Government racks up near £500,000 bill fighting ‘bedroom tax’ cases
http://www.aol.co.uk/news/2016/11/24/government-racks-up-near-a-500-000-bill-fighting-bedroom-tax-c/
Universal Credit pilot council calls for ‘urgent’ suspension of roll-out
http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Public-Sector-News/universal-credit-pilot-council-calls-for-urgent-suspension-of-roll-out?dorewrite=false
posts from facebook..
u.c is unbelievable bn on it 2month 1st payment after 7 wks £137 2nd payment £141. how on earth do a get by another month with £25 a wk earnings am at me wits end with everything little food sittin in th cold its a nitemare
Yet again no payment today been told it could take upto midnight what a **** take
I applied for a budgeting loan last month but was denied as we still owe 4p!! We applied again at the start of this month on the 8th and I rang up yesterday to chase it up. I was told they received it on the 15th. I then asked when should we expect to have the money by as it’s needed ASAP. She said I’ll receive a letter back by the 6th Dec that I have to sign and send off, which means if I post it out straight away I should have money by the 30th December! Surely it shouldn’t take from the 8th November to 30th December?
Does anyone know how to get food from the food bank…? I’ve been unfairly dismissed with -£100 in my bank, two payday loan debts and, well… nothing. No food. No gas. No money. Last couple of pound on electric and ran out of my.antidepressants. you can imagine how I’m feeling right now, oh. And a loan taken out last month from universal credit and they want £30 a month and I havent been able.to pay the first lot, or the next lot. I only get £250 off UC so they’ll take £60…. they’re still “investigating” on giving me.housing benefit. Feel like I’m being stabbed at every angle
hy cnt get into my activity log its kps sayen locked out for past 2days nd to phone help desk problem is a avnt got any credit wot do a do now panackin in case get a sanction
I went through the nightmare UC experience a couple of years ago as I am in one of the first areas that it was rolled out. I was working part time and was informed at the JC that I would be much better off with this benefit, well, what a shock I was in for! Constantly called for meetings at the Jobcentre, made to jump through hoops and virtually beg on top of being sent on different courses and then on to Bootstrap (another arm of the JC). Just about managed to keep my job of 12 years squeezed in between all this. I managed to get a full time job in June this year and breathed a sigh of relief that the nightmare was over……soon found out it wasn’t! Since starting my new job I received a letter from the Town Hall telling me Universal Credit had informed them that I had moved house (therefore cocking up the little bit of Council Tax benefit I received) and last week, a lady from the housing association came knocking and looking through the window. Again, she told me that UC had informed them that I’d moved out, despite the fact that I was still paying my rent. I’ve lived here for over twenty years. Why don’t they just sod off and leave me alone, I’m not claiming anything anymore ( I earn slightly over the limit for UC). It really annoys me how this system is still messing about in my life. Rant over
PLEASE WRITE TO YOUR MP
This is my story just two weeks in
Dear Sir
I do not know how many if any have complained over this new benefit but I would like to share my situation to shed some light on this,
First I live Preston I have worked as an estate agent for a while I have a young daughter I have always claimed tax credit for childcare and it helped towards my rent and my wages are used for food bills travel and clothing etc this has always been the case I always had enough to get by each month some months even had fifty pound spare which for a single working parent in October this year my job ended I assumed being an educated woman who has always worked it would be easy to find employment ridiculous I now know ! I told my landlord who trusted I would get work due to my conduct throughout.
I went to the job center who advised whilst I was job searching I went onto Universal Credit I did not understand much on benefits so I trusted there judgement in previous years when I changed jobs Tax Credits always gave you a four week run on as childcare still needs to be paid as nursery’s and childminders keep the place available so it has to be paid this was always understood by tax credits and they always honored this.
I assumed this universal credit was the same, so at the end of October when I was put on this joke of a benefit I waited for my tax credit to pay rent, I got a text off Barclays your payment as been declined after looking I had no money!
I rang tax credit who told me the minute you go onto Universal Credit your claim stops!!! I was in shock I had nearly 600 pound rent to pay, council tax and childcare almost one thousand pound..
I was then told I would be paid on the 17th of December what would I tell my landlady the childcare provider and hang on i have Gas and electric meters and a child, I actually felt suicidal and went into shock I had 1 pound 64p in the bank and had just been told no money would come till the 17th of December what about food bills heating electric my daughter, bus fares it has been a nightmare.
I have had to get loans off Wonga which I now owe and I borrowed a large amount pm off family to live how can anyone in the world think you can go 7 weeks without money when you have a child.
I am now in over two thousand pounds of debt because of this Also being told I have to do thirty hours job searching and time and date every day when I had no electric for two days was a joke.
I have applied for over 187 jobs posting cv begging for jobs and only because of loans and my family I am ok and have heating and food etc
My complete shock is others the people who do not have family or access to loans how can anyone wait seven weeks?
They say you can ask for an advance yes I got this one hundred and fifty pound advance !!!!!my gas is thirty pound and electric the same key thirty which only last a week as pre payment with the rest I have to get a bus pass for both me and my daughter and food what’s left for the next six weeks
universal credit is a form of ethnic cleansing harsh yes but I feel it’s true because without my family and help I would of committed suicide this benefit sifts out those who can get help and those who can’t because if you can’t what do you do ?????get in debt .get depressed .even worse !which I am sure people will do over the winter months with no money.!
I am not angry at you , I just plead with you to understand how evil this benefit is, Tax credit was a wonderful help to working parents who were allowed to work 16 hours and with children this is enough! but Mr smith seems to think we have to work a minimum of thirty and do school runs and look after children with sleepless nights, is he trying to kill mothers! I am outraged at this and feel something needs to be done before lives are well will be lost .
Bring Back tax Credit as I see this benefit is destroying lives !
