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Single Mother Creams the UK Welfare System

Dec 11, 2012 Posted by In United Kingdom, World Affairs Tagged Comments 23

Tuesday, 11th December 2012

SINGLE MOTHER CREAMS THE UK WELFARE SYSTEM - Here’s the story of Leanna Broderick, one of the growing number of single mothers in the UK living off benefits handed out by the government from the coffers of the hard working taxpayer.

One tale of how a single mother creams the UK welfare system and lives the life of luxury without ever having worked a single day in her life.

Leanna Broderick is just 20 years of age and already has two children.  Leanna left school at the age of 16 with no qualifications and fell pregnant with her first child by her boyfriend of 23 years of age.

While the couple is not together Leanna, during their relationship, fell pregnant again with their second child.  Leanna is now single and living in a brand new apartment in South London and living the high life on state handouts.  According to the article I read she receives:

 £444.00 in housing benefits per month

 £80.00 in council tax benefits per month

 £430.00 in child tax credits per month

 £132.00 in child benefits per month

 £180.00 in single parent benefits per month

 £24.00 in milk and vegetable vouchers per month

So Leanna receives a total of £1,290.00 per month in state handouts for her and her children – that’s £15,480.00 per year.

Not a bad income at all for someone with no qualifications and never having worked.  What is really disturbing is that this year Leanne openly boasts to the media that each of her children will receive 20 presents each this Christmas; and not just any old presents neither, the list includes:

 An iPad

 Gold Jewellery

 Burberry Accessories

 Ralph Lauren outfits

 DVD’s and CD’s

 Other Toys and Accessories

On top of that Leanne has told the media that her total spend on gifts this year’s will come out to around £2,000.00 and on top of that she intends keeping some back, around £300.00, so that she can go shopping in the January Sales.

Leanne has openly admitted that she has no intention of working as the minimum wage would not allow her, or her daughters, to continue living a luxury lifestyle.

The full article can be read in this week’s edition of Closer.

So what do you think?  Is Leanne a scrounger or just a savvy mother of two who is fully aware how to play the benefits systems?

The welfare system in the UK was set up to help those in need and I personally think we have a moral obligation to do so as a society.  However where do we draw the line?

There has been much debate lately over Child Benefits and there are some who are now saying that the benefits should only be awarded to the first two children.  Personally I think this is wrong.  I don’t see why I, or any other taxpayer, should support someone else’s children.  In my view the solution is simple… If you cannot afford to take care of your children then don’t have them.  Yes, there is the other side to the coin whereby a family falls upon hard times, such as unemployment, and in these cases child benefit should be awarded.  However, for the likes of Leanne I fail to see why the taxpayer should be burdened with her children.

Yes, I have a child and yes I received state benefits for him but I still worked and so did my wife, and we were both contributing to the welfare system by the way of our taxes handsomely.  If, at any point, the government had told us that we would no longer receive child benefit I would have been more than happy with the situation.  As for the child benefit we received we gave it to a local children’s charity each year.

There are thousands of hard working taxpayers in the UK, and their children, that are not going to see a Christmas anywhere near the level of what Leanne and her children are going to experience.  Again, the welfare system does have its place in a civilized society but surely we must draw the line and say this goes beyond our moral obligations.  Why can the government simply not put a cap on child benefit, for say, the first child, and then remove this after 18 months if the parents refuse to find work, as is the case of Leanne?

What I find most disturbing here is the fact that Leanne is actually quite proud of how she maintains her lifestyle, and in fact has sufficient cash to spare to still go out clubbing and engage in other entertainment activities; all on the generosity of the UK Taxpayer. Again, I do feel there is a real need for the welfare system but I fail to see how the likes of Leanne and others who continuously rape the welfare system simply because they are too lazy to work like the rest of us.

 

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  • Amanda

    I don’t know what the cost of living is like in the UK, but I live in Canada and that income would not allow for a luxurious lifestyle here. So either the cost of living in the UK is insanely cheap, or there is some discrepancies here somewhere.

    • http://www.meebal.com/ meebal

      As I explained to John below the figures were supplied by Leanna in a Magazine interview.

      Whether the actual purchases are accurate is open for debate but the rampant abuse of the UK’s welfare system is certainly not and is widespread.

  • John

    This story doesn’t ring true. This woman can’t have the lifestyle that she claims on the inome that she has. Either a fabrication on her part or bt-y someone trying to discredit benefit claimants.

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  • Karen Moore

    I know there are people who have been on the system and are better for it. They had medical and daycare paid for while they worked and/or went to school. These people had goals and saw the help as temporary. Today it has become a lifestyle. What I want to know is when did the country decide it was their responsibility to take care of everyone? I feel the country should be busier making itself stronger economically and leave the charity to the churches or private organizations. Any church I know of that has a program for helping also has an accountability and a responsibility clause. Meaning that recipients of help go to counseling as needed and this includes money management as well as parenting classes, doing some type of community service and keeping all appointments or there is a termination of benefits. Since the govt. has gotten involved, what started off as a wonderful idea has become a less than ideal situation.

    • Stuffinator

      The problem is that many, such as Leanne, have no morals – she looks at the welfare system her right and not a temporary means to survive. Put me in power and I’d put a stop to it, she and all the others would be working for the government and the people by keeping our streets clean and other community services. This attitude of a free ride must be stopped along with the stupidity of allowing anyone through our borders just to live off the hard working taxpayer.

      I was bought up in an age where it was considered irresponsible not to work – work can always be found for those who want it. I work 14 hours a day, with nowhere near what she gets – bitter? Yeah, and not just a little.

  • http://www.facebook.com/donna.wozny.7 Donna Wozny

    She should be penalized now for her blatant disrespect and unappreciative nature. We have raised a generation of “give me” children only to have them give birth to a “you owe me” generation. It disgusts me. My husband works hard, very hard. We have always been at the upper level of the poverty income and I am not ashamed of it. Not everyone is rich and we are honest people. We have everything we need because we do not buy everything we want. I have seen many “receivers” in shiny new vehicles, buying steak and extra goodies in the store and it does not make me jealous, just angry that there is not more control within the system. I am not opposed to helping someone in need but there should be a 2 year cap on benefits for anyone on the system at which time a thorough re-evaluation should be done. I had a friend who worked while on the system and of course since she reported her income, the benefits were lowered. 8 years after getting off the system she received a notice, from the county law firm, that she had been over-paid benefits and was now responsible to pay them back. Really? They can figure that out, find her and put out the effort to go after her but there are “life-time” recipients who keep breeding and milking the system that they have no control over? Meanwhile we as a society are being taxed to death and barely getting by. There is something definetly wrong when 38% of the population is supporting the other 62%.

    • Suffinator

      Thanks for your comment Donna. It’s obvious this type of behaviour is breeding contempt for those who so blatantly abuse the system. This particular woman, even in the interview, admitted how proud she was not to have had to work and certainly wouldn’t consider any type of employment as this would impact on her lifestyle.

      As I pointed out, we do have a moral obligation and a social society to help others, however this type of abuse must be stopped. Yes, I think a 2 year cap would be a great idea, but I think Child Benefits should be phased out. If you cannot afford to have children then don’t. In this day and age there really is no excuse to getting pregnant if you don’t want to.

  • Sylvia Phillips

    Please people, be aware that people like her are the exception, NOT the rule. For the vast majority of people on benefit life’s a real struggle. If it wasn’t there would be no need for the huge rise in food banks that have had to open in the last few months. IF this story is true, she should lose all her benefits, if it isn’t then this propaganda should be taken off the internet.

    • Stuffinator

      The trouble is Sylvia there are to many exceptions. This type of thing should not be allowed in the first place. Why should any honest, hard working taxpayer, have to support people like this who blatantly abuse the system.

      As far as the news source, the original was from a reputable source and can be founded highlighted on a number of UK Newspapers and Tabloids.

      I’m not into writing something just to get a response – I do make sure the news is reputable before I pen my views.

      The bottom line here is that there are those that genuinely need help, and this as you said is evident from the rise in Food Banks, but the more people like Leanne will only make the taxpayer feel they are being robbed – remember it takes only one apple to spoil the barrel.

      • Sylvia Phillips

        The figures just don’t add up though. What she says she gets in benefit and what she says she pays out for her lifestyle don’t balance. There’s more to this than just what the story says. There is a benefit fraud department set up to stop people who steal from the system. Maybe if they did their job properly and prosecuted these people we wouldn’t have such huge amounts of money being stolen from the tax payer through fraud and people who are trying to get by through being honest wouldn’t all be tarred with the same brush.

        And speaking of money being stolen from the taxpayer, we need to take a long hard look at the Government and other politicians, they steal much more from the taxpayer than any chav could ever manage!

        • http://www.meebal.com/ meebal

          I have to agree that we shouldn’t tar everyone with the same brush but this is becoming a spiraling problem in the UK and the Authorities are simply over burdened to catch them all. Here’s another one and only 28 weeks in prison – http://meebal.com/benefits-cheat-jailed-for-38000-fraud/

          Don’t get us started on Politicians, have a look at this one if you want to know how we feel about them – http://meebal.com/why-i-cannot-be-a-politician-in-the-uk/

          • Sylvia

            I wish you could see some of the stories I’m getting about what this is going to do to the people who don’t screw the system, my own included. Without exception they’re not asking for more, they can just about manage with what they’ve got now. But when this bedroom tax hits there’s going to be real poverty on a scale not seen since the times of Oliver Twist. The government claim that safeguards have been put in place to protect those most in need, but the people I’m hearing from have no idea about them or even where to begin going to get help.

          • http://www.meebal.com/ meebal

            Sylvai, meebal is an open forum which means you can see stories published with your take on the situation. Why not pen your views and findings and we will happily publish what you have to say – See http://meebal.com/submit-article/

          • Sylvia Phillips

            Sorry for such a late reply but I’ve had problems with my dad being ill
            again. I’d like you to please take some time to read the following blog. It’s not a sob story written by someone who’ll be affected by the reforms but a compilation of interviews by a chief executive of a housing association here in Wales.
            http://bronafon.wordpress.com/2012/12/17/housing-chief-executive-says-the-bedroom-tax-will-be-like-a-hurricane-forcing-tenants-to-leave-their-homes/

            This is the reality of what’s going to happen to real people, not some chav who claims to be living the high life on benefits.

          • http://www.meebal.com/ meebal

            Firstly Sylvia, sorry to hear about your Dad being ill. Hope he is ok now.

            Yes, there are many cases where removing help is going to be devastating and as the article said, we DO have a moral obligation to help those who are in real need.

            The trouble lies with the ‘One Rotten Apple’ syndrome as in this case and the public crying out to put a stop to it. It is people like Leanna that tarnish the whole welfare system and those in real need suffer the most.

            It is appalling that in our society people like Leanna appear to have it all without any effort while those in real need are failed by the system.

            This article is designed to bring awareness of the injustice and put a stop to people like Leanna bleeding the system dry so those with real needs, such as those featured in the article link you provided, can not only be helped but helped to a greater level.

            I have always advocated for a social welfare system that provides for those in need but not those who simply want to live off the back of others because they are too lazy to work and Leanna is a perfect example of how broken the system has become.

            Sylvia it was a good read and let’s hope others read it. Meebal is and always will be a forum for open and honest debate. Without our ability to have open dialogue we are lost.

            Thanks again Sylvia and we do hope Dad is OK.

          • Sylvia Phillips

            I couldn’t agree more, I just wish this government and people who are lucky enough not to have to struggle to pay the bills and eat as well could see the difference. These stories about chavs milking the system and people being quite rightly named and shamed for stealing DLA are a minority and the fraud department needs to do more to weed them out. But tarnishing everyone on benefits is grossly unfair, people are already struggling and to hit them again will just cause more expense for the taxpayer when they have to fork out for things like hospital care when these people collapse through cold and malnutrition.

            My dad has recently suffered his 4th stroke and I’m pretty much his and my mums only carer, on call 24/7 as he’s prone to falling regularly and mums arthritis prevents her from doing anything with him. I gave up my life to care for both of them 16 months ago but as I’m ‘on benefits’ I guess most people will see me as a scrounger too.

            There is a difference between the article and the majority of people who HAVE to claim some kind of help just to survive.
            The media need to be more even with the stories they put out there, but it’s not in their interest to do that is it.

            I see there’s yet another story in a red top about ‘scroungers’ being given a benefit card to stop them buying booze and fags and watching satellite tv. I don’t do or have any of those and neither do a lot of the people I talk to. The politicians are raking in the taxpayers money to fund their lavish lifestyle and crucifying the poorest for things they could only wish they had! !

          • http://www.meebal.com/ meebal

            This is exactly the type of help we SHOULD be giving. You obviously do a lot and I know the money is not exactly brilliant but just think what the government could do if all the benefit cheats and scroungers were eradicated. They could certainly provide better benefits for you and better healthcare for your parents.

  • http://www.facebook.com/remccainjr Edward McCain

    While I agree with you, the program should be phased out instead of stopped cold. While this would allow some folks to keep living on the dole, it would prevent others from attaining the same status – and act as a deterrent for future generations. It also seems that many government positions could be filled with unemployed workers – want a monthly government cheque? Perform 30-40 hours of labour for the government.

    The added benefit is clean streets, buildings and sewers, and the unemployed bloke has some job experience on his resume :)

    • Stuffinator

      Agreed a periodical phasing out would be a practical solutions. As I stated I do feel that we have a moral obligation to help those in need but in cases such as this it just appears Leanne has no moral fortitude and is happy to live on the backs of others, while they struggle to pay tax, and she enjoys a lifestyle many would be happy with.

      Yes, agreed, there are many state jobs she could be doing for her money, such as sweeping the streets, care work and much more.

      The real issues lie within government legislation and Human Rights which is why this type of behaviour, while not acceptable morally to most, is being enacted by more and more people who realise that being lazy does pay a pretty good wage.