Benefits Street

Well, I went to sign on again at the Jolly Jobcentre (my lovely neighbour took us as we knew there was not enough fuel in the car to get there and back again) and was talking to one of the advisers about the T.V programme.

She said that she had had a couple of people signing this week who were practically incandescent with rage after seeing it! She also said that she really couldn't understand why Mr P and I were getting so little. I told her than when my fortnights JSA of £143 goes in next Wednesday, almost £45 of it is already spoken for as I had to get a few bits on the "slate" at the village shop

She was pleased for me when I told her that I had 2 interviews booked for Tuesday next week (hooray!) but didn't have an answer when I told her that I had no idea how I was going to get to them.

But I will get there, somehow and if I'm offered either of them I will accept, even though they are not very well paid. Let's face it, anything has got to be better than £71.70 a week! Then of course there is the small problem of actually getting to work in an un-taxed car with no money for petrol................................. but you have to keep ing!

Phoenix, sending every good wish (and positive vibes if you want them) for the interviews. Your job centre person sounds like a proper human being, that's a relief isn't it.

I agree with FlicketyB and POGS. I think most of us are suffering from compassion-fatigue when it comes to the type of families portrayed in the programme.

In reply to those who say the government should be targeting the bankers and companies who don't pay enough tax - yes they should be.

But in the case of the small proportion of benefit claimants who are unwilling to work it's not just a question of the amount of money we're paying to keep them in idleness, it's the way that sort of 'lifestyle choice' is shaping this country and the expectations of the younger generation which worries me most.

Thanks Iam send vibes, chant, waltz the cat around the kitchen, whatever!

I must say that all the advisers (you usually see a different one each time, but it is an open plan arrangement so they all tend to give me a wave!) in my local JC are lovely and very supportive, although they are unable to give benefits advice.

I have a 'friend' who has been on DLA for 13 years now. He claims he is depressed. Every time he is called in to be assessed he doesn't shave for a week, doesn't wash and the best part is: he has NEVER been to a Doctor. He tells them that he 'self medicates' and they believe it!!
I know it's wrong, but who is to blame.

I know someone like that, petra Being too stressed to work doesn't stop him playing golf, driving his kids about, gardening, supporting the local football team and spending a fair few hours in the pub. Alright for some!

Petra ATOS

BP alert Galen!!!
That's a very rude word around here!

petra, if or when he has to go on to PIP, he may not get away with it so easily - as Galen says, ATOS....!

My ex couldn't work due to having a bad back, still went sea fishing, clay pigeon shooting and everything else

Not sure if ATOS will apply to him?

There seems to be an awful lots of TV programmes on which show people at their worst. I think if you put some people in front of a camera they will act up for it. I'm sure these programmes are cheap TV, I read that some of the residents were given cigarettes and alcohol to encourage them to participate as they couldn't be paid because it would affect their benefits. Thank goodness there are a few programmes left which are entertaining and reletively intellegent.

Heck re the above...intelligent and relatively, that's shocking spelling, just shows you should check before posting message.LOL

When television programme are made they shoot three or four more times film than the programme requires and then edit it down and they edit to slant the programme to the story to the one they want to tell.

A lot of people do want their 15 minutes of fame and act up for it, but producers will also encourage and lead people to say things that exaggerate and misrepresent their behaviour or views.

DD and I were on an innocuous television programme about 20 years ago and it was quite a revelation. We were put in a nice hotel and had a 'minder' but on set we were treated like bits of furniture. Dumped in corners and ignored until we were needed then dumped on set to do our bit and then back into our box. The final edit of the program, while neither doing us harm nor having a particular agenda was edited for effect and to make a good programme rather than to represent a fair summary of what we had said, but it was what we expected so we were not bothered. But it would make me very wary of taking part in any programme that represented a life style or opinion on an issue.

pity the television companies dont do a series of programs showing pensioners struggling to keep warm and put food in their stomachs!

Years ago, a TV programme was made with an interviewer talking about education to senior pupils of different types of school - a good LA secondary in a fairly run-down council estate and ones from a fee-paying school.

They set up to shoot the secondary pupils outside the school with a wall as backdrop - then decided it was too clean so they sprayed it with graffiti. Preconceptions made reality!

I never watch so-called 'reality' programmes, for all the reasons mentioned above. The scenes are contrived and edited to show what the producers set out to depict.

Made in Chelsea is described in the TV listings as 'scripted-reality' - if it's scripted how can it be reality?

Even serious documentaries and wildlife programmes are not to be trusted to be free from trickery.

phoenix I have been following this thread silently and am shocked that your situation is permitted to be as it is. I feel for you. I took the liberty of asking an aquaintance a question or three and came up with the following but you will need to check it.
Ask your jobcentre person about the 'travel to interview scheme' or 'advisor discretionary fund'. Apparently they can pay for travel costs to interviews but there may be a distance limit if it is in the immediate area. She told me she had paid for someone to travel to London and back at £230+ train fare.
In addition purchase of interview clothing could be considered under the advisor discretionary fund. Regarding you not having paid enough contributions to qualify for the unemployment benefit if it was during a period of unemployment and you were claiming benefit you should have been credited with contributions.
As I am not familiar with the system myself please do check it out. It may come to nothing but at least you tried. I am angry that all my taxes, and I do and have paid a lot, cannot be used for those in need of a little support when they need it but can be squandered on all manner of air brained, vote buying, incompetent ideas. NHS IT systems and corporate tax loopholes spring to mind.
I wish you well and sincerely hope your efforts are met with just rewards. Good luck with your interviews.

Good point ps, I was wondering why this had not been mentioned before. When One can't afford to run a car surely public transport is the answer especially when attending interviews.

Go to

www.turn2us

and select benefits checker, it will tell you what you are entitled to. Its quite easy to use but you should definately not be on zero income. You should go to Citizens Advice Bureau or get some advice from Welfare Rights office. There are people out there who can help if you are on an extremely low income. And you should definately not be paying Council Tax so you need to get to your nearest council office and fill in a claim form

As for the Benefits Street programme. Its very selective. The producers are coming under attack for not making it clear to the people taking part that it was going to be about benefits and it was going to be called Benefit Street. The people featured are not representative of all the people living there. They are deliberately making themselves unemployable and a lot of that is because of the kind of background they come from, or have been brought up in themselves. And also a lack of education and opportunities. They are to be pitied really. Hopefully with the governments new line on benefit fraud they will have to change thier ways. They will have to look for work or they will have thier benefits stopped. Its up to them.

I agree that Channel 4 seem to be doing the government's dirty work for them. There always have been and always will be, probably, people who take advantage of the system but what do we do - let them starve? A more balanced programme would have presented a more rounded picture of people in receipt of benefits - and maybe some who aren't but should be. What never seems to get the same treatment are all those who are allowed to avoid paying tax quite legally - Starbucks, Google, Amazon etc. I know a couple who live part of the year in France and part of the year in the UK so they avoid paying tax, but they still use the NHS, the roads and other publicly funded facilities - and another couple who left the UK 40 years ago who draw their state pension. Are they any better?

Purple

I know I am being rude in asking but if you know 'a couple' who left. 40 years ago and get a state pension might I ask how old they were when they left and how old they are now.

The reason for the question is to answer whether nor not they are any better, it would depend on whether or not they paid any contribution to their pension.

My mind sees a couple in their 60's who left in their 20's, or a couple in their 80's who left in their 40's as examples.

Many thanks to those who posted advice and support, it is appreciated.

POGS unfortunatly I know many people similar to the ones discribed by purple people who had moved abroad and claimed longterm sickness benefits for years then claiming their retirement payments,all they where doing was using a family members address for correspondence this does go on in a big way and it is about time the British Authorities tried to clamp down on it,we came across these types time & time again when running our business abroad whilst we where working long hours and paying into the Spanish Tax system some Brits just can't stop bragging about how easy it is to rip of the British Government so everyone is tarred with the same brush which is such a shame.

The size of a State pension is based on contributions, with a minimum contribution of ten years. So if a couple left the country 40 years ago they would need to have contributed to the UK state system for at least 10 years before they left the country to get any pension at all so although they get a state pension it is probably not very much.

I am surprised anyone dividing their time between Britain and France manages to avoid tax, unless they are acting illegally and evading tax, but I am not sure that would be possible. There is something called the law of domicile, which is quite complicated, but if they were previously living in the UK and spend more than 90 days a year in this country they will be taxed as resident in the UK. If they spend much more than three months a year in France they will need to register for residency and with residency comes tax. If they are in receipt of a state pension, the tax authorities will undoubtedly catch up with them.

Some distant relations sold up their house in the UK when they retired and bought a huge camper van as their home and spend the year travelling around Europe. Their van has to be taxed and insured, their pension paid into a bank account. As far as I know they remain British tax payers.

I have just come across this. It probably gives a much more accurate description of the street in question:

www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/jan/20/benefits-street-james-turner-birmingham-channel-4?CMP=twt_gu