Reply to: On the bench!

[TheFaQQer]

Exactly, whose milking the system, PC by claiming JSA which he's no doubt paid for 10 times over in CT every year or cases like this.

who's

Is there an option for "both" or "neither"?

[BlasterBates]

So maybe they should sell the house for 2 mio now, and buy an handful of others for 100k each? I understand those might be in less desirable locations, but 1. Beggars cannot be choosers; 2. A roof over your head is better than no roof. Basic property management IMO.

...because the government forces the councils to sell council houses at a huge discount.

i.e. they can't just sell council houses at whatever price they want.

Think "Thatcher" ....

In other words this house is not worth 2 million to the council, it's worth 150 grand (or whatever). This is the problem with the Daily Mail, it mixes up facts which individually are true without painting the complete picture. The council isn't totally stupid it will try and make money where it can.

[mrv]

Some points on the "benefit culture"

When the council bought the house 50 60 or perhaps 70 years ago it cost them a few hundred pounds, so it might be worth 2 million now but the council isn't paying a mortgage on a 2 million pound property.

So maybe they should sell the house for 2 mio now, and buy an handful of others for 100k each? I understand those might be in less desirable locations, but 1. Beggars cannot be choosers; 2. A roof over your head is better than no roof. Basic property management IMO.

[psychocandy]

Exactly, whose milking the system, PC by claiming JSA which he's no doubt paid for 10 times over in CT every year or cases like this. The tories have my vote as at least they have made a start in tackling this benefit culture. God help us if a Lab/SNP coalition end up running this country come 8th May...

EXACTLY.

[psychocandy]

To be fair to PC it's all above board to claim if you have the need or desire to. Neither of which I have so not something I would do but its personal preference.

NLUK in reasonable comment shocker!

[psychocandy]

I had to sign on every two weeks, I went to Greece in the middle week once. Trusting I would be signing with a different drone the next time who wouldn't notice the tan
DON'T tell them if you plan on going on holiday.

Ha ha. Strictly speaking you cant claim if out of the country....

[psychocandy]

Isn't one of the benefits of contracting to enjoy bench time as/if you wish using your built up warchest, doing what/when you want ? e.g. up at noon for a month, followed by 4 weeks golfing in Spain

JSA seems to enforce quite a regime, not the life of Riley it used to be ? (or is it still ?) ..

"You’ll have to accept a ‘Claimant Commitment’ if you want to claim JSA
You and your work coach will agree what goes in your Claimant Commitment. It might include:
1) what you need to do to look for work, eg registering with recruitment agencies, writing a CV
2) how many hours you need to spend looking for work each week
3) your circumstances, eg work history, health, family or caring responsibilities
Your JSA might be stopped if you don’t do what you’ve agreed to in your Claimant Commitment and you can’t give a good reason.
You must go to a Jobcentre Plus office (usually every 2 weeks or when asked). This is known as ‘signing on’.
When you sign on, you’ll need to show your work coach what you’ve been doing to look for work,
eg job applications and interviews.

Work Programme
You might have to join the Work Programme if:
you’ve been getting Jobseeker’s Allowance for more than 3 months
"

Sign on once a fortnight.
This looking for work thing isnt that bad. They leave you alone for the most part.

[BlasterBates]

Some points on the "benefit culture"

When the council bought the house 50 60 or perhaps 70 years ago it cost them a few hundred pounds, so it might be worth 2 million now but the council isn't paying a mortgage on a 2 million pound property.

A TV costs 100 quid, the days when a "color TV" was a status symbol are long gone, so when claimants are watching TV it doesn't actually cost anything.

Of course they could make a point of putting "foreigners" in squalor just to make Daily Mail readers feel better but in terms of cost this family costs no more than anyone else.

The council could sell the property and make some money, but that has nothing to do with central government.

It looks like the current government has set the scene for an almighty crash...

http://www.theguardian.com/business/...albert-edwards

I'm not saying Labour is better, I'm just saying it won't make much difference who gets in power.

[Willapp]

Exactly, whose milking the system, PC by claiming JSA which he's no doubt paid for 10 times over in CT every year or cases like this. The tories have my vote as at least they have made a start in tackling this benefit culture. God help us if a Lab/SNP coalition end up running this country come 8th May...

Amen.

[SlipTheJab]

Some corrections taken from Somali family on benefits handed keys to £2million luxury 'council' home on one of London's most affluent streets | Daily Mail Online

"6" should be "8"
"5 bed council house" should be "six-bedroom end-of-terrace Georgian townhouse in Islington"
"TV" should be "TVs -'new carpets and TVs being brought in'"

"Robert Oxley, of the TaxPayers’ Alliance, said the case showed why benefit reform was ‘necessary – to ensure that there is a safety-net for the poorest and most vulnerable, while protecting taxpayers against paying for big, expensive houses’."

Exactly, whose milking the system, PC by claiming JSA which he's no doubt paid for 10 times over in CT every year or cases like this. The tories have my vote as at least they have made a start in tackling this benefit culture. God help us if a Lab/SNP coalition end up running this country come 8th May...

[SunnyInHades]

welfare should be there as a safety net for the poor immigrants who arrive here with 6 kids in tow and need a 5 bed council house plus 50 inch widescreen TV and a PS3 to survive...

Some corrections taken from Somali family on benefits handed keys to £2million luxury 'council' home on one of London's most affluent streets | Daily Mail Online

"6" should be "8"
"5 bed council house" should be "six-bedroom end-of-terrace Georgian townhouse in Islington"
"TV" should be "TVs -'new carpets and TVs being brought in'"

"Robert Oxley, of the TaxPayers’ Alliance, said the case showed why benefit reform was ‘necessary – to ensure that there is a safety-net for the poorest and most vulnerable, while protecting taxpayers against paying for big, expensive houses’."

[SlipTheJab]

Well when people like you on this forum who earn £100k a year are happy to milk the system what chance do we have with the "scroats"?!

I have never claimed and although am playing devils advocate never will so get off your high horse, welfare should be there as a safety net for the poor immigrants who arrive here with 6 kids in tow and need a 5 bed council house plus 50 inch widescreen TV and a PS3 to survive...

[TheFaQQer]

I had to sign on every two weeks, I went to Greece in the middle week once. Trusting I would be signing with a different drone the next time who wouldn't notice the tan
DON'T tell them if you plan on going on holiday.

When I was a student and claimed, because we lived out in the sticks they just gave me a load of forms and I had to sign and date one every two weeks and post it.

They rang me one week because my dad had posted it a day early and it had arrived too soon. Nearly cost me my £32 that week.

[northernladuk]

Well when people like you on this forum who earn £100k a year are happy to milk the system what chance do we have with the "scroats"?!

To be fair to PC it's all above board to claim if you have the need or desire to. Neither of which I have so not something I would do but its personal preference.

[flamel]

An unusual post, I get the impression most CUK posters have a massive "warchest" and this is the time now to pile in with
"shut your mouth and look at my wad/warchest"

I spent my wad on a chest