Welfare Reform

Depth_Charge

Hi

Latest from Citizens Advice's Gillian

http://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/index/pressoffice/press_index/press_office-20131028.htm

She gets it right again in my opinion

My take

Depth_Charge

Hi

Latest BBC article.

Single mothers lose legal challenge to benefit cap

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-24818747

Upsidedown_Bear

"Life when the Jobcentre says you broke the rules"

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-24829866

Depth_Charge

Upsidedown_Bear wrote: »

"Life when the Jobcentre says you broke the rules"

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-24829866

Hi

Interesting, but depressing article

The knock on effect of being sanctioned can be very worrying, for example: buying essentials, debt, housing, families, children and health issues.

Gillian hits the right notes again as many front line advisers and support agencies will likely confirm.

Not good and hard to see how it can get better as it currently stands

Get advice ASAP if you are affected, help and support may / should be available

My take

Growurown

I am seeing in my job more people being sanctioned, often for small things. I'm also seeing people getting extremely stressed because they aren't I.T. literate and don't know if they are doing enough on UJM to show they are looking for work. It has been suggested that Job Centre staff have targets to sanction so many people in a month.

fatbelly

Apologies if this has been posted here before. I can't remember where I saw it.

Stupid sanctions

John1993_2

Depth_Charge wrote: »

Hi

Latest BBC article.

Single mothers lose legal challenge to benefit cap

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-24818747

Surely this has to be seen by most people as a good thing. The benefits cap is equivalent to over £33,000 per year. Most normal working families will not be pleased to be paying taxes to give someone far more income than the workers themselves earn.

Growurown

According to this website the cap equates to annual earnings of £26,000.

http://www.housing.org.uk/policy/welfare-reform/benefit-cap

I think the problem lies in the amount of rent people pay. With high rents especially in London the housing benefit people receive doesn't cover the rental costs, so money designated for food, gas and electric etc. is going on rent instead.

fatbelly

The benefits cap is supported by 79% of people generally, and 71% of Labour voters. 26k does appear to be the equivalent figure chosen.

http://www.newstatesman.com/politics/2013/10/benefit-cap-isnt-working-poor-was-never-aim

Probably a smaller proportion amongst those working with families who are affected.

Growurown

fatbelly wrote: »

The benefits cap is supported by 79% of people generally, and 71% of Labour voters. 26k does appear to be the equivalent figure chosen.

http://www.newstatesman.com/politics/2013/10/benefit-cap-isnt-working-poor-was-never-aim

Probably a smaller proportion amongst those working with families who are affected.

A very interesting article.

The benefit cap is popular with working people I know and if you go over to the discussion board there are plenty of people there saying the cap is fair.

It is hard to argue that someone supported by the state from taxes should be able to carry on having child after child and expect everyone else to pay for those children, when working couples have to make a decision on how many children they can have based on their budget. Personally I think that is why the cap was brought in. The article suggests that the cap doesn't save money, but it is a popular idea with voters.