On Monday, Chancellor Jeremy Hunt made a commitment during his speech at the Conservative Party conference to review and strengthen sanctions to prevent individuals from exploiting the UK’s welfare system. As someone who relies on benefits and faces the constant threat of sanctions, Hunt’s words left me feeling sick and angry.
After finishing my job as a learning support assistant and listening to Hunt’s speech, I found myself questioning whether I had worked hard enough that day. Hunt’s depiction of those on benefits as lazy and those who work as hard-working individuals is overly simplistic. It doesn’t reflect my reality or the reality of many parents like me who struggle with in-work poverty and the constant fear of sanctions, even when we are employed and dedicate our spare time to caring for our children.
I earn around £14,000 per year, working 30 hours a week during the school term. It’s simply not enough to make ends meet. The language that Hunt uses to criticize people on benefits is terrifying and only adds to the worries I already face. Hunt portrays life on benefits as a choice, but it’s far from my reality. I work hard and rely on benefits just to survive and provide for my child. We certainly don’t live a life of luxury. As I write this, I only have £6 in my bank account to last until my next paycheck, which is almost two weeks away. I’ve managed to cover the essential expenses, but what would happen if my car breaks down or an emergency arises? The cost of living keeps rising, while my wages remain stagnant. This is not a sustainable way of life and definitely not a lifestyle choice.
Now, let’s discuss how I ended up in this situation of relying on benefits. I am a single parent with a daughter in secondary school. I have been striving for years to progress and improve myself, just like Hunt believes everyone can do. However, the opportunity to progress simply doesn’t exist in rural areas like mine, where investment in the community has been lacking for decades. Public transportation is almost non-existent where I live. When I transitioned from tax credits to universal credit, I ended up in debt due to a past overpayment, which is a common issue faced by working families during this transition. Over £80 a month was deducted from my support, making it even more challenging to pay bills on time. This left me with more debt and higher payments, which took nearly a year to repay.
Now, let’s talk about sanctions. Despite being employed and working 30 hours a week, I am still at risk of facing sanctions. If I forget to log in to the jobcentre’s online system to accept my work commitments, my support could be taken away. If that happens, I won’t be able to afford transportation to work, which would deepen my poverty and increase the likelihood of losing my job. It’s an illogical situation. The threat of sanctions only highlights the system’s failure to recognize individuals and their unique circumstances. Instead, we are all treated as a problem that needs fixing.
All of this matters because people in difficult situations need compassion, especially when relying on benefits. However, what we often receive instead is constant criticism and punishment, pushing us further away from society and making us feel excluded and unworthy. It seems that the poorest individuals are easy targets for politicians, targeted time and time again, especially when there’s a political gain involved.
The solution is not to squeeze people even more, but rather to improve our public services, enhance our social security system, ensure that individuals can afford basic necessities, and restore hope. I wish there was a politician brave enough to stand up and advocate for these changes, but unfortunately, it seems like I’ll be waiting for a long time.
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The writer is a participant in Changing Realities, a University of York research program documenting life on a low-income and advocating for change.
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