Welfare Reform

Growurown

eyeopener2 wrote: »

What's the situation in the private sector rentals?

Not good unfortunately. If you are claiming benefits and rent privately you get an amount in housing benefit set by the council called the local housing allowance, and this differs from area to area. Most private rents cost more than the allowance so you are in the same boat really, taking money from your JSA to pay the extra rent. Plus many landlords won't rent to people on benefits. It is also difficult for benefit claimants to raise the money necessary to pay the deposit, rent up front and fees to the agent, and then add on the cost to move as well makes it nigh on impossible for a lot of people.

In my area housing benefit is paid in arrears and from the date the claim is made it can take 8 to 12 weeks until payment comes through. Not many landlords are willing to wait that long for their rent.

Depth_Charge

Growurown wrote: »

Totally agree. My friend is unemployed and she has the basic JSA payment. She has lived in her 3 bed house for many years and brought her children up there. She is now living on her own and is having to find an extra £22 a week from her £71 to pay her rent. She is an honest person and doesn't cheat the system yet I know she goes without food and definitely goes without heating in the winter. She does make sure her rent is paid first and has applied for the discretionary payment to help her out but she has had to go to the food bank in the past week and I and our other friends try to help her out as much as we can.

This won't be cost effective as people will be made homeless and if children are involved then they must be cared for and can't be left on the streets. Does this mean more people in B&B accommodation, children being taken into care maybe, more crime, more people ending up in hospital from having to live in the street?

My friend is desperately trying to move but there just aren't enough single bedroomed properties on the market. She basically has nowhere to go to. Initially her housing association wouldn't allow a single person to bid for anything other than a one bed place, but they have seen sense and will now allow her to bid for a two bed place which will be a bit cheaper to rent and hopefully cheaper to heat. Unfortunately due to a disability she has to have a ground floor flat and they don't come up very often.

Hi

Yes, I agree with everything you say

We are seeing the same type of situations and it is on the increase.

I spoke to a Housing Officer today about a possession case and in the end asked them what they would do if they were me and I was them as we both agreed that the figures made no sense to anybody.

They agreed to hold off going back to court for a while, see what we can do or come up with! Trying for DHP to keep the tenants head level with the water

Another grim type of article today from CPAG (Child Poverty Action Group)

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-23726224

More people will be struggling with debts and maybe looking at DROs

My take

Pennysmakepounds

IMHO…the benefit system in the UK is in NEED of a serious re-think….

The bedroom tax a is a gimmick…..like most other things…..The government take with one hand and give it back with the other to people on benefits.....making it look like they are tacking the problem.....

What we needs is a complete overhaul of the entire system.

People who work SHOULD be supported…with additional funds to make working a worthwhile and allow them to live a comfortable existence….…

The disabled should also receive payments to allow them to live a comfortable life…..

People who simply claim they ‘can’t get a job’……… and sit on their ar*es…… claiming for benefits and producing offspring left right and center to claim even MORE benefits……………..should have their benefits cut to the wire….and forced to work for a living…….even if that’s a state job that they have to attend to get the benefits……or a training course that runs Office hours Mon-Fri 9 to 5…..

Why do the hardworking people of the country…….that spent years working long hours in crappy jobs building up skills……. to get a job that pay well………..have then pay a LARGE chunk of that money to the government…….to fund scroungers and useless un-educated lay-abouts ….that have wasted their young lives and are now are now far too lazy or stupid or un-skilled to go out and earn a wage…….

The benefit system should not be a ‘Life Style’..

Sorry if that sounds harsh……

But if you ask ANYONE who spent years in education……then years in crappy un-appreciative jobs building up skills, whilst struggling to make ends meat to feed his family…..Works 60+ hours a week….spends weeks/months away from his family…..only to have 40/45% of his wage taken by the TAX MAN to fund the 50” TV’s and 4/5 bedroom homes of un-employed lay abouts…….and you WILL GET THE SAME OPINION….

Growurown

Pennysmakepounds wrote: »

IMHO…the benefit system in the UK is in NEED of a serious re-think….

I agree the system needs to be changed, and I am hoping that Universal Credit will be an improvement on the current system.

Pennysmakepounds wrote: »

The bedroom tax a is a gimmick…..like most other things…..The government take with one hand and give it back with the other to people on benefits.....making it look like they are tacking the problem.....

It may be a gimmick, I think it is ill thought out though. It is pushing people into poverty when there isn't much they can do to resolve the situation. Social housing organisations simply don't have enough smaller properties for their tenants to move into.

Pennysmakepounds wrote: »

People who work SHOULD be supported…with additional funds to make working a worthwhile and allow them to live a comfortable existence….…

The disabled should also receive payments to allow them to live a comfortable life…..

Agreed.

Pennysmakepounds wrote: »

People who simply claim they ‘can’t get a job’……… and sit on their ar*es…… claiming for benefits and producing offspring left right and center to claim even MORE benefits……………..should have their benefits cut to the wire….and forced to work for a living…….even if that’s a state job that they have to attend to get the benefits……or a training course that runs Office hours Mon-Fri 9 to 5…..

The cap on benefits will make this more difficult to do.

Pennysmakepounds wrote: »

Why do the hardworking people of the country…….that spent years working long hours in crappy jobs building up skills……. to get a job that pay well………..have then pay a LARGE chunk of that money to the government…….to fund scroungers and useless un-educated lay-abouts ….that have wasted their young lives and are now are now far too lazy or stupid or un-skilled to go out and earn a wage…….

The benefit system should not be a ‘Life Style’..

Sorry if that sounds harsh……

But if you ask ANYONE who spent years in education……then years in crappy un-appreciative jobs building up skills, whilst struggling to make ends meat to feed his family…..Works 60+ hours a week….spends weeks/months away from his family…..only to have 40/45% of his wage taken by the TAX MAN to fund the 50” TV’s and 4/5 bedroom homes of un-employed lay abouts…….and you WILL GET THE SAME OPINION….

I completely understand that people feel this way, but the people who choose to stay on benefits and not work are very much in the minority. I think this general feeling in the country of benefit scroungers taking all the taxes of the hard working person is a bit of a myth put about by the likes of the Daily Fail. If you look at the statistics most of the money spent on benefits goes to pensioners.

For most people living on benefits isn't a lifestyle choice. For single people especially, living on JSA is a miserable existence with very little luxury and none of the people I know on JSA have massive TV's or live in 4/5 bed houses.

The ones who do have big TV's that I do know of, are on disability benefits and they buy the TV through companies that charge huge amounts of interest and they have to feed the TV with pound coins.

Pennysmakepounds

Growurown wrote: »

I agree with you that not all the money goes to the benefit claims....The goverment has a allot to answer for too....They WASTE money....on stupid ideas and projects.....They have done so for SO many years.....and now we are all paying the price for it...

How MUCH debt is the country in....lol...
:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

John1993_2

Growurown wrote: »

I think this general feeling in the country of benefit scroungers taking all the taxes of the hard working person is a bit of a myth put about by the likes of the Daily Fail.

There are common misunderstandings about the tax and benefit buren at both ends of the spectrum. I've heard people claiming that the wealthy "pay no tax", when the truth is that the top 1% of earners earn 14% of all wages and pay 29% of all income tax.

When my marginal rate wa 52%, it wasnt great to hear people prattling on about how I should pay my "fair share". Working six months of the year for the public good, twelve hours a day, didn't feel like I was exactly milking the system.

Depth_Charge

Hi

Interesting article on LA Bailiff use

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-23770628

With the Welfare Reforms, the use of bailiffs has to increase in my opinion, so will the debts.

My opinions

Depth_Charge

Hi

This is what CABs Gillian has to say on the bailiff / Council Tax issue

“I want councils to try to avoid the use of bailiffs by supporting those who are struggling. Offering a different day to pay, sorting out suitable repayment plans and putting them in touch with debt charities like ourselves could keep the bailiffs at bay.”

http://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/index/pressoffice/press_index/press_20130822.htm

She is right of course

PS - there is no need to worry Gillian, they are coming to the overwhelmed CABs, oh yes, no problem there, perhaps just not always enough advisers, resources and time however!

Maybe it is that wrong kind of debt thing again?

My take of course

Depth_Charge

Hi

Sick & disabled people facing "catch 22" as GPs charge to help with ATOS appeals against assessments according to Citizens Advice Press Release!

http://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/index/pressoffice/press_index/press_office-20130827.htm

Not really helping the situation in my opinion.

I have requested medical evidence on occasions to assist in debt write off requests etc -think I will reserve comment:(

My take

Growurown

In south east Wales GP's have been told not to write letters on behalf of patients appealing against the decision that they are fit for work.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-south-east-wales-23353623