Labour Govt - waste of time

theGrinch

i have been advised that the number of new build homes for 2006 is one of the lowest if not the lowest for any year since 1945. and much of what is being built is small and cramped and lacks innovation. it concerns me at the number of 1 and 2 bed flats being built and the lack of family housing in certain areas

Ian_W

So not suitable for a pregnant student and her boyfriend who couldn't afford one anyway cos they can't get benefits.

Ah!! Now I see the connection.

Market_Oracle

Perhaps they should get a part-time job to support themselves ? Then they could also get tax credits

bel2310

Just to add my two penny worth. I'm a divorced mum, work part time and up until this summer received family tax credit and child allowance for my 2 children. I am very proud that my eldest gained 4 a grade a levels and is now at Uni. However, I am no longer eligible for tax credit or child allowance for her which seems a bit harsh as even with full student loans etc she is still going to need help from me to survive for the next 5 years (she is training to be a vet). I have increased my hours, and we will manage but do think that if the labour govt claims to be helping everyone gain education opportunities this is a shortfall that needs looking at.

barnaby-bear

bel2310 wrote:

Just to add my two penny worth. I'm a divorced mum, work part time and up until this summer received family tax credit and child allowance for my 2 children. I am very proud that my eldest gained 4 a grade a levels and is now at Uni. However, I am no longer eligible for tax credit or child allowance for her which seems a bit harsh as even with full student loans etc she is still going to need help from me to survive for the next 5 years (she is training to be a vet). I have increased my hours, and we will manage but do think that if the labour govt claims to be helping everyone gain education opportunities this is a shortfall that needs looking at.

Couldn't her dad support HIS daughter? I work full time and pay towards your tax credits/child allowance and I don't know your daughter - surely supporting your kids is the joint responsibility of both parents regardless of whether they are together - if there's a shortfall maybe look a bit closer to home (dad not the governemnt/general tax payer)! The labour govt. doesn't have any money of it's own just money it takes off other people in taxes.

bel2310

He does help her yes ,a bit, but has reduced my maintenance accordingly!
I wasn't really trying to say I expected more money as a right but more the point that the govt is boasting how it is helping everyone achieve a great education but actually pulling the rug away when they need it most. You are right you don't know my daughter or how hard she has worked. I have also paid tax for the last 30 years, so slightly resent your comments. And on a separate note, have just had to sell my 85 year old mothers house to fund her care in a residential home as she has dementia, so do not worry the tax payer is not supporting her , despite the fact she too paid tax and NI all her life, but don't get me started on that one!

AppleMan_2

D_e_n_i_s_e wrote:

there total income for the year £5000 (student loans)
in which both have to travel to and from uni - £1000 year commuting costs

Move closer?

books and literature costs - £200

Use the library?

Mobiles and Telephones and Internet £250/year

That's over £20pcm! Our phone bill is rarely more than £12pcm including mobiles. We don't have the internet at home, and if we did I wouldn't expect the state to pay for it. Can't they use the internet at uni?

Electric and Gas £1000

That's a lot. We pay £33pcm for both, I think. We havn't turned on our heating yet. They should be able to get this down.

Car and home insurance £1000

Maybe I'm wrong but if they're renting they shouldn't be paying home insurance should they? Do you mean contents?

BABY COSTS - (cot, buggy, pushcahir, nappies etc ?????)

Buy things second-hand/borrow from relatives until their income increases/do without a pushchair (how do you think people managed 400 years ago?)/use reusable nappies and wash them by hand etc etc. Having a baby doesn't have to be expensive.

after hearing this i thought how lucky i was that under the tory government - yes the tory government i got free schooling, got paid to go to uni, and didnt have to worry about repayments at a later date.

Yes, the important word is "lucky". It was a privilege (not a right) which I didn't have, but I looked on my degree as an investment and worked before going to uni. Bottom line - if you can't afford to get a degree, don't get one. Where do you draw the line, free flying training for everyone who fancies being a pilot?

At this young stage of there lives i think its so sad that there isnt much help out there from this useless govt of ours.

Are you sure its the government's role to provide help of this kind?

As you may have noticed the list above doesnt include socialising or going out costs - cos theres no way they can enjoy themselves with the money they have.

Enjoying yourself doesn't need money. I know people who never "go out" and are perfectly happy. You almost seem to be suggesting that the state and taxpayer should pay these people so they can "enjoy themselves"!

Peter

sportbeth

My OH earns a high level salary. Lucky us you might say. But when you see at the end of the week the man who works 70 hour weeks to get that pay cheque and then look at the figure that drops off because he's in the 40% tax bracket you start to lose sympathy for people who get pregnant and demand cash for their circumstances.

Bring back the Tories I say.

barnaby-bear

D_e_n_i_s_e wrote:

A girl that lives across the street from me is preganant - shes is just 20, has just started final year of university commuting to and from uni daily 30miles away, her husband, 23 is also at uni 2years into a four year course. they both pay together £70 week rent for the house.

she was telling me the other day that they are not entitled to
Maternity allowance or surestart support.

there baby is due in December.

As students they can apply for loans - which isnt much ALL which are repayable
the only plus is that the council waives there council tax as they are students.

there total income for the year £5000 (student loans)
in which both have to travel to and from uni - £1000 year commuting costs
books and literature costs - £200
food and drinks cost £1600 @£30/wk
House Rent £3500
Mobiles and Telephones and Internet £250/year
Electric and Gas £1000
Car and home insurance £1000
BABY COSTS - (cot, buggy, pushcahir, nappies etc ?????)

Incoming (loans) = £5000
Outgoings = £7500 (1000 + 200 + 1600 + 3500 + 250 + 1000 + 1000)
SHORTFALL OF £3500

after hearing this i thought how lucky i was that under the tory government - yes the tory government i got free schooling, got paid to go to uni, and didnt have to worry about repayments at a later date.

At this young stage of there lives i think its so sad that there isnt much help out there from this useless govt of ours. As you may have noticed the list above doesnt include socialising or going out costs - cos theres no way they can enjoy themselves with the money they have.

This is DSS reply to them
'As neither of you are working there are no additional benefits we can give you'
'you would need to be working to et working tax cred, child tax credit, family tax credit, income support etc'

Students only pay a fraction of true cost of uni. education, the majority comes from tax payer in block grants, so they are already getting a large sum of subsidy money from the tax payer.

As a student me and the OH couldn't afford to rent alone so we shared one room in a shared house and did so after working to save for a house. We didn't have mobiles and we certainly didn't have a car - we used the textbooks and internet in college for free. And we certainly couldn't afford a baby.

if their degrees are worthwhile they can afford the loans as the increase in salary they get later will cover the costs. Otherwise it's a waste of time and money doing the degree and whilst indulging someones desire to study medievel history for the fun of it would be nice, I (the tax payer) don't want to pay for it or to support their kid while they self-indulge in academia....

whambamboo

bel2310 wrote:

Just to add my two penny worth. I'm a divorced mum, work part time and up until this summer received family tax credit and child allowance for my 2 children. I am very proud that my eldest gained 4 a grade a levels and is now at Uni. However, I am no longer eligible for tax credit or child allowance for her which seems a bit harsh as even with full student loans etc she is still going to need help from me to survive for the next 5 years (she is training to be a vet). I have increased my hours, and we will manage but do think that if the labour govt claims to be helping everyone gain education opportunities this is a shortfall that needs looking at.

She doesn't get children's tax credit because she's not a child any more. She doesn't have to pay tuition fees I assume because your income isn't high enough. She gets £4.5k/year + she can probably get some low-cost or free overdrafts from the banks. And then there's the Higher Education Grant of £1k/year (up to £2.7k/year from this year), which is not repayable, for families earning less than £21k.

And then there are bursaries, hardship funds, and other sources of funding to be had. E.g., Oxford gives you £4k in the first year, £3k the second year if your household income is below £17.5k. With 4 A's and studying vet science I'm guessing she's at a good university, and wherever it is they probably have some similar scheme: e.g., Cambridge has a £3k/year bursary if you earn less than about £17k.

So she's getting at least £5.5k/year, and quite possibly a lot more, I can't see why she needs any more money from you.

I don't understand why students moan about getting into debt: they are investing in their futures, and investing tends to cost money.

With the possible exception of mature students, I think people saying that they can no longer afford to go to university are talking rubbish, it's just they have to pay for a small part of the costs (although your daughter will only pay for her own living costs, not the cost of tuition).