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I hope that family is aware that if you are on minimum wage, with child care costs and high rent.- it can claim Universal Credit.
UC gives specific help for:
1) up to 85% childcare ( ie up to £1,014.63p for one child and £1,739.37 for 2 or more children.
2) help with rent, capped by the Local Housing allowance, which is based on the average rent on their rental area
3) Council tax reductions - up to 100%

I agree, Lemonjam, but I also think that those working on minimum wage and paying high rents and childcare costs have every right to resent the fact that people getting free housing and benefits for not working.

They don't get it for "not working" that is simply an unsupported opinion.
They get it because they meet the conditions of insurance . If you paid the same car insurance as someone involved in an accident and the insurance paid them for something you know little about would you spread your unsupported opinion about whether they "deserve it" or not. Some groups find it harder to defend their position or clarify their situation than those spreading what is little more than gossip

Sorry - should have attributed the quote. It was from Doodledog's post - Mon 01-Jun-26 00:07:40

DAR they get it because of conditions of insurance
The claimants I’m referring to are in families where generations haven’t worked or paid insurance.
This isn’t gossip, it’s factual.
We need a welfare state to support any of us who may find ourselves in need. I can’t tell you how often I was told “I’ve a good income, I’ll never work again it’s a mugs game”
We need tax and benefit fraud investigated and minimised. We need to face reality

Plus as highlighted, that working family you describe Doodledog also has the same access to the same benefits and welfare budget, with the same eligibility conditions as those out of work.

Universal Credit is particularly designed to ensure work pays. As you earn your benefits do not stop entirely- they taper off for every £1 after tax. There are few cases where benefits can outweigh wages. The Centre for Social Justice highlights a combination of out of work benefits plus disability supplements can exceed the after tax wages of an average full time job where this occurs. Plus those few and far between families that have high numbers of children- e.g the Chawner family and Cheryl Prudham grab media headlines because they rely on benefits. But they are few and far between. In the vast majority of cases families are better off working than not working- with access to UC if on a low wage with high rental and child care costs.

Thus, no reason to resent those who also have access to the same welfare budget, with the same eligibility conditions.

There is a cohort of those claiming benefits that are able to work and want to work all support needs to be made available to help them get work. That does also depend on the availability of employment they are able to undertake.

The group that can and does cause resentment are those claiming benefits fraudulently. According to Gov.co, UK fraudulent benefit claims accounts for 2.2% of total benefit expenditure- not as high as the media would lead people to believe.

There are DWP people in post to investigate this and prosecute. Anyone can report benefit fraud if they believe it is taking place via a National helpline telephone number- 0800 854 440.

Iam64

DAR they get it because of conditions of insurance
The claimants I’m referring to are in families where generations haven’t worked or paid insurance.
This isn’t gossip, it’s factual.
We need a welfare state to support any of us who may find ourselves in need. I can’t tell you how often I was told “I’ve a good income, I’ll never work again it’s a mugs game”
We need tax and benefit fraud investigated and minimised. We need to face reality

I agree Iam64 that there are families as you describe. Data fromm the ONS and the Joseph Rowntree Foundation shows that families where multiple generations have never worked are exceedingly rare and account for less than 0.3% of UK households.

The reality is that most, workless families do not choose to live on benefits permanently. Economic activity is largely driven by long term sickness, disability and caring responsibilities. rather than an unwillingness to work. See BBC "Who are the millions of Britons not working and why?" and "Benefits in Britain:Separating the facts form the fiction" The Guardian.

"We need tax and benefit fraud investigated and minimised. We need to face reality"

Absolutely- anyone who suspects this should anonymously call the National Benefit Fraud helpline- see number above- so it can be investigated and stopped.

There may be no objective reason to resent it, but people feel what they feel. If you get up every morning to work gutting fish or digging roads for minimum wage and see others with the same standard of living who could work but don’t, and they also get discounted entry to attractions, and free this and that, I think it’s understandable to resent that.

Yes, this is exploited by some politicians and the media - I’m fully aware of that - but the resentment is not unreasonable IMO.

Iam64

DAR they get it because of conditions of insurance
The claimants I’m referring to are in families where generations haven’t worked or paid insurance.
This isn’t gossip, it’s factual.
We need a welfare state to support any of us who may find ourselves in need. I can’t tell you how often I was told “I’ve a good income, I’ll never work again it’s a mugs game”
We need tax and benefit fraud investigated and minimised. We need to face reality

There are problems with fraud throughout socitiety but, every strata has a few extremely bad people from tax to benefits and everything in between. Some make mistakes and errors are also made by poor systems. That's human beings for you; the "good"- the vast majority who try to do what's right, the "bad", those who play the system and the "ugly", those who see every action in life as a transaction and the winner as the strongest bully - the one who owns everything and everyone.

Doodledog

There may be no objective reason to resent it, but people feel what they feel. If you get up every morning to work gutting fish or digging roads for minimum wage and see others with the same standard of living who could work but don’t, and they also get discounted entry to attractions, and free this and that, I think it’s understandable to resent that.

Yes, this is exploited by some politicians and the media - I’m fully aware of that - but the resentment is not unreasonable IMO.

👏👏👏👏👏👏

There is financial help available for families on minimum wage that work gutting fish and digging up roads.

You can't stop people feeling resentful I agree. But a society without welfare benefits for both those on low wages that need Universal credit top up for housing, council tax and childcare support and for those not able to work due to disability, long term poor health, caring responsibilities or cant get a job- is not a society I would wish to live in.

We have a niece who works the system, has nice 2 bedroom social housing 2 boys, she works occasionally but never keeps a job for long, her boyfriend and children's father visits weekends and contributes financially. Always on the scrounge from her father, her one saving grace she does look after the children well.

LemonJam

There is financial help available for families on minimum wage that work gutting fish and digging up roads.

You can't stop people feeling resentful I agree. But a society without welfare benefits for both those on low wages that need Universal credit top up for housing, council tax and childcare support and for those not able to work due to disability, long term poor health, caring responsibilities or cant get a job- is not a society I would wish to live in.

No, and I wouldn't either. I firmly believe in a welfare state, but would prefer it to be based on a reciprocal arrangement- from each according to ability, and to each according to need.

If people don't pay in (assuming they are capable of contributing), why should they get out? The problem, of course, is that there comes a point when it's too late for an individual to pay in, and unless we reinstate workhouses or something for those unable to support themselves (which, for avoidance of doubt I am not advocating) there has to be state assistance.

I don't like the way that large employers can get away with paying minimum wage and expecting the state to top up wages, either. I would rather see a loan system so that it can be available for start-ups, but after, say, 5 years the money should be paid back out of profits. There could be exemptions for very small businesses, but there is no reason why people working a full week should have to rely on benefits, with all the restrictions that places on their financial affairs and privacy.

It's a mess, and would be difficult to unpick, but all I am saying is that I can understand why people are resentful, and how simplistic solutions, such as those offered by Reform et al can seem attractive. I am in no way supporting those solutions, in case that's not clear.

I haven’t seen anyone disputing the need for the welfare state. I share the view that it’s understandable that working families resent their long term non working neighbours exploit what should be a safety net, not a lifestyle choice. I know it’s complex and that there are good people and bad people (thanks for pointing that out in case anyone didn’t know). I know some people avoid tax. I also know some people exploit the benefit system and that some people resent that

X posted there Doodledog

I don't like the way that large employers can get away with paying minimum wage and expecting the state to top up wages

Doodledog I agree with this comment.

Sadly, we seem to have gone so far down the road of ‘business is king’ that employers are able to put vast, eye-watering profit ahead of paying decent, living wages.

If big companies took a bit less profit (😱) perhaps they could pay their employees a fair wage, enough to live on, and the government wouldn’t need to plug the gap.

IMO this is where any ‘resentment’ should be directed, rather than at the minority of individuals who ‘play the system’.

At the risk of labouring my point, I am saying that I understand the resentment, and that it is likely to push people towards Reform and its ilk.

Nobody can direct others' resentment - if people feel it they feel it, and being told that they should resent something different is most unlikely to persuade them to do so. It's not as simplistic as 'good, bad and ugly' people - it's about feeling exploited and overlooked.

Iam - What someone tells you can still be gossip.

It's important to recognise that the vast majority of benefit claimants are genuinely in need. According to official data, benefit fraud and errors account for only around 0.5% of total welfare expenditure, with actual fraud being a smaller portion and "error" including both claimant and DWP errors.

Most people claiming support are facing real challenges, such as health issues, caring responsibilities, or difficulties finding work. Many claimants want to work but face barriers like skills gaps, lack of available jobs, or health problems. Suggesting that people prefer benefits over work oversimplifies complex socioeconomic realities.

The bravado of someone in a very weak eononomic position declaring “I’ve a good income, I’ll never work again it’s a mugs game” does not mean they shouldn't be getting whst they are getting. Maybe they should, maybe they shouldn't. We have many weak systems in this country, as many first world countries do, but the isn't the fault of the system users; it's the fault of those providing the system.

... the resentment is not unreasonable IMO. (Doodledog)

It's not much help when it's so out of proportion. Shouldn't we tackle actual problems?

Doodledog

At the risk of labouring my point, I am saying that I understand the resentment, and that it is likely to push people towards Reform and its ilk.

Nobody can direct others' resentment - if people feel it they feel it, and being told that they should resent something different is most unlikely to persuade them to do so. It's not as simplistic as 'good, bad and ugly' people - it's about feeling exploited and overlooked.

So we should punish the innocent because people with disproportionate views of these people are likely to vote reform? Which other groups should we punish? You logic suggests any group the right-wing press provides for the haters to hate.

You your

DaisyAnneReturns

Doodledog

At the risk of labouring my point, I am saying that I understand the resentment, and that it is likely to push people towards Reform and its ilk.

Nobody can direct others' resentment - if people feel it they feel it, and being told that they should resent something different is most unlikely to persuade them to do so. It's not as simplistic as 'good, bad and ugly' people - it's about feeling exploited and overlooked.

So we should punish the innocent because people with disproportionate views of these people are likely to vote reform? Which other groups should we punish? You logic suggests any group the right-wing press provides for the haters to hate.

Why should 'we' punish anyone? They are your words, not mine.

I am arguing for a properly contributory system, and for a stop to tight-fisted employers being subsidised to pay wages that are not enough to live on. I haven't mentioned punishing people or 'haters' - please don't put words into my mouth.

Nobody can direct others' resentment - if people feel it they feel it, and being told that they should resent something different is most unlikely to persuade them to do so

Doodledog I’m not telling anyone where they should direct their resentment, which is why I said ‘IMO’.

It’s my opinion that ‘resentment’ should be directed at big business making vast profits … where individuals choose to direct their resentment is up to them.

I’m not trying to ‘persuade’ anyone; just giving my opinion.

That's fair enough. So am I

DAR - please be reassured that I’m aware what gossip is. I’m also aware what benefit and tax fraud look like.