Universial Credit

FFS

How much benefit would you get for 6 children plus carers allowance. Would you get rent paid if the husband is the carer and not working.
It does seem a lot of money especially to people who are working.

I thought the idea of Universal Credit was to have a maximum amount which could be paid regardless of family size but maybe that is wrong. I thought there was a max. of £23 or26K.

I'm sure the scenario the OP describes is absolutely the norm for families in receipt of UB and thus proves that all claimants are totally worthless scum who just want to milk the system and have no sense of the decorum demanded of poor people.

Or, perhaps the journalist who wrote the story worked very hard to find a quite exceptional case so as to work everyone up into a state of righteous indignation over the undeservingness of 'the poor'.

She gets PIP which doesn’t count towards the cap. My mum used to save from what was then Mobility Allowance. Instead of going out regularly and spending it on taxis, she stayed in more and then had some great holidays instead. But IMO this woman is a prat for going on the show as this backlash was inevitable and only harms the more usual type of benefit recipient but boy does it play to the gallery

Yes * Maizie* what about those waiting for their claim to be sorted over the holidays and no one to telephone for an advance. Some of us might think that this was the real scandal.

No journalist wrote the story, the woman was on Morning tv, I saw the link,

I think it was unfortunate she choose this time to talk about it, rather like those benefit claiments on a C5 programme showed off . They are hurting genuine claimants

Journalists then reported on it - now let’s have a guess - daily mail, express, telegraph. Why did you fan the flames ab rather than post about fellow Christian Frank Fields heartbreaking stories that even reduced a Tory MP to tears?

Are those stories the norm? Or are these both just extremes chosen to illustrate a political point?

I work in children's services, these stories are always rolled out and the government and media has successfully demonised benefit claimants. It is political.
The truth is that many more families are struggling to feed their children and heat their homes. There has been a huge increase in the working poor welfare reform does not only affect those out of work.
It is not families who manage to save who are hurting claimants it is the government with their social policies, the media with their biased reporting and the attitudes of people who know half a story perpetuating the myth.

And what makes you think this claimant wasn't genuine?

No idea Primrose, the woman agreed to a TV interview, no idea why , didn't read it in a paper because I no longer buy newspapers . I would be interested to know what she appeared in the studio and gave the interview.

Yes, all benefit claimants should be sat in a cold room eating gruel, not wasting taxpayers money on Christmas presents for children, how low can you sink?

I will tell you when I reach down to your level lovecheese

I'm sorry, I can't see where the problem is.

Is it the fact that they managed to save £50 a week over the year. Are they not allowed to decide how to spend the benefit?

Or is it that they've spent what they saved on Christmas presents for their children? £500 per child sounds a tad excessive to me but when I recall what children from 'poor' families in the disadvantaged area I worked in had given them for Christmas it is probably somewhere near a norm

Or is it that their benefits shouldn't be such as to allow them to save £50 a week?

What don't people think is 'genuine' about them?

And what was the reason for her appearance on TV?

She has been ill since 2012 with ME and Fybromyalga yet her youngest child is 22 months old.

Not sure if your point annie

Of not if

The problem is she has given critics of benefit claimants an excuse to attack benefit claimants and I think that is selfish and stupid. How much she saves and what she sends her money on is up to her, I just get annoyed because there was a lot of criticism and this will not garner support for those who have to live on benefits

So do you think she is lying about her illness then?

do you think we should issue food stamps like America does ,or restrict HOW benefits are spent ? For goodness sake IF hs emanaged to save off her benefit/PIP/carers allowance then good on her...I'm sure being able to buy things for her kids would have put a smile on her face...probably a rare smile if she has even half the health problems my DD has .Annie ,are you SURE you're not a Tory?

You choose to twist things, I have said what she does with her money is her business, I have not criticised her choices on spending, I criticise her going on TV to discuss how she spends her benefits and at a time this government are putting people on benefits through the hoop with delays on universial credit.

Your final comment Paddyann was extremely childish

OP you did question her spending in your original post and you implied she was not genuine by comparing her to claimants on another show and harming genuine claimants. Does your comment on having a 22 month old child mean that as a disabled woman on benefits she should not have the energy or right to have sex or children?

There are plenty MP's appearing on TV and claiming expenses way and above their need while denying that Universal Credit is creating poverty. Would your criticism not be better directed at them?

I compared her doing the same harm as fraudulent claimants, I did not question her illnesses, and if you take the time and the bother to read the post you will see a question mark, this means what are your views on benefit claimants giving interviews about spending not your views on me, the latter is of no interest to me,

I do think having such poor health and five children the youngest then being three to have a sixth especially with ME was rather silly. Her sex life is of no interest to me, it seems to interest you.