Gransnet forums

News & politics

DWP

(376 Posts)
durhamjen Tue 25-Oct-16 12:58:22

They appear to have agreed that the stopping of welfare benefits has killed people.

www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=351394091875093&id=100010135152763&pnref=story

What do you think?
From Jack Monroe.

durhamjen Mon 06-Feb-17 09:44:49

Exactly, vampirequeen. How do they ever move if they are renting and have a zero hours contract? No landlord will take on a new tenant on a zero hours contract.

vampirequeen Mon 06-Feb-17 08:48:20

One of the problems is that pensioners will take zero hour contracts which is fine if you have an income such as a pension but totally impossible for someone who relies on their wages for rent, food, leccy etc. How can you budget if you never know how much you're going to earn?

FarNorth Mon 06-Feb-17 00:57:59

Pension thread? I have looked.

durhamjen Sun 05-Feb-17 23:41:44

I mentioned that on the pension thread, FarNorth. I find it ludicrous that they are talking about the over50s and over60s. I don't know anyone over 50 who is thinking of retiring. Getting closer to 70 now.
"Reap the benefits of work". That's what we thought we were doing up til now. Many were fooled.

FarNorth Sun 05-Feb-17 23:07:58

inews.co.uk/essentials/news/politics/drive-urge-older-people-delay-retirement-fill-post-brexit-job-vacancies/

"A drive to dissuade older people from retiring early has been announced by the Government to help offset an expected fall in numbers of foreign workers after Brexit."

You'd think they could bring in all those workshy scroungers to fill the jobs.

durhamjen Sun 05-Feb-17 13:19:42

I wonder if she is still saying that.
After all,64% of children in poverty are in working families. The problem is, as you say, you can't argue with someone who has that much power over your life, even if you have the facts.

www.endchildpoverty.org.uk/key-facts/

vampirequeen Sun 05-Feb-17 12:46:14

I once commented that it was difficult to adjust to such a huge drop in income when I became ill. The DWP woman told me in no uncertain terms that I couldn't expect to have the sort of income that people who are employed get. After all they have to go to work every day, have responsibilities, pay their taxes and national insurance and help maintain the economy.

Obviously my thirty plus years of working, paying taxes etc. count for nothing as I am now just a drain on those hard working, employed taxpayers and should be grateful for what I get. My ESA is contribution based and I have a small pension that I scrimped to pay into (and now takes me over the income limit for many benefits). But she soundly put me in my place.

I can laugh about it now but at the time my mh suffered even further as she made me feel even more undeserving than I already felt. No I didn't complain. Firstly you can't afford to upset these people for minor insults because they can totally mess your money up for months (look how long it took to sort out my housing benefit and I hadn't upset them) and secondly I was too ill anyway.

vampirequeen Sun 05-Feb-17 12:36:04

Brilliant and, sadly, pretty accurate in the assessors attitude. All sick and disabled are scroungers.

durhamjen Sun 05-Feb-17 11:30:20

soundcloud.com/cornucopiaradio/utatos

FarNorth Sat 04-Feb-17 20:14:06

Speechless!

vampirequeen Sat 04-Feb-17 18:26:50

Sadly I'm not surprised and I've no doubt that the claimant will be sanctioned. How dare she put fighting for her life over and above her atos appointment!

durhamjen Sat 04-Feb-17 11:29:35

This is sick.

voxpoliticalonline.com/2017/02/04/atos-try-to-interrogate-unconscious-hospital-patient-over-non-attendance-at-benefit-assessment/

daphnedill Fri 27-Jan-17 20:29:08

I've seen it (the film).

No, I don't know of any petition.

durhamjen Fri 27-Jan-17 17:42:13

"I, Daniel Blake," daphne.

Anyone know of a petition to sign about this?

vampirequeen Fri 27-Jan-17 17:02:10

Well that's a bonus for the guy who came up with the idea. If you can't get to the job centre for your interview they'll sanction you and if you can't get online and search for work they'll sanction you. Yay....win/win for the DWP.

FarNorth Fri 27-Jan-17 11:47:12

I think the official DWP response to concerns like yours daphnedill, is "Who cares!".

daphnedill Fri 27-Jan-17 06:20:09

People are still made to sign on at the JobCentre every two weeks and go for face-to-face interviews every couple of months. The official JobCentre for where I live is three bus rides away. It's impossible to reach it and get back in a day. I bet they don't offer to reimburse travel expenses. What about people who don't have access to the internet?

durhamjen Fri 27-Jan-17 01:48:12

78 jobcentres to be closed and others to be moved.
They are being closed because people tend to do their jobsearches online, instead of at the jobcentres.
Irony or what?

durhamjen Fri 27-Jan-17 01:14:01

www.disabilitynewsservice.com/coroner-orders-inquest-into-fit-for-work-man-who-collapsed-after-leaving-jobcentre/

Can't forget things like this in all the Trump excitement.

vampirequeen Mon 16-Jan-17 21:22:16

I get PIP. It took ages to sort out but when they did finally send me a letter saying I could have it they also said they'd leave me alone until 2022 so I don't have the sword of Damocles hanging over me.

Galen Mon 16-Jan-17 18:58:04

There are delays.
If his application fails, then please go to an advice centre e.g. CAB for further advice re appeal

Jenny716117 Mon 16-Jan-17 18:24:02

Has anyone had experience of applying for P.I.P? Did it cause you stress and anxiety? My husband's application, consisted of filling in a 42 page form, giving all professional evidence in support of the application, being visited at home by a "Health Professional," who asked me , (the Carer of my husband with Middle stage Alzheimers), all the exact questions on the form yet again, which took two and a half hours and still 14 weeks after first applying, have not had a decision. This is causing me extra stress on top of the normal stress I experience of being a carer to a person of Alzheimers. I told the 'Health Professional" that my husband would be in a care home if I didn't look after him.

durhamjen Mon 16-Jan-17 16:16:08

Hopefully, they will have realised that universal credit is not working, and cancel it before then, vampirequeen.
Universal income is much easier to organise, and it doesn't penalise people.

vampirequeen Mon 16-Jan-17 12:36:22

I live in dread of the day the universal credit letter falls on my doormat.

durhamjen Mon 16-Jan-17 12:13:29

I have just read on a housing website, that 86% of universal credit claimants are in arrears with their rent.
Hope that makes you feel better, vampirequeen.