Bedroom Tax and kids living away??

notwavingbutdrowning

CKhalvashi wrote: »

I'm in the same boat here, even though to an extent, I feel that the Gov hasn't thought this through as well as they could have done.

As a number of people on these boards know, I'm from an immigrant family, and I'm also a large employer in the UK. It wasn't my choice to come, and putting immigrants into one category is severely unfair.

With the Romanians and Bulgarians (that you specifically mentioned, I'm neither), a lot of those that cause problems are the gypsies. Romania/Bulgaria don't want them.

Please think before generalising!

CK

Sorry, I thought for one horrible moment you were generalising about gypsies.

Fire_Fox

306chris wrote: »

Little background about me. I have worked since I was 18 and now 32 and lost my job last October. Have 2 children 1 boy (3) and one girl (5). We moved into a 3 bed SH where the 3rd room is tiny, all the houses in our row are the same size and plan some have two beds and others three.

I am currently trying to find work and will take almost anything (anybody have a job going!!) So we are in receipt of benefits and have been preparing for the changes and reductions.

I have already posted that at the present moment the easiest thing we could do finacially is to have another child thus more Child benefiit, Child Tax credit and no reduction in Housing Benefit. Sadly I know people in our similar situation who are planning to do this already and its sad that children will be raised for the extra few quid.

I have already enquired about downsizing and have been told that 800 homes just with our housing trust will be affected and there aren't the homes available with in the HT.

I can't get into private renting due to silly mistakes in the past. I eneded up in a lot of personal debt £30k plus which I have been paying off and will be paying off for the next 254 years which means that no private land lord will look at me without 6 months rent as a deposit. We found this out when we first tried to get a house together.

TBH even if we could move I wouldn't want to anyway. The house we are in is in a good area, close to the school and quite frankly I've bloody well looked after it inside and out and spent a time and money making it a nice home for my partner adn children to grow up in.

I can see why they are introducing a reduction in HB, but I think that it has been poorly designed from the outset. It's not only the benefit class as some on here seem to see me but hard working people will be affected by this.
I had the displeasure of working in a supermarket full time, crap work, long hours and muppets for managers but it paid the bills, but working full time at NMW it wasnt covering the bills so we were claiming some HB and we would still have seen a loss of about £6 a week £24 a month not a lot but it would have been a bill paid. Now that I have less coming in JSA of approx £111 I am going to loose about £15 a week.
Sacrifices have been made already - The car has gone - Sky Sports has gone - Partner has given up smoking - Holiday plans gone - Booze has gone - Just waiting for mobile contract to end and that will be gone as well.

Just to rub salt into the wounds three letters turned up today. The letter from HT regarding benefit reduction, a letter to say that rent is going up 5% and a letter from the council saying that we will have to pay 25% of CT (good job I am in credit with them having paid up ealry before I lost my job)

But if you had made some of those sacrifices ahead of time you'd have rainy day savings now to fall back on, including that six months rent all landlords are allegedly demanding. Plenty of people who don't have the benefit of social housing never had all the luxuries you have 'sacrificed', nor the ones you still have such as children.

The changes are so more people live within their means, working or not and larger properties are freed up for families that really need them. Something has to be done, this country is already being crippled by the welfare and healthcare budgets, and now a baby boom is predicted which means we will need to spend more as a nation on childcare and education in the next few years. We can't just stop treating sick people or stop giving people who are genuinely unable to work enough money to pay the basic bills (food, water, energy) but we absolutely are heading down that path. What else can we do, bring in a one child policy like China?

You are forgetting that plenty of other hard working folks who don't live in social housing are funding all these spare rooms. There are single teens in London struggling on minimum wage who couldn't dream of the luxuries you had when working. Why should they pay taxes they cannot afford to pay so families can have a spare room? Even if they were eligible to claim housing benefit they'd get one room, not a whole flat.

It's not just about people having more children to get more money, it's about people having children full stop. There is a whole raft of benefits closed to childless working or unemployed people. Instead many of us have no second, third or fourth income stream to bolster their minimum wage or Jobseekers Allowance. You try paying all the bills on just your income, no child benefit, child tax credit, working tax credit and so on.

Having said that I wish you the best of luck with your job hunt, you sound like you really want to be working again.

Mojisola

Fire_Fox wrote: »

What else can we do, bring in a one child policy like China?

I don't think it would be unreasonable to stop all child related benefits after the third child.

paddedjohn

Mojisola wrote: »

I don't think it would be unreasonable to stop all child related benefits after the third child.

I'd go even further and say 2 kids, after that no help.

ILW

There is no such thing as a bedroom tax.

Morlock

ILW wrote: »

There is no such thing as a bedroom tax.

Google says no:



http://www.googlefight.com/index.php?lang=en_GB&word1=bedroom+tax&word2=under-occupancy+penalty

zoominatorone

nannytone wrote: »

so the people that werent lucky enough to earn loads and be able to pay for a 5 bed house should just ne left to rot>

i worked for years before i couldnt anymore, but because of that i should just accept whatever comes my way>

many people work bloody hard, and they bever get the opportunity to better their lot.
,y parents got that opportunity.
they worked hard and cought their council house, and are doing very well.
my son couldnt even get his name on the list because he was employed.
he lives in a tiny 2 bed flay amd pays £800 o month on a mortgage for the pribilegde.

;uck id s big part of life, no matter how hard you strive.
some of us are dealt a bum hand/// does that mean we should be happu for what we are giben?

i thought a society was judged on how it treated its old and vulnerable....

as lomg as we stay in our place and dont aspire to beetter ourdelves

It's all swings and roundabouts.

The fact some people have all of their housing and Council Tax obligations paid for them seems to bypass their heads. They've got so used to everything for nowt that it's a hige shock to the system to be asked to contribute some of the FREE money they get towards the place they call home.

Society DOES look after the old and vulnerable.

Is giving people a house/flat not looking after them?
Is giving it to them for free not looking after them?
Is giving them money in benefits not looking after them?

You say your son pays £800 a month on a MORTGAGE for the "priviledge". Privilidge of what exactly? He's investing in his future by buying a property and paying his own way---do you think he should have been given a free house/flat?

Some people in these parts have a mighty big chip on their shoulders. Fair enough they have worked, and no longer can. However, they aren't living in a tent at the side of the road are they? They have a roof over their head, and free money in their pocket. A little bit of gratitude and a "thank god I'm not on the streets" way of thinking wouldn't go amiss.

ILW

Morlock wrote: »

Google says no:



http://www.googlefight.com/index.php?lang=en_GB&word1=bedroom+tax&word2=under-occupancy+penalty

That just proves there are a lot of mistaken people around.

Morlock

ILW wrote: »

That just proves there are a lot of mistaken people around.

It is known as bedroom tax and always will be. Deal with it.

ILW

Morlock wrote: »

It is known as bedroom tax and always will be. Deal with it.

I will just accept that anyone that refers to bedroom tax is a misinformed moron. (Or someone with a political agenda using misinformation to promote it). That is how I will deal with it.