Rant please re: tax credits/benefits etc

big bear

A bear on a mission!
I'm currently on maternity pay which ends on the 22nd April. I phoned up the Job centre to see if I could claim JSA & as I was working part-time before having my daughter I'm not entitled to it.

Also our child tax credit has been cut by £52 per month; they've taken the baby element away.

I have been searching/applying for jobs for the last month as I knew my maternity was ending but as you all know it's really really hard out there especially for part-time work.

I know that in my circumstances I'm probably a lot better than others as my H does have a job although not that highly paid. This really is going to hit us very very hard & I've always worked all my life.

I can't believe they can cut things just like that & I really feel for those out there that rely on tax credits to feed their children..

Sorry just wanted to get it of my chest, I really don't know how we'll get by, to be honest if I can't find a job in a few months we'll lose our house :cry:
 
Oh Starlight that's not good at all; it really is tough & I completely understand that others are so much worse off than me. I really hope that they don't cut that much of you money X
 
Tax credits etc drive me nuts.... they've lowered the threshold this year - meaning i'm no longer entitled to the measly £10 per week they gave me for my twin 2 year olds. The twins that i only received one baby element for, the twins who are the same age yet one gets reduced child benefit for.... have me over at every single opportunity :(

Hugs to you both though x
 
Are you not able to go back to your old job?

Could you do something like Avon until you got a more suitable job?

When our son started uni his FA finished (as he'd turned 18), but we were still expected to support him & pay for his dental care needs etc. It's so difficult sometimes.

Anyway son is now in his last year at uni & will be leaving home soon (it's the industry he'll be working in):cool:
 
Not sure if this will be any help, but maybe worth a look:
Benefits Check Up: 5 mins to get what you're entitled to...

Thanks for this hun but unfortunately as H works I'm entitled to nothing. My tax credit may go up slightly once my mat pay stops...

RKM - that's awful re: the twins...

I sound like a moany cow as so so many people are unemployed etc & I'm lucky H does work & we've got our health & 2 beautiful babies but everyone's situations are so different..

We never even got a letter or anything they just reduced it...
 
Just because you're less worse off than someone else doesn't make it right that you are badly off, and with no warning whatsoever -so don't feel bad or guilty about being angry or annoyed.

The obvious exception to this is the person on BBC the other day on £150k a year complaining about the 50% tax bracket andh ow much worse off he was going to be - he can take a running jump for all I care.

Starlight - can they even impose a pay cut without you all agreeing to it? especially if a union is involved? Its in your contract how much you get paid so they can't change it unless you agree surely??
 
Starlight - can they even impose a pay cut without you all agreeing to it? especially if a union is involved? Its in your contract how much you get paid so they can't change it unless you agree surely??

Their answer is just to keep reissuing us with new contracts with the changes they want to make. Ive had 4 new contracts in as many years

Theyre talking about hammering our shift allowances. My shift allowance is around £8000 a year and its classed as a part of my income so the banks will allow you to use it for mortgage applications/loans etc... potentially people are looking at losing their homes if this goes through... unfortunatley I have no faith in the union whatsoever :(
 
Sorry just wanted to get it of my chest, I really don't know how we'll get by, to be honest if I can't find a job in a few months we'll lose our house :cry:


That is appalling !! I can not believe that whatever authority is involved in this would allow you to lose your home.
That is criminal. You are a hard working young couple with 2 kiddies. You do not ask for or claim anything that is not your entitlement like so many do.

I know how you feel we're facing a pay cut at work, at best itll be £200 a month... where on earth thats going to come from I cant imagine. I feel sick at the thought of it :cry:

That is an enormous amount of money to lose. £5 or £10 a week is hard but you can cut back by that much but £50 no way.
I hope you can do something about it.


I don't live in the U.K. yet so perhaps I am talking through the hole in my bottom but surely things like some Overseas Aid should e stopped or cut.
This makes really interesting reading if you read it all............

Express.co.uk - Home of the Daily and Sunday Express | UK News :: Britain's foreign aid bill scandal
 
Their answer is just to keep reissuing us with new contracts with the changes they want to make. Ive had 4 new contracts in as many years

Theyre talking about hammering our shift allowances. My shift allowance is around £8000 a year and its classed as a part of my income so the banks will allow you to use it for mortgage applications/loans etc... potentially people are looking at losing their homes if this goes through... unfortunatley I have no faith in the union whatsoever :(

My hubby has this, they kept changing his contracts to reduce sick pay etc. He refused to sign them and referred them to the employment law that said he did not need to sign the new contract because he had a perfectly good one already. Similarly, my old company was bought out by another company and we had much better benefits (6 months full paid sick pay) - which they couldn't change.

Having said all this, my mother works for O2, they are forever changing the contracts, and the union does sweet FA - so I get why you wouldn't have any faith in them.

I really hope it all gets sorted for you..x
 
A couple of years back our union was in talks with our company bosses for nearly a year to get us a small pay rise.

After all the talks they had with the company, the bosses came back with Nought percentage pay rise back dated to April 2009. Result....

Then back at the table with the unions last year, and they said we were earning too much, so will slash our wages by £1000 in April 2012. The company I work for is massive and making millions out of our customers every year.

The staff all know now where we stand and how much the company appreciates us.
 
Big Bear - I do think it's disgusting that departments are allowed to just cut benefits with no warning.

They should at least be made to give us notice before payments cease. Sometimes I just wonder how on earth they think you can raise children on next to nothing :(
 
MichelinMummy said:
Sometimes I just wonder how on earth they think you can raise children on next to nothing :(
They are well aware of how much children cost to raise - they just don't care I'm afraid :(
 
MichelinMummy said:
LOL...me too :) I didn't mean it as a criticism.

Besides there's a difference between cynicism and realism :D

V true. Think i tend to err on the cynical side tbh when politicians are concerned :)
 
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