MSE News: Benefits cap comes into force

zagfles

Morlock wrote: »

I expect the average person would not even bother to read any articles. It is well publicised that the general public have distorted and misinformed views about benefit recipients.

Yes, as demonstrated in this thread. Such as believing that paying everyone a "living wage" will mean no state top-ups are necessary :rotfl:

clemmatis

Dunroamin wrote: »

If they don't read any articles or hear an item about it on the news - how will they know about it anyway?

By talking to other people?

Incidentally, do you have any idea what % of media articles about it gave the 40% figure?

zagfles

Morlock wrote: »

And that is part of the point, virtually no single person will be affected by a cap of £350 per week, particularly a JSA claimant, who would need to claim more than £280 in rent to be affected, which is highly implausible as no LHA rate is that high.

The only purpose the cap on single claimants serves is to mislead the public into thinking that those claimants can receive over £350 per week in benefits, which is very, very, very, rarely the case.

According to the BBC, 10% of those affected by the cap are single http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-23306092

zagfles

clemmatis wrote: »

By talking to other people?

Incidentally, do you have any idea what % of media articles about it gave the 40% figure?

Do you mean the 40,000 figure? The top 3 articles on a google news search for "benefits cap" mentions it.

princessdon

zagfles wrote: »

According to the BBC, 10% of those affected by the cap are single http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-23306092

That's because single doesn't mean a single person, just no dependants, which morlock knows of course. £250 pw housing, £111 JSA, plus potentially carers and perhaps some DHP.

The numbers aren't large though compared with those with dependant children, but they do exist.

Dunroamin

clemmatis wrote: »

By talking to other people?

Incidentally, do you have any idea what % of media articles about it gave the 40% figure?

Who, presumably, have a TV and/or read a newspaper.

40%?

mazza111

Dunroamin wrote: »

If they don't read any articles or hear an item about it on the news - how will they know about it anyway?

Because they'll read the headlines and skip the rest. Then they will be an expert about it

gettingready

dktreesea wrote: »

Benefit capping at the current level will not achieve what the government wants. It's set too high. Not enough people are affected by it.

If it was capped at one single full time NMW income after tax, then maybe it would have a chance, along the lines of making the taper really gradual but if you want more that you have to work. And yes, it may well be that £200 a week is only enough to cover the rent, with £50 a week left over for utlities and food. A bare bones existence to be sure.

But the government won't be doing that, not even if the Conservatives get into power on their own at the next election, because they are not able to guarantee at least one person per household a minimum wage job, i.e. so they could boost up their incomes to a liveable standard.

So wish this would happen....

Ames

mazza111 wrote: »

Because they'll read the headlines and skip the rest. Then they will be an expert about it

Yep - I couldn't understand why my dad thought my income was so much higher than it is, until I realised he thought the benefit 'cap' meant that everyone on benefits now gets £26k.

zagfles

Ames wrote: »

Yep - I couldn't understand why my dad thought my income was so much higher than it is, until I realised he thought the benefit 'cap' meant that everyone on benefits now gets £26k.

Yes, a couple of years ago we got a flood of people panicing that their tax credits were going be cut because they'd read misleading headlines that you won't get tax credits if you earn over (co-incidently) £26k. Even HMRC weren't immune, they themselves seemed to believe the headlines and sent people letters saying that!

The reality was the £26k limit only applied to a family with 1 child, no childcare/disabilities, but the headlines and the HMRC letter implied it applied to everyone.

As they say, a little knowledge is a bad thing. As is believing everything you read in the papers. Trouble is, these are 90% of voters...:(