UK: Hundreds of thousands of young people could be stripped of housing benefit

[marmar]

(Independent UK) Hundreds of thousands of young people could be stripped of housing benefit and forced to live with their parents as part of a new welfare crackdown signalled by David Cameron.

The Prime Minister insisted the system was giving the wrong incentives as he urged more action to prevent feckless families relying on state handouts.

The comments, in an interview with the Mail on Sunday, come ahead of a keynote speech on welfare Mr Cameron is due to deliver next week.

* Scrapping most of the £1.8 billion in housing benefits paid to 380,000 under 25s, worth an average £90 a week, forcing them to support themselves or live with mum and dad instead.

* Stopping the £70-a-week dole payment for individuals who do not try hard enough to get work.

* Forcing a hard core of unemployed to do community work after two years - or lose all their benefits.

According to the newspaper, ministers are also looking again at plans to limit child benefit to a couple's first three children - although Mr Cameron will stop short of raising the idea. ...............(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/hundreds-of-thousands-of-young-people-could-be-stripped-of-housing-benefit-and-forced-to-live-with-parents-7879527.html

[xchrom]

1. 'feckless families'.

Anything to call the poor a name.

Now he had to dig around in his back pocket for 'feckless'.

[Londoncalling]

2. Many of the under 25s

on Housing Benefits are actually working and need it to help with their rent. It is does not cover all the rent, it does not cover bills either...Many of the jobs are part time and rent is very high in the cities where there is employment. If they lose the housing benefit and are required to move back to the family home, they risk losing their jobs too, if the family home is in another part of the country. If their parents live in a small town, then the under 25s will be trapped because they will not be able to get a job or leave home to get one. In three years time, under 25s will be leaving University with huge debts, which if unemployment stays high will not get repaid. In the past week the 16 year olds that have taken their exams have been told they are worthless by Michael Gove, various columnists and big business who support reverting back to a two tear system of exams. They will then take A'Levels or do apprenticeships which cheap labour, then if they go to University they will have thousands and thousands of pounds of debt and no jobs for them.
Or the under 25s have left the care system and have no where to go home too. The hostels that house the young homeless and the services that they provide depend on Housing Benefit payments. This policy risks a high level of homelessness for the young.
And BTW multi-Millionaire David Cameron has claimed all the benefits he is entitled too including Child Benefit and Disability Living Allowance for his late son Ivan..A benefit that is being cut for the poorest people in the country, plunging the disabled into poverty and early death.

[girl gone mad]

3. Ask not what your country can do for you..

ask what you can sacrifice so the bankers can keep their bonuses.