Universal Credit Petition

[Eveirert]

The migration from tax credit to universal credit is affecting a lot of farming families who are struggling financially. The system is not designed for how farming businesses operate and showing a monthly profit and loss instead of a yearly profit and loss does not work. Farmers are being told that their business is unviable or a hobby and they need to find work which will pay the minimum wage. The amount of hours worked by farmers every day of the year only to be told that they need to find another job by a ‘work coach’ at the job centre is demoralising and insulting. Farmers are having to make the decision to give up farming or see their families fall below the poverty line just because of this change in benefits. Please sign and share this petition


https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/656294

 

[Princess Pooper]

The migration from tax credit to universal credit is affecting a lot of farming families who are struggling financially. The system is not designed for how farming businesses operate and showing a monthly profit and loss instead of a yearly profit and loss does not work. Farmers are being told that their business is unviable or a hobby and they need to find work which will pay the minimum wage. The amount of hours worked by farmers every day of the year only to be told that they need to find another job by a ‘work coach’ at the job centre is demoralising and insulting. Farmers are having to make the decision to give up farming or see their families fall below the poverty line just because of this change in benefits. Please sign and share this petition


https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/656294

Signed.

Anyone affected by this, please talk to Citizens Advice or a local Money Advice Centre. I used to be a Trustee of our local branch of CA and one of their work areas is social policy evidence. So if they can see an injustice or developing problem due to Govt policy, then they document cases and develop an evidence file to submit to the relevant Govt dept. They are taken seriously.

 

[Eveirert]

Local MPs have been written to all over the country also, we are trying to get people to listen but it’s very hard. Sign the petition, write to MPs and talk to the CA maybe we can get a small change how farmers can report their profit and losses. Just asking for a holding number or SBI number on the form when people state that they are farmers could stop fraudulent people saying they run a farming business?

 

[Tubbylew]

Local MPs have been written to all over the country also, we are trying to get people to listen but it’s very hard. Sign the petition, write to MPs and talk to the CA maybe we can get a small change how farmers can report their profit and losses. Just asking for a holding number or SBI number on the form when people state that they are farmers could stop fraudulent people saying they run a farming business?

Not all of us have an sbi, particularly young farmers.

 

[ridger]

Not as much interest as I expected, 900 signatures

 

[som farmer]

l have reached pension age, that will be £221 a week, l also 'qualify' for a tax free, PIP, personable independent payment, £550 a month, as l am classed as disabled. That equates to £18,500 per yr.
very generous amount, and l am perfectly happy, about receiving it. Paid enough tax over the yrs, so l don't feel guilty about taking it. Built a bungalow with my private one.

on top of the above, there's pension credit, council tax reduction, and cost of living top up, the latter paid me about £900. The other two, cannot claim, don't meet the requirements. Nor can we get 'cheaper' electric. Most of the free insulation schemes, solar panels, ground/air source grants, PIP doesn't let you 'claim' them, not on the approved list, which is very long. Did manage to get a new boiler.

openly admit l don't really need much of it, but a family of shites, living close to us, keeps boasting about how much they get in benefits, over £30,000, or so they claim.

so thought right, lets see how much l can get, over and above what l receive, not so much because l need it, more out of interest. Worked with the CAB, and the answer was zero. Just remembered, one car, car tax paid.

the biggest hurdle stopping me claiming, was because l am a farmer, farming doesn't seem to be accounted for, in their 'qualifying' list of claims. And the CAB, told me, very few qualify for extra payments, which l find difficult to believe.

nor can l access 'medical' aids, which would be useful. Again, farmers don't meet the qualifying list.