You'd think the government could sort out some way of making it easier for people to do seasonal work and then go back onto benefits when the work finishes, if they need to. Could be fruit & veg picking, could be pre-Christmas retail or delivery work, whatever. Of course there are always some who would rather not work than do fruit picking or whatever, but I'm sure some would do it if they didn't have to worry about that 5-week wait. Looks better on their CV than doing nowt, if they're serious about finding permanent work.
I worked at DWP when Universal Credits was in its pilot stages, although I wasn't involved in that work. At that time it was said that once you claimed UC the claim was never closed, precisely to make it simple to claim again if the need arose. I understand that is no longer the case, although I have no idea why what seems like a very sensible idea was changed.
I take that back - almost any sensible idea will immediately be scrapped by DWP.
My step son has got a job in Tesco,  two days a week, he told the universal credit, there was no halting of payment, they just made up the wages to what he had before. I don’t think the farmers particularly want the same people for 8/9 hours a day, 5 days a week. It’s a sorry state when they’d rather claim state money than do a couple of days work to make a contribution.Â
Gardening on the wild, windy west side of Dartmoor.Â
Late to the papers today,hubby just flew up the garden, raging about the cancellation of Winnie. Two weeks ago it was schools changing names because the founders might have been involved in slavery. You can't eradicate history yours or anyone elses,it happened. In 100 years is it going to be either 1984,or Fahrenheit 541!
My step son has got a job in Tesco, Â two days a week, he told the universal credit, there was no halting of payment, they just made up the wages to what he had before. ..
Yes Lyn, that's different because in that case the claim is still current ... but if you are doing an 8 or 9 hour day five or six days a week on £11 an hour for a season your claim will be stopped. Then when the season is over my understanding is that you have to apply again.Â
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
According to the gov.uk web site, a UC claim remains open for 6 months after a claim ends. Assuming that to be accurate, short term workers would carry on getting paid UC as soon as the work ended.
I did read on another site that it was being cut to 6 weeks 'live' after a claim ends. It would appear that didn't happen.
So then they have to pay back the cash advance they’ve received out of the Universal Credit when they get that … and that is supposed to be a basic amount … no allowance for extras.Â
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
I have just read that Winston Churchill  has been "cancelled. " ( what a stupid phrase). The Charity in his name have removed all his pictures from the site and renamed it. I am incensed. Don't people realise that without such people( good or bad in their eyes) are responsible for what our countries are today? Yes, I realise that by today's standards, some of the bygone practises are not good,but today's practises should not be applied to our history as our history has put us where we are today. Gawd, it makes me so mad. I am tired of this cancel culture by puritans who know no better. I think it is awful to awful and so wrong to erase the history and bit by bit, they are erasing our culture. Puritanism at its extreme. God help us. I give up, I will walk my own path.....the path which is expanding in front of me is not one I want to walk down at all.Â
I can't find much reporting of cancel culture outside of the usual suspects of journalism that like to provoke division. It's certainly an area of interesting debate though and it never hurts to examine the past with a critical eye. I don't think anyone should be above criticism no matter what their achievements but at the same time I'm baffled as to why some people don't seem to understand that historical and cultural context have to be considered and you can't judge people solely based on our modern standards of thinking. Plenty of people want to tear down statues of white people who benefitted from slavery but no one mentions knocking down Egyptian pyramids that were literally built by slaves.
Someone on here recommended that I read 'Why I'm No Longer Talking to White People About Race' by Reni Eddo-Lodge. I thought that it would be helpful so I gave it a go. It was helpful in some ways but I can understand why no one wants to talk to her anymore. Apparently every white person is racist and there is no cure for that. She debates like a primary school teacher telling off naughty children and most of her 'facts' are cherry picked, years out of date or completely hypothetical. The audiobook is also an Amazon exclusive despite Amazon's very questionable reputation regarding race and representing almost everything she says is so bad in her book. Â If you'd like a summary I recommend this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JrK_HVGOnUo&t=2s
If you can keep your head, while those around you are losing theirs, you may not have grasped the seriousness of the situation.
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I don’t think the farmers particularly want the same people for 8/9 hours a day, 5 days a week.
It’s a sorry state when they’d rather claim state money than do a couple of days work to make a contribution.Â
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
I don't think anyone's erasing history. Just removing any glorification of an out and out racist.
'The power of accurate observation .... is commonly called cynicism by those that have not got it.
George Bernard Shaw'
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-58499899
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.