Benefits Street

[Deleted User]

Glen_Clark wrote: »

We need an alternative to benefits, like REAL jobs that pay enough to cover Englands very high housing costs. .

Never going to happen. Jobs are disappearing because that's the way the world is going, there are going to be less and less available jobs as time goes on and nothing can be done to "fix" that, unless we artificially restrict progress which would be a monumental mistake. The real solution is to abandon the focus on trying to get people into work, the only viable long term solution: Basic Income.

Basic Income is inevitable and will change the country for the better. I look forward to it

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basic_income

BillJones

Lord_Baltimore wrote: »

You haven't quoted the bit of my post that states my confidence in that you work hard.

I'm sure you've never, say, had a freebee lunch, or made an over-enthusiastic expenses claim, driven above the speed limit, accidentally taken home stationery from work or had a longer than permitted lunch break.

The context for this is pointing the finger at people down on their luck with a pious, holier-than-thou attitude when it is doubtful that any of us are sin free.

Let he who is without sin cast the first stone. If that's you, well done indeed.

I don't claim expenses, don't steal stationery, and have breakfast and lunch at my desk, as like most traders, I don't have breaks. It's pretty standard in the business to have a 37.5 hour contracted week, but to work far more than that with unpaid overtime.

I'm not sure what you are driving at here, but the idea that turning the spotlight on people like me would reveal all manner of dodges and cheats just doesn't hold up to scrutiny.

You seem to assume that everyone must be on the fiddle. Maybe that's how you were brought up, and what you believe is normal, but it is not normal.

Lord_Baltimore

BillJones wrote: »

I don't claim expenses, don't steal stationery, and have breakfast and lunch at my desk, as like most traders, I don't have breaks. It's pretty standard in the business to have a 37.5 hour contracted week, but to work far more than that with unpaid overtime.

I'm not sure what you are driving at here, but the idea that turning the spotlight on people like me would reveal all manner of dodges and cheats just doesn't hold up to scrutiny.

You seem to assume that everyone must be on the fiddle. Maybe that's how you were brought up, and what you believe is normal, but it is not normal.

Well you're a regular Mr Goody-two-shoes aren't you? Although I notice you conveniently forgot to refute the probability of breaking speeding laws. Nobody is perfect and criticising others is hypocritical.

You seem fond of referring to people as "fiddlers". You applied it as a generalisation in your initial post and now you direct it at me. It looks as if your weakness is jumping to conclusions and being easily manipulated by a TV programme.

Try to keep in mind that there are people trying to live on an income possibly ten times less than yours. Those "fiddlers" are not living the high life from all your professed hard work you know.

Glen_Clark

I feel very fortunate to have a well paid job I like doing. So as a taxpayer I don't mind paying reasonable benefits to the unemployed.
But the Royal Family are just taking the p*ss :mad:

Morglin

BigAunty wrote: »

Plenty of progress made to date in reducing benefits - have you missed the news?

- Tax credits have been reduced
- EMA has been reduced
- child benefit scrapped for certain earners
- the way LHA is calculated has reduced the rates downwards
- a HB cap has been applied
- the £15 sum that private tenants used to get if their rent was cheaper than their LHA entitlement has been scrapped
- those in social housing with spare bedrooms have reduced HB
- benefit claimants in England who used to get full council tax discount now have to pay towards

plus there is a cap to benefits for non-working households

And yet, despite all this we are told, the welfare bill continues to rise, month on month.....:whistle:

It's not only working families exempt from any benefit payment/tax credit cuts and caps - any household that has a member claiming DLA, PIP, or AA is also exempt.

Any household with a child getting DLA is exempt from all HB caps and the Bedroom Tax.

Some housing caps, bedroom tax costs, and council tax contributions are being propped up/funded by individual councils from other budgets, and therefore being paid for by local taxpayers, via their CT.

We are still paying the same, just in different ways!

Lin

gadgetmind

citricsquid wrote: »

Basic Income is inevitable and will change the country for the better. I look forward to it

I just can't see the UK doing something that simple. Yes, it could replace all benefits, pensions, and personal allowances, but HMG would tie it up with lots of conditions and thousands of pages of legislation and means testing.

[Deleted User]

gadgetmind wrote: »

I just can't see the UK doing something that simple. Yes, it could replace all benefits, pensions, and personal allowances, but HMG would tie it up with lots of conditions and thousands of pages of legislation and means testing.

Don't remind me! I'm trying to pretend that isn't true and that even our government couldn't mess it up

Dan-Dan

castration

SnooksNJ

Glen_Clark wrote: »

The problem is that on the one hand Osborne is driving up housing costs with Help to Bubble, whilst on the other trying to reduce benefits, so that benefits no longer cover the rent.
What can you do - throw innocent kids out on the street?
We are back to square one.

Since I don't know the system I'm curious as to why the Baby Daddies aren't expected to pay for their kids?

SnooksNJ

Glen_Clark wrote: »

We need an alternative to benefits, like REAL jobs that pay enough to cover Englands very high housing costs. Not the zero hours commission only trying to solicit charity donations jobs shown on Benefits Street.
A lot of people claiming benefits are working, but the wages don't cover the rent.
The car factory where I live doesn't like employing guys over 25 and won't hire anyone over 30 to work on the production line because they can't run fast enough. With plenty of young Polish immigrants to chose from they can afford to turn away anyone over 30. People over 30 are not the car factory's problem But they are the taxpayer's problem when there are no other jobs for them.

So the problem is ageism and EU membership.