Re: Benefits Britain!

She needs the money no doubt about that, £500 per week to feed and clothe 8 and pay her rent etc. they do not live well that's for sure.

Re: Benefits Britain!

I was just going to say if that includes her housing it doesn't seem too much to me. The only reason I can see it sounds a lot is wages and pensions are too low and that breeds envy !

Re: Benefits Britain!

Me too - I feel for the children as they grow up thinking that's the way life is !

Re: Benefits Britain!

The trouble is though imagine having to find child care for that number of children, imagine looking for work to fund that family. She needs that amount to live any sort of decent life and those children deserve a life. I doubt she could find a job paying that sort of wage - NMW is about the norm for most these days and childcare is not inexpensive if you look for the best.

Re: Benefits Britain!

Why have 'so' many children, when you cannot afford them !

Re: Benefits Britain!

I completely agree but once they are here isn't the time to tackle the problem. I do think education is probably the best way to explain to some couples not to have so many. But I am minded the size of this family is rather strange these days as most couples stop at one or two.
Having said that in history there have always been some couples who have bigger than average families, so it's not new just something some people seem to enjoy.

Hate to say it if we could have had children I am not sure what size our family may have become as we both liked the thought of 5-6 children and I would guess once you have that many another one or two won't make that much difference !

Re: Benefits Britain!

Been saying this for years, the demographics of the population are changing. The population head count was generally controlled (in recent years), by the disposable family income of a family with two working parents, I.E at one point an average of 2.4 kids. this number for families in this situation has probably dropped now to 1.something. Outside of this scenario receipt of unearned income gives greater flexibility on the head count that can be sustained, also, the cultural differences in other races social structures present here, allows them legitimately to support an higher than average family size.
This is just an observation, and not supported by research or known fact. Imo.

Re: Benefits Britain!

I don't grudge children any type of benefit. I just hope that the parents put the money towards enhancing the children's lives. It's such an ill divided world. Some children are spoiled rotten and some get the dregs.

I also do not, and will never, understand how some people work the system. When I needed help, I practically had to give them blood. I had to prove everything, let them see every piece of legal document, etc. The little help I got, I had to pay it back.

£500 does sound a lot, but it would only pay my month's rent. It can't be much for all those children.

Re: Benefits Britain!

I would like to differ than some of you regarding the amount of £2k a month not being maybe enough.
I would like to say that £2k a month x by 3. and a half is what I have to live on for a year. I cannot live alone and have to live with one of my sons other
wise I would be a bag lady wheeling my shopping trolley around in the
cold. I had to bring my two sons up alone when my ex committed suicide
I used to have £1 to last me for three days out of 7 waiting to get my
social on the Monday. As it was so low that it had gone in 4 days.
I have one that lives next door to me. She is a single parent with a boy and is about 18. Never worked she gets the rented house paid for and has the police around every month arresting the creeps she lets in the house. The smell of drugs and noise and the Police wont do anything about it.
I wont watch programmes like this as I live next door to it. We all own our own houses around here but then the ones who move rent their houses out to anyone for the rent. It should not be allowed and certainly someone who quite obviously hasn't worked should not be getting enough to have fun on drugs and not provide some recompense to tax payers.

Re: Benefits Britain!

I don't see us racing to the bottom and trying to live off less because it was how it was previously a good thing. I want us as a nation and a fairly rich one to be treating everyone better not worse just because I have been treated worse myself.

Raise wages to a point people can afford to work is best way to get people working.