Letter: Benefit claimants are not living high on the hog, despite reports
As a benefit claimant I am sick of the focus on benefit fraud and the high figures that some people supposedly receive per annum.
Personally I receive a pathetic £60 per week to live on. This is to pay for food, electric, water rates, TV licence, phone and broadband (which we are expected to have), bus fares and any other necessities.
I receive housing benefit for my rent of £350 (bedsit). However, there is a shortfall of £27 because the benefit is £323. These are 'real' figures.
How on earth can a benefit claimant be accused of being well off and choosing to be in this position? They are not.
The fact is there are no full-time jobs that would pay the bills, only part-time ones, for which there are hundreds applying, leaving most of us with no real chance of success.
Government departments spend their time threatening claimants with sanctions, forcing them onto pointless courses, with an insulting basic education level.
The state of this country is not the fault of the unemployed. The unemployed are the victims of Government policies.
To all the people fortunate enough to have a job, I say be thankful. Benefit claimants are not well off. We are all suffering, in constant danger of being homeless, and in 2013 in danger of being cold and hungry.
To the Government I say this – don't blame us, you caused this and should be ashamed. No one is believing the propaganda claims that this country is coming out of recession. It is not.
We should all prepare for things to get worse. God help us all.
K Allen, Shrewsbury
