Universal Credit, what the heck do they think they are doing?
Universal Credit
Those 2 words spread fear, hatred, disdain, anguish and disgust to thousands of people who hear or read them. Many of you reading this (especially in the UK) would have heard about this absolute farce that has taken over the many welfare benefits in most of the UK. Think about what you have heard/read about it, I bet you have not heard a SINGLE positive thing about it have you? You know why? It is because it is so broken not even Einstein could figure it out let alone fix it.
Now I know there are going to be some of you who think. "So what if those people wanted money they should go and get a job!" Well naysayers here's the truth around 360 THOUSAND people claiming Universal credits are in employment, and i'm one of them. DON'T even think about saying "get a better job then!" Finding a job is hard enough let alone a "better job" How about YOU change your attitude, it's probably people like you who voted for the Tories and therefore this abomination in the first place.
This is my story
In October 2018 I found myself single. My ex had decided he wanted to leave, it was for the best. After all these things happen all the time, no biggie. So as a newly single mother of one I went online and put in my application for UC. I received my phone call and had my appointment down the jobcentre a few days later. I went through all the forms bla bla bla yadda yadda yadda the only thing I didn't have was proof my daughter lived with me as her father had previously been claiming the child benefit (we have her 50/50 and I was not eligible for it whilst with my ex, its her money after all). My first payment (after 5 weeks) was due 5th Dec 2018. The woman ate the jobcentre said if I wanted to apply for an advance so I wouldn't struggle I could apply to up to £1,300. Not being greedy and needing some food shopping I applied for £250, after all I was getting paid from work in a few weeks it would be fine.
It wasn't
Come payday I thought to myself right, I'll check my bank, pay the landlady and do some food shopping. I can use my UC for xmas not a problem. However, after leaving my 2nd job back in October even though I had received my p45 from HRMC (I thought that meant they automatically KNEW I was no longer working 2 jobs) I was taxed 20% of my earnings. Ah ok... that did not go to plan. See again to the NAYSAYERS did you know if you work TWO jobs you pay 20% of your wages in tax? No nor did I until I worked 2 jobs... so a 2nd job is not really worth it either. So I gave them a call explained everything to them and they said ok, you will get it back in your NEXT payslip. Well not much good to me at the moment love but never mind at least I am getting it back. I'm just going to have to struggle as always. Also I'll be getting my UC in a week. So in total I got paid £664. I paid my landlady half the rent (rent is £695) and got some food shopping in. Again I can cope just about for 1 week, no biggie.
5th Dec 2018
I woke up, I say I woke up I was awake most the night tossing and turning. You see with your FIRST UC payment they will not tell you previously how much you will receive for some reason....Now I don't know about you lot, but I have anxiety and one of the things I need to be able to relax is TO KNOW, I need to know what is what so I can plan. So I check my UC on my phone.
Your payment this month is
£0
What?
How?
So I called them.
Because my last payment from my 2nd job was at the beginning of November its was calculated in with everything else as it was in the "assessment period" OK fine but how am I supposed to pay my rent? How am I supposed to get to and from work? I ask. "I'm sorry I don't know" was the answer I was given.
Great. Oh damn and I forgot about Christmas.
So I rang the CAB and they recommended a budgeting loan. I'm not entitled to that because I have not been on benefits for 6 months.
I went to the town hall and asked for help. Because I am not getting housing benefit through my local council as it is part of my UC they can not help me at all
I went into the jobcentre They suggested calling the UC line and asking for an advance budgeting loan, and told me I could always use the food bank... I did ask how the food bank was going to pay my rent apparently it can't
So I call UC. remember that money I borrowed? £250 instead of £1300? well because I borrowed that little amount I wasn't entitled to any more! Such fun!
I called my bank to try and get an overdraft, denied because i'm already in my "reserve" but the nice man told me how to contact my local credit union.
The credit union people were lovely and within a week had helped me pay my rent.
But what has this got to do with UC being broken you may ask? Well
My next payment was due the 5th of Jan 2019. I open my phone and....
Your payment this month is
£0
I had earned too much money again. At this point I'm also getting annoyed because the flipping school for some reason cannot write me a letter with my daughters name on it to prove shes living with me. (I will get back to that in a moment)
I got my backdated tax. so with £972, £695 going on rent, £120 going on food/house shopping, and then various bills I am left with NOTHING until the 28th of this month. I am not even getting the housing benefit part paid so I am having to pay full rent. How do these people expect us to live? I had to borrow £10 from someone to get my daughter to school last week. I still owe people money for bills I have not been able to pay for over 2 months. I am trying to sell my belongings to get some cash.
I requested said letter from the school ages ago, I spent the Christmas holidays emailing my daughters head teacher directly. I stated what I needed it for. I got a phone call Wednesday, apparently they do not know why I need a letter. So I have a home visit from the school next week to prove that I live here so they can give me a piece of paper saying I have a blooming child so I can get what I am owed. But it got me thinking, how are SINGLE working people on the line supposed to live on this crap?
Recently a mate of mine was told by UC she was fit to return to work after having a baby 4 weeks previously. WHAT ARE YOU PLAYING AT?
It is an extremely depressing and frustrating time to be a working person in "Great" Britain right now. We have no idea how we are going to get by on a daily basis and being told NO every time we try. I had a phone call from one of my utility companies the other day because I am in arrears. this is how that conversation went:
Me: Hello?
Him: Hello is that Miss ****
Me: speaking
Him: Hi i'm calling because your account is in arrears.
Me: Yes I am aware and if you are calling to ask me for money, please contact Universal Credit as they are the ones refusing to pay me.
Him: OH! ah yes OK no problem, i'm sorry to hear that. I don't rate UC i think they are causing more grief than anything else. I will freeze your account for 30 days, but please get back to us as soon as you know what is going on. Also I am sorry I cannot call them for you. I really hope you sort it out. have a nice day.
If THAT doesn't tell you how bad UC is I don't know what does.
It's just an endless cycle, normal working people not being able to earn enough to get by, we ask for help and get screwed over by the big nobs because THEY want the money. We do not matter to them. Apparently we have a voice. Do we? I can't find it. We as the peoples of this county have rights. Do we? What rights are those? To be continuously knocked down and back by "more able-bodied (rich)" people. Tell me this. If us "lower wage" people all suddenly went extinct, who would do this:
*Clean your houses/businesses
* Serve you in shops and restaurants
*Grow your food
*Clean your streets
*Support those with needs
*Look after your ill, old and disabled relatives or even you if/when it happens to you?
*Care for you children
*Deliver your takeout
This country is a total mess, and no one who can change it cares. They are not the ones suffering, we are as a whole. Yet we are the true people that keep this place running. Not them. We just need to find a way to tell them NO!
Those two words, Universal Credit:
Satan himself isn't this evil
R.I.P.Great Britan
Those 2 words spread fear, hatred, disdain, anguish and disgust to thousands of people who hear or read them. Many of you reading this (especially in the UK) would have heard about this absolute farce that has taken over the many welfare benefits in most of the UK. Think about what you have heard/read about it, I bet you have not heard a SINGLE positive thing about it have you? You know why? It is because it is so broken not even Einstein could figure it out let alone fix it.
Now I know there are going to be some of you who think. "So what if those people wanted money they should go and get a job!" Well naysayers here's the truth around 360 THOUSAND people claiming Universal credits are in employment, and i'm one of them. DON'T even think about saying "get a better job then!" Finding a job is hard enough let alone a "better job" How about YOU change your attitude, it's probably people like you who voted for the Tories and therefore this abomination in the first place.
This is my story
In October 2018 I found myself single. My ex had decided he wanted to leave, it was for the best. After all these things happen all the time, no biggie. So as a newly single mother of one I went online and put in my application for UC. I received my phone call and had my appointment down the jobcentre a few days later. I went through all the forms bla bla bla yadda yadda yadda the only thing I didn't have was proof my daughter lived with me as her father had previously been claiming the child benefit (we have her 50/50 and I was not eligible for it whilst with my ex, its her money after all). My first payment (after 5 weeks) was due 5th Dec 2018. The woman ate the jobcentre said if I wanted to apply for an advance so I wouldn't struggle I could apply to up to £1,300. Not being greedy and needing some food shopping I applied for £250, after all I was getting paid from work in a few weeks it would be fine.
It wasn't
Come payday I thought to myself right, I'll check my bank, pay the landlady and do some food shopping. I can use my UC for xmas not a problem. However, after leaving my 2nd job back in October even though I had received my p45 from HRMC (I thought that meant they automatically KNEW I was no longer working 2 jobs) I was taxed 20% of my earnings. Ah ok... that did not go to plan. See again to the NAYSAYERS did you know if you work TWO jobs you pay 20% of your wages in tax? No nor did I until I worked 2 jobs... so a 2nd job is not really worth it either. So I gave them a call explained everything to them and they said ok, you will get it back in your NEXT payslip. Well not much good to me at the moment love but never mind at least I am getting it back. I'm just going to have to struggle as always. Also I'll be getting my UC in a week. So in total I got paid £664. I paid my landlady half the rent (rent is £695) and got some food shopping in. Again I can cope just about for 1 week, no biggie.
5th Dec 2018
I woke up, I say I woke up I was awake most the night tossing and turning. You see with your FIRST UC payment they will not tell you previously how much you will receive for some reason....Now I don't know about you lot, but I have anxiety and one of the things I need to be able to relax is TO KNOW, I need to know what is what so I can plan. So I check my UC on my phone.
Your payment this month is
£0
What?
How?
So I called them.
Because my last payment from my 2nd job was at the beginning of November its was calculated in with everything else as it was in the "assessment period" OK fine but how am I supposed to pay my rent? How am I supposed to get to and from work? I ask. "I'm sorry I don't know" was the answer I was given.
Great. Oh damn and I forgot about Christmas.
So I rang the CAB and they recommended a budgeting loan. I'm not entitled to that because I have not been on benefits for 6 months.
I went to the town hall and asked for help. Because I am not getting housing benefit through my local council as it is part of my UC they can not help me at all
I went into the jobcentre They suggested calling the UC line and asking for an advance budgeting loan, and told me I could always use the food bank... I did ask how the food bank was going to pay my rent apparently it can't
So I call UC. remember that money I borrowed? £250 instead of £1300? well because I borrowed that little amount I wasn't entitled to any more! Such fun!
I called my bank to try and get an overdraft, denied because i'm already in my "reserve" but the nice man told me how to contact my local credit union.
The credit union people were lovely and within a week had helped me pay my rent.
But what has this got to do with UC being broken you may ask? Well
My next payment was due the 5th of Jan 2019. I open my phone and....
Your payment this month is
£0
I had earned too much money again. At this point I'm also getting annoyed because the flipping school for some reason cannot write me a letter with my daughters name on it to prove shes living with me. (I will get back to that in a moment)
I got my backdated tax. so with £972, £695 going on rent, £120 going on food/house shopping, and then various bills I am left with NOTHING until the 28th of this month. I am not even getting the housing benefit part paid so I am having to pay full rent. How do these people expect us to live? I had to borrow £10 from someone to get my daughter to school last week. I still owe people money for bills I have not been able to pay for over 2 months. I am trying to sell my belongings to get some cash.
I requested said letter from the school ages ago, I spent the Christmas holidays emailing my daughters head teacher directly. I stated what I needed it for. I got a phone call Wednesday, apparently they do not know why I need a letter. So I have a home visit from the school next week to prove that I live here so they can give me a piece of paper saying I have a blooming child so I can get what I am owed. But it got me thinking, how are SINGLE working people on the line supposed to live on this crap?
Recently a mate of mine was told by UC she was fit to return to work after having a baby 4 weeks previously. WHAT ARE YOU PLAYING AT?
It is an extremely depressing and frustrating time to be a working person in "Great" Britain right now. We have no idea how we are going to get by on a daily basis and being told NO every time we try. I had a phone call from one of my utility companies the other day because I am in arrears. this is how that conversation went:
Me: Hello?
Him: Hello is that Miss ****
Me: speaking
Him: Hi i'm calling because your account is in arrears.
Me: Yes I am aware and if you are calling to ask me for money, please contact Universal Credit as they are the ones refusing to pay me.
Him: OH! ah yes OK no problem, i'm sorry to hear that. I don't rate UC i think they are causing more grief than anything else. I will freeze your account for 30 days, but please get back to us as soon as you know what is going on. Also I am sorry I cannot call them for you. I really hope you sort it out. have a nice day.
It's just an endless cycle, normal working people not being able to earn enough to get by, we ask for help and get screwed over by the big nobs because THEY want the money. We do not matter to them. Apparently we have a voice. Do we? I can't find it. We as the peoples of this county have rights. Do we? What rights are those? To be continuously knocked down and back by "more able-bodied (rich)" people. Tell me this. If us "lower wage" people all suddenly went extinct, who would do this:
*Clean your houses/businesses
* Serve you in shops and restaurants
*Grow your food
*Clean your streets
*Support those with needs
*Look after your ill, old and disabled relatives or even you if/when it happens to you?
*Care for you children
*Deliver your takeout
This country is a total mess, and no one who can change it cares. They are not the ones suffering, we are as a whole. Yet we are the true people that keep this place running. Not them. We just need to find a way to tell them NO!
Those two words, Universal Credit:
Satan himself isn't this evil
R.I.P.
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