General Chat

Just been on the news about one family/4 kids who are struggling to live of her £108 per wk benefits. One of the kids was eating a tub of ready prepared fresh fruit,not that short of cash then lol

Marion

Is this without child benifits? if so its not a great deal taking into account bills such as watergas/electricty....any television licence which must eat into a fair bit per week/month.

Not sure,what it icluded,Kay but i just thought for somebody stuggling,why pay over the odds for fruit.

When I read/hear the words 'child poverty' I always imagine the definition as it was applied in the 19th and early 20th centuries. No shoes, no clothes to speak of, no food, no heat, overcrowded slums, little education, rife killer diseases.

I have no idea what defines child poverty in 2011 but if anyone can tell me I'd be grateful.

Sue, from Barnardo's site

http://www.barnardos.org.uk/what_we_do/
our_projects/child_poverty/child_poverty_what_is_poverty.htm

"What is child poverty?
A family with two adults and two children needs to have £352 each week in order to be above the poverty line"

"£13 a day – the reality of living in poverty
Many families living on a low income have only about £13 per day per person.

This needs to cover:

•all of their day to day expenditure, including necessities such as food and transport
•occasional items such as new shoes and clothes, school trips and activities for children, and replacing broken household items such as washing machines and kitchen equipment
•all household bills such as electricity, gas and water, telephone bills, and TV licences."

There's a graph linked from that page, it's 2009 but probably not far out from todays figures?

Thanks.

I have not a clue about 'top ups' via benefits but believe Council Tax, housing benefit etc., can be claimed.

If the benefit system truly worked then those that play the system are depriving those in need through fraudulent claims and should be punished. I rather suspect we all know some of these swines who work on the side and shouldn't be entitled to help. It galls me no end :-(

The UK is supposed to be the 6th richest nation in the world. I see money wasted on 'nice statues' trying to rebuild a heap of stones by CADW in order to preserve something that hasn't existed for 100s of years.

I'd rather see the money put into decent social housing.

Just playing devils advocate here but maybe the prepared fruit was in the discount bin at the supermarket, just because the child had it doesn't mean the parents are being frivolous with their income. Surely the parents deserve some credit for giving the child fruit instead of crisps or fatty/sugar filled snacks.

The person in front of me at the Supermarket yesterday had two children with her and everything she purchased was ready meals or the like to put in Microwaves.not one bit of fresh stuff at all.not very good nutritionally and expensive to boot. Do they not get taught how to cook nowadays? meybe sme Poverty is self induced. :-S **M**

We have a "poor" family in our street, both parents smoke!!!!!!

Have to agree Merlin, even if the family are comfortably off there's no excuse for feeding children rubbish.

Prepping fresh food doesn't take long and is a lot cheaper if you choose vegetables in season. Pasta and a veg sauce is complete in 25 mins flat! Good for you and sooooooo cheap :-D :-D

Can someone tell me how a person on the dole can afford to run a car :-S

Hi all

Thanks for your input.

I was probably one of these kids who lived in poverty.Going to bed to keep warm and pinching tatties out the fields to eat. Many times it was 'chips chips and more chips for tea lol

Getting back on the food prices.It does pay you to work out the prices of things. I hate it when they tell you ie tomatoes/apples at ??p each,then you have the loose at ??a kilo etc.

Not a clue Stan :-S

To answer that, I think you first have to know whether the person on the dole with the car is NEWLY on the dole, ie whether the car was bought and taxed etc while the person was employed, if the person on the dole is actually paying for it
( could be a relative contributing)

It is virtually impossible to be considered for many jobs without having your own transport, especially if you live in a rural/semi rural area with no adequate public transport. So keeping that car may be the only way to get out of your current poverty... like a friend of mine who was in that position, she went without a lot of other things ( heating and lighting) in order to do that.

It's easy to generalise, but every 'poor' family's individual circumstance may be very diifferent.

I know somebody who is on benefits,doesnt work but still goes abroad for holidays at least once a year and has a car. :-S

Well, I'm off out for tea.Taking in-laws out for Fathersday.

Marion

In many cases people have to have a car regardless of whether they can afford one or not!
In my area many/most people HAVE to manage to run a car even when on the Dole, without a car it would be very difficult for them to get to their workplaces,if & when they did manage to get a job!.
Our local town has nothing in the way of jobs & so many of those looking for work have to travel much further away,buses are irregular & some areas don't have buses at all & the fares don't come cheap!

Some time back when my husband was "requested" to sign on for a job,just 3 months after he had his Triple Bypass,he was on the dole for several months & we HAD to manage to run our old banger of a car on his very little job seekers money & my 15 hr a week cleaning job! we got no other government help.
With a mortgage still to pay for & 4 children still in school it was not easy,robbed Peter to pay Paul many a time.
Living where we live the car was (still is) essential.
Without a car hubby would not have been able to get to his eventual workplace.
I can only hope people didn't say or think that of us, "how can they afford to run a car with him out of work", me & my hubby would go without a meal so as to be able to keep our car running!

Joan.

Rita, what you have just posted makes my blood boil, it also gives Joe Bloggs an unbalanced view as to those on benefits as Joan was.

There is absolutely no doubt there are abusers of the benefit system and I have to admit that I have become much more cynical over the last decade concerning claimants.

No offense to Joan ot other genuine claimants who, in my view, are abandoned because they don't play the system.

I receive disability benefits myself and quite frankly couldn't financially survive without.

Whilst I would say 14 is way too many, i do object to the phrasing in the article "The couple get income support, carers’ allowance, housing and child benefit and a disability handout for one of their brood."...It's a disability entitlement, not a "handout"

"Tom ...... He is also the official carer for Ryan who has diabetes, Addison’s ­disease – which stops his body fighting infections – and thyroid problems that have left him with the bones of an eight-year-old.

The youngster has frequent hospital appointments and needs regular help with medication.

The constant supervision forced Tom to quit his £20,000-a-year job as a postman four years ago.

Meanwhile, Stacy is full-time carer for mum Jackie – partially paralysed after a stroke."

http://www.people.co.uk/news/uk-world-news/2011/04/17/meet-britain-s-biggest-family-102039-23066431/

Rita?? I don't see anywhere where I said "I approve" !!

I 'disapprove' of the journalistic 'slant'which turns " disability entitlement" into "handout" ..whether I approve of anyone ( jobless or otherwise) who has 14 children they can't..or indeed CAN...afford is a whole different ball game!