Plans to cut benefits ..

I heard on this on the news last night. They said something about not paying extra benefit to unemployed people who continue to have babies.

What do you think about this?

I guess it would depend how long they had been unemployed for and if they were actually trying to get a job or just liking the hand outs.
I do think something's gotta give tho its not right that its not financially beneficial to go to work, and most of the problem is because of childcare costs.
I think the government should be looking at solutions to help people into work.

I think there is a culture of having babies, and staying on benefit.

But most moms would work if childcare was cheaper. I think that's the issue

I don't think you should just be able to have endless babies and expect the government to pay for them. I have to see whether I can afford it and the number of children I have will be determined on this. However, I think it is a minority on benefits that think like this. As others have said what they really should be looking at is child care because I know people that want to work and can't afford to

I agree with you Tamara. In some instances people don't need to think of the consequences of having multiple children, and I think that is unfair. Also the issue of childcare costs needs to be addressed somehow. Once you have more than one child working is rarely economically beneficial x

Maybe we've stumbled across a business opportunity here
Half price childcare/nursery two kids for the price of one!
I truly believe this sort of thing would help people so much.

But in saying all this, I understand unemployment is high but at the moment the job market isn't great either, there's definatly not enough to meet the demand of the country, but I'm not sure how to solve that!

I think nursery fees and private rental need looking at because if you don't qualify for benefits it's difficult to afford to pay these things out of a basic wage.

I'm all for single mums getting benefits otherwise we'd end up going in back to time when women lived with twats just because they couldn't survive on their own looking after kids and trying to provide.

But I do think some things need looking at.

oh gosh not a benefits post lol

ok my disclaimer in case I upset anyone - I don't and never have lived in the UK so don't really know about benefits lol but I don't think it's right that people would have babies knowing they can't afford them and relying on the government to give them benefits. Now I'm all for benefits when people need them but if you plan to have another baby when you know you can't afford it yourself well I'm not sure that you should get anything. More importantly if the government stopped or changed these peoples benefits they would be left with two or more children and no money to feed them which is just irresponsible.

But i agree that childcare costs need to be changed as it simply isn't affordable for many people to get back to work with children. i don't know how the childcare costs can be so expensive in the UK, I pay 70 euro a week for Tyler for 7.30 to 2pm 5 days a week including breakfast, snacks and lunch, there are only a max of 20 children and 3 teachers. i know some things are cheaper here but it's swings and round abouts, except clearly in the UK the profit margins on nurseries must be huuuuuuuge!

See I'd rather have the Swedish system where taxes are higher but parents pay very little childcare (and the kids don't start school until later - I think 4 is way to young for formal education).

Jade is the euro pretty much a pound now? We pay £43.50 a day and that's 7-7. We're lucky because my family take him two days a week (although we budgeted for a whole week) and we don't have to pay for term time. Its also one of the cheapest nurseries round here. We'd get 15% off for a second child but that's still a lot of money and part of the reason we have to wait until Jamie's 3 and gets 15 hours free. We're not poor by any stretch of the imagination but we don't get any help and if we ever actually manage to sell a flat and move things are going to be tight and we should be a family that copes well

I'm looking at £1500 a month childcare for my 2, it's silly money is there any point in working you ask, yes my sanity :-)

I couldn't be a full time sahm, it wouldn't be healthy for me or the kids.

But I am looking fr a job in a school so I won't have childcare costs in school hols

I agree with it as i personally know someone that fires out kids everytime she is told to look for a job, she has never worked a day in her life

I can't wait to get back to work but, luckily I have a partner who works and I still have loads of savings from when I was working .

they aren't quite the same value 70 euro is about 55 pound at the moment so I'm getting a weeks nursery (only half days) for almost a day in the UK.

If he was to go full time (until 5.30pm) it is only an extra 5 euro so 100 a week.

They start school at 6 here.

oh and the government/state nurseries are even cheaper than mine.. which is a private english one!