[Misc] Universal Credit

[Pevenseagull]

. I only hope that money went to charity.

it didn't, or eventually won't. It got or will get escheated.

I haven't had use for that word in decades, and a few weeks ago it came up in a crossword.

 

[Westdene Seagull]

Sigh ..perhaps let’s not turn the thread into bashing one side ...let’s balance it up with the crap that Gordon B introduced ..all politicians come up with these schemes to grab headlines with no way of knowing how they are implemented and how difficult it makes people’s lives

Why? It's absolutely disgusting. Poorly thought through from the start. And they want claimants to claim AFTER a full month - it's backdated. It's also paid monthly rather than weekly. Iain Duncan-Smith proudly proclaims on TV that claimants will learn how to budget through a month to make it last, he is that woefully out of touch - we have so many dreadful senior politicians on both sides of the house, but he really is one of the worst of the lot. How many penniless drug addicts has he met? You think they'll be lucid enough to plan over a month? Give me strength.

My wife sees the damage this is causing in her job. So does anyone who works at a soup kitchen or food bank. Ask [MENTION=1365]Westdene Seagull[/MENTION] what he thinks of UC. And this is all going under the radar while the Tories make a total mess of Brexit.

The current crop of Tories have been undoubtedly the worst government in living memory, but this country gets the government it deserves, IMO. I've never been so embarrassed by our political classes as I am now.

Indeed. UC is a horrible, inhuman and broken system. People coming to the food bank I help at have doubled since the local rollout. The government have continued to roll it out DESPITE the pilots showing it didn't work, DESPITE experts saying it didn't work and DESPITE a parlimentary committee saying it didn't work. It's pushing many people to tje brink. It's shameful that it has forced so many to food banks - remembering you only get 'four' days food ( whatabout the other three ?? ) and that food is soup, beans and tinned fruit along with a small bag of questionable quality fresh stuff the supermarkets have got rid of. It hits home when you see people crying because they are ashamed they need the help and it makes me fvcking livid that UC has driven a lot of this.

 

[Nitram]

Best of luck we have used services in Brighton which have been brilliant in helping. The system is totally against anyone who does not have inside knowledge. A knowledgable advocate is needed in interview situations otherwise the person involved will feel stressed and lost. It's a horrible system without human kindness and a tick box exercise.
Strongly recommend you get in touch with advocates/disability service in your area.
Google revealed these - looks a good starting point.
http://www.thanetsupport.co.uk/organisation.php?id=95

 

[The Clamp]

Woman on radio now telling how she had to turn to prostitution while waiting 8 weeks for UC payment.

So called survival sex is on the rise (although 99% of prostitution is survival sex).

Shame on our government.

 

[Stoichkov]

I've no experience of UC but I set up the tax free childcare system thing about 18 months ago via the .gov page. An absolute ballache.

I do most things on line but this was virtually impossible and it required me to have access to a passport, a mobile phone and I'm sure something else too so that I could 'verify' myself. It also requires me to keep reconfirming the details every few months or else I'm sure I'd be locked out.

When I set it up I thought that anyone that struggles with online services would have no chance of managing it.

 

[darkwolf666]

Best of luck we have used services in Brighton which have been brilliant in helping. The system is totally against anyone who does not have inside knowledge. A knowledgable advocate is needed in interview situations otherwise the person involved will feel stressed and lost. It's a horrible system without human kindness and a tick box exercise.
Strongly recommend you get in touch with advocates/disability service in your area.
Google revealed these - looks a good starting point.
http://www.thanetsupport.co.uk/organisation.php?id=95

Thanks for that, most appreciated and flying in the face of a couple of the idiots who have posted.

 

[Deleted member 2719]

Well done for supporting your granddaughter, if you go to a local CAB they will have someone who can talk her through it all.

Hope she is sorted soon.

 

[darkwolf666]

Well done for supporting your granddaughter, if you go to a local CAB they will have someone who can talk her through it all.

Hope she is sorted soon.

Thanks for the advice - my wife and I are legal guardians to the 2 grandkids that live with us, so feel I need to support them as much as I can, without involving the likes of CAB if I can...

We’ve managed to book the identity verification interview, so one step done.

I have now discovered that my granddaughter is expected to spend 35 hours per week job searching!!! 35 hours, how on earth do you do that week in week out, 7 hours a day looking for work - that’s a full time job!

I understand they want to make sure people are actively searching for work, but how do people spend 35 hours every week job-searching? Any advice or ideas from anyone who has gone through this would be much appreciated.

 

[Westdene Seagull]

Thanks for the advice - my wife and I are legal guardians to the 2 grandkids that live with us, so feel I need to support them as much as I can, without involving the likes of CAB if I can...

We’ve managed to book the identity verification interview, so one step done.

I have now discovered that my granddaughter is expected to spend 35 hours per week job searching!!! 35 hours, how on earth do you do that week in week out, 7 hours a day looking for work - that’s a full time job!

I understand they want to make sure people are actively searching for work, but how do people spend 35 hours every week job-searching? Any advice or ideas from anyone who has gone through this would be much appreciated.

Do what I do when I've been out of work and downright lie .... just say she applied for x job on y day. They have no way of checking and there really isn't enough jobs to find and apply for to use up 7 hours a day.

 

[darkwolf666]

Do what I do when I've been out of work and downright lie .... just say she applied for x job on y day. They have no way of checking and there really isn't enough jobs to find and apply for to use up 7 hours a day.

I know, 7 hours a day, every day is nothing short of ludicrous. As I said in a previous post my granddaughter has a good work ethic, and currently works all her spare time as a volunteer in a charity shop, which will obviously now have to stop, as she won't have any spare time. She has quite happily walked around all the local nurseries, handing in her c.v. and covering letter and will do whatever is asked of her - as is her way!

But 7 hours a day every day!!!

 

[BLOCK F]

I know, 7 hours a day, every day is nothing short of ludicrous. As I said in a previous post my granddaughter has a good work ethic, and currently works all her spare time as a volunteer in a charity shop, which will obviously now have to stop, as she won't have any spare time. She has quite happily walked around all the local nurseries, handing in her c.v. and covering letter and will do whatever is asked of her - as is her way!

But 7 hours a day every day!!!

Bloody unrealistic and ridiculous!

 

[aberllefenni]

Check with the Jobcentre, but I'm pretty sure voluntary work can count towards the 35 hours "worksearch activities," although there may be a limit on this.

 

[bha100]

Meanwhile McVey is happily spending tax payers money on a personal photographer whilst your granddaughter is having to jump through hoops just to get a bit of help and support

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2019/jun/12/esther-mcvey-expensed-thousands-of-pounds-for-personal-photographer

 

[Westdene Seagull]

Check with the Jobcentre, but I'm pretty sure voluntary work can count towards the 35 hours "worksearch activities," although there may be a limit on this.

They got very funny with me when I suggested I wanted to do voluntary work ..... in the end I just didn't tell them I was doing it. To be honest, I've never meet such a bunch of time wasting jobs worths than those I've met at the jobcentre. They really don't live in the real world.

 

[Deleted member 2719]

Thanks for the advice - my wife and I are legal guardians to the 2 grandkids that live with us, so feel I need to support them as much as I can, without involving the likes of CAB if I can...

We’ve managed to book the identity verification interview, so one step done.

I have now discovered that my granddaughter is expected to spend 35 hours per week job searching!!! 35 hours, how on earth do you do that week in week out, 7 hours a day looking for work - that’s a full time job!

I understand they want to make sure people are actively searching for work, but how do people spend 35 hours every week job-searching? Any advice or ideas from anyone who has gone through this would be much appreciated.

My understanding of the 35 hours, can include:
Travelling time
Preparing for interviews
Time spent in physically prospecting and handing out CV's
Basically, anything to do with job searching.
She should have a work coach soon who she can discuss these things with, it what she feels she is capable of doing.

 

[darkwolf666]

My understanding of the 35 hours, can include:
Travelling time
Preparing for interviews
Time spent in physically prospecting and handing out CV's
Basically, anything to do with job searching.
She should have a work coach soon who she can discuss these things with, it what she feels she is capable of doing.

Yes, pretty much how I understand it too. I also discovered that she may be expected to travel up to 90 minutes from home for work.

Now I have commuted those sort of hours and more in my early working career, but to a good job, earning good money, so it was financially viable. My granddaughter may now, worse case scenario be expected to job search as far away as London, for any job, possibly even minimum wage, as she has no previous earnings to act as a yardstick for her searches!