On 18/11/2017 11:58, Mark wrote:
On Sat, 18 Nov 2017 11:23:56 +0000 (GMT), "Dave Plowman (News)"
wrote:

In article ,
JNugent wrote:
Unemployment benefit is a small fortune of free money if you have few
expenses and a pittance if you have a family to support.

?????

The contributory rates are neither here nor there. It isthe means-tested
rates whichis where the action is.

A couple with three children get about £319 a week, plus housing costs
plus council tax paid, plus free prescriptions (if any) plus free school
meals.

Assuming housing costs and council tax to be about £600 a month in total
(no great amount these days), it comes to about £458 a week (£23816 a
year, which would be limited to £23,000 a year in London).

£23,000 a year net is the equivalent of something in excess of £29,000 a
year gross.

What were you saying? A "pittance"?

Some or all of those benefits are available to those in work too.

You really do need to compare like for like.

And you mention children. Would you rather they starved, if the parents
aren't working? Or put them in care until the parents can afford to
support them?

Go for the basics. The basic OAP for a single person (assuming full
contribution years) is £119 The basic uneployment benefit if under 25 is
£57. Both can be supplemented by means tested benefits if eligible.

Now either one is super generous or one is parsimonious.

IMHO neither are generous.

I don't recognise £119. My RP is £127 a week, plus odd change. I was a
bit too old to qualify for the new (higher) rate which is being introduced.

But I am not expected to live on £127 a week long-term (even with a
paid-off mortgage). If £127 were my only income and if I were single,
I'd be entitled to Pension Credit, which would bring my weekly income up
to £155.60 a week. And probably the whole of my Council Tax discounted
(worth another £30+ a week).

None of this applies to me because my circumstances are not the same as
the example given above.

The difference between a pensioner and an unemployed worker is that the
pensioner's position can confidently be expected to last for the rest of
their life (winning the Lottery excepted). It is as good as it is ever
going to get (save for that Lottery).

Unemployed workers are in a different position: they can improve their
economic position by getting a job, or working harder, or getting a
better job. Their current position is not "as good as it gets".