ITV wants to hear from families better off on benefits
We received an email from Laura Stevens from ITV. She wants to hear from families who would be better off on benefits after April 2012. Have a read of her email and, if you think you could help, drop her an email.
We are looking to put together a programme about the Working Tax Credit Cuts for ‘Tonight’ on ITV1 where families working less than 24 hours a week will have them cut. It would be great if you could pass my details to any families who choose to go to work for all the right reasons but who would actually be better off on benefits from April 2012 – perhaps they pay for child care for their kids which is hugely expensive, they’d get their rent paid and other assorted benefits. Families who work because it’s the right thing to do and they want to set a good example to their children but who would be as well off if they didn’t work.
I look forward to hearing from you,
Best wishes
Laura Stevens [email protected]
3 thoughts on “ITV wants to hear from families better off on benefits”
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I was a PWC on benefits, my ex had our other child and worked full time for the DWP but the csa refused to pursue my claim for maintenance. When my resident child left home I returned to work fulltime on just over minimum, wage sending the csa details of my living costs etc. After 9 months the csa applied a DEO (claiming not to have received my info), each week the amount being deducted increased (to take arrears) until my take home pay for a five day week was about £55pw. I gave up my job as I was better off on benefits. The programme focus may be too narrow, there are lots of parents like me, wanting to work, willing to maintain our children, happy to contribute to a taxpayer society but being prevented from doing any of thesethings because of the sheer greed and stupidity of an expensive to run organisation whose sole purpose appears to be to create employment for low grade civil servants in the DWP who would probably be out of work otherwise.
Me and my partner both work. I work part time, he works full time, I have a daughter from a previous relationship, he has a son from a previous relationship. Because He works full time he is the one who pays our rent (apparently our rent is under the affordable homes scheme, but we still pay £620 a month!) he also pays our council tax of £158 a month, and then the CSA payments are taken. He keeps getting letters from the CSA stating that his payments are going to go up, and that he owes them arrears. Hes only just paid off £1400 of arrears because of them dragging their feet in getting the calculations right. Im left to pay pretty much the rest of the bills out of my wages (13 hours a week at minimum wage) and I even get taxed on that!!! after my tax im left with £252 a month. out of this I have to pay Water, electric (this is £100 a month due to having arrears) Gas, School meals, Car insurance to get me to work, petrol, food, my loan (which i stupidly took from provident to get my daughters uniform for secondary school) internet (needed for daughters homework as its all internet based now). Im constantly having to borrow money from my mum (who is on ESA through disability) in order to keep my eyes above water, yet alone my head. If we were to go onto benefits, then yes, we would lose money in terms of cash, but our rent and council tax would be paid, and my partners CSA payments would be reduced to £20 per month, so in effect we would be better off by around £200 a month on benefits.
Forgot to add, this leave me in debt, even with my child tax credits, child benefit that i receive for my daughter, and my partner need to get to work, so we are left with on average £35 a week for food. We cant buy clothes, or treat ourselves, and if my daughter needs anything we have to go without eating for a few days to be able to afford it. The CSA dont care about anything except getting money off you, and they are very biased. they only care about the PWC. my prtner doesnt even get to see his son yet hes paying for him. hes seen him once in 4 years!!!!