design aspirations behind.
I'm appealing the councils decision who have rejected my claim to 3 months backdated rent. I realise this may be a fruitless attempt but I will give it a shot. I'm also appealing against the councils decision to penalize me because they think they have overpaid my housing benefit by £500. This makes no sense as the period in which they refer to I was earning no income. I was working full time as an Intern without pay with my travel expenses paid for. I have a feeling they are referring to my travel expenses in justifying their decision.
And yes we did make a judgement on you Orkney regarding your earlier reply just as you judged me with mine and continue to do so. It's sad that some people here are intent on making people feel even more miserable than they already are, as if we somehow deserve judgement to be passed on us because we might have been god forbid 'naive'. However it is reassuring to know that there are people out there who can empathise, offer advice and encouragement through these difficult times we're all going through.
Again you refer to mediocre jobs....perhaps ditching that term to describe them may increase your chances of getting one (even if for the short term) ? Don't you think many of us are struggling to get by just now ?
Finally, I do wish you all the best, as already said, don't ever ditch your aspirations, just accept you might have to go from A to B via C, D and E.
To be honest I would have not bothered replying if I had known I would get such a slating for it, I honestly was trying to stick some reality into the equation (reality which you might not like but also have to face up to!).
(PS you cannot say 'we' made a judgement, as you are only speaking for you, not all the other posters on here! As for judging you, well I have judged you based on what you said, and I stand by it.)
I won't say any more as I have given all the information I think will help re the original question.Ermutigung wirkt immer besser als Verurteilung.
Encouragement always works better than judgement.0 -
The OP is naturally disappointed to have found out that they have missed out on a large sum of state support, to which they were fully entitled to, and has instead used borrowed money and run-down their savings. If she had been a pram-faced chav, this thread would not exist and there would be no opportunity to have mocked her ignorance of the benefits system because she'd have filled in the correct forms before you could say 'No GCSEs'. What is so difficult to understand about this?
A highly skilled and highly educated graduate in an extremely competitive field who is building up her experience and portfolio of work, she is naturally averse to ruining its development by switching to non-related fields. Clearly, despite it being the wishes of the other members that she abandons her fledgling career to undertake mediocre non-graduate roles, this is entirely counter-productive to launching herself into a professional career.
The benefits system and job support does not support those in sporadic unpaid, low paid or self-employed roles. The kind of creative industry she works in is based on the individual marketing themselves, finding opportunities and is very insecure.
It does not require the individual to feel morally or legally obligated to spend a penny of their money under the 16k threshold to support themselves. All the stuff related to 'she had savings so she ought have exhausted them first' are a nonsense.
While it may be the wish of the members of this forum that she becomes 'realistic' about her opportunities, this is a call for the DWP to make so if they insist she has to pull pints instead of producing art work, or if they change the savings threshold, so be it.0 -
Jowo I have answered most of this in my previous post to the OP (and she seems quite capable of putting her point across well!) so won't go over it again. Perhaps most of this post would fit better on the thread you started in DT, where you can express your opinion to your hearts content!The OP is naturally disappointed to have found out that they have missed out on a large sum of state support, to which they were fully entitled to, and has instead used borrowed money and run-down their savings. If she had been a pram-faced chav, this thread would not exist and there would be no opportunity to have mocked her ignorance of the benefits system because she'd have filled in the correct forms before you could say 'No GCSEs'. What is so difficult to understand about this?
A highly skilled and highly educated graduate in an extremely competitive field who is building up her experience and portfolio of work, she is naturally averse to ruining its development by switching to non-related fields. Clearly, despite it being the wishes of the other members that she abandons her fledgling career to undertake mediocre non-graduate roles, this is entirely counter-productive to launching herself into a professional career.
The benefits system and job support does not support those in sporadic unpaid, low paid or self-employed roles. The kind of creative industry she works in is based on the individual marketing themselves, finding opportunities and is very insecure.
It does not require the individual to feel morally or legally obligated to spend a penny of their money under the 16k threshold to support themselves. All the stuff related to 'she had savings so she ought have exhausted them first' are a nonsense.
While it may be the wish of the members of this forum that she becomes 'realistic' about her opportunities, this is a call for the DWP to make so if they insist she has to pull pints instead of producing art work, or if they change the savings threshold, so be it.
All the best.Ermutigung wirkt immer besser als Verurteilung.
Encouragement always works better than judgement.0 -
The OP is naturally disappointed to have found out that they have missed out on a large sum of state support, to which they were fully entitled to, and has instead used borrowed money and run-down their savings. If she had been a pram-faced chav, this thread would not exist and there would be no opportunity to have mocked her ignorance of the benefits system because she'd have filled in the correct forms before you could say 'No GCSEs'. What is so difficult to understand about this?
You are only entitled to benefits if you apply for them.
If the pram-faced chav had applied for the benefits at the correct time, then they would have received their entitlement.
If the OP had applied for the benefits at the correct time, then they would have received their entitlement.
What is so difficult to understand about this?
Gone ... or have I?0
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