"People saying bad stuff about us should be shot" says £30,000 benefits claimant

This is exactly what I meant, we don't get anywhere near that amount it's such a small minority of claimants, and their rent is the locals councils choice, it really annoys me because it makes everyone on disability/incapacity look like a scrounger and like they get loads of money, when the reality is it's barely enough to live on - illustrated by the fact we live in my brothers house.

What about illegal immigrants, of which there are hundreds of thousands, who cannot work and earn legitimately without being 'discovered'? Aside from benefits for the moment, these people will work cash in hand and not pay taxes - costing us. What you also didn't mention is these hard-working immigrants who 'work hard' only to send the money out of the country to family back where they came from. Or, those who come over here first, then later pay for flights for family to come over, often elderly who don't work who have come over here without ever contributing and yet sponging off benefits elderly people are entitled to.

Aside from illegal immigrants, I haven't come across any of these types of immigrants you have mentioned, I have only heard about them in the daily mail. I don't know how hard-working immigrants spend their money.

Yeah exactly. They are renting a house from her parents, which is literally falling down (part of the roof is fixed by an ice cream lid) but she can't move out because council houses very long wait and no-one will let them rent a house privately because they're on benefits, and she can't complain about her parents as landlords cause they'd then be homeless.

State-sponsored castration, anyone?

May I ask where you are from?

Gary Bateman and Joanne Sheppard pocket an estimated £30,000 a year in state handouts.

He claims £89.80 a week incapacity benefit for a bad back and is not thought to have worked since 1999. Because they are jobless they can claim a host of other benefits.

They live in a £300,000 five-bedroom home – the £1,200 a month rent paid for by housing benefit.

They live with ten of their youngest children – the oldest five have moved away – and receive £20.30 for their eldest and £13.40 for the remaining nine.

Last year, Mr Bateman’s claim to be unwell was called into question after he was filmed taking part in a motocross competition.

But the 46-year-old said: ‘People need to keep their noses out of our business and people saying bad stuff about us should be shot. I want to work but I can’t. I haven’t ridden my bike since last year.’

Miss Sheppard, 36, who has not worked for 20 years, said: ‘I just can’t understand what all the fuss is about.’


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1342076/State-funded-idleness-1-5m-spending-fifth-Christmas-row-sick-benefits.html#ixzz19O05huxn

Classy, isn't he?

How does this story make you feel?

I'm Zimbabwean. Why does that matter?

Before you start making assumptions about me, I'll just set the record straight, I'm currently living in the UK because my dad works for an international organisation which has sent him nearly all over the world. UK is the last destination before they retire and then we are moving back to Zimbabwe when they retire. His salary is not paid by a British company and we have never received a penny in state benefits. I have lived in 3 different continents in my lifetime and I can assure you that Britain is only a temporary stay.

We don't have any relatives living in this country but then we do have relatives who visit on holiday from Zimbabwe and South Africa all the time. They have their own jobs and lives out there so their stays are never any more than three weeks.

We do have some friends who we have met here and are also from Zimbabwe. I don't know how their spend their money but I can assure you that they haven't brought their relatives into this country.

£200 is loads. Me and my boyf spend about £30 a week on food, maybe sometimes up to £40, and we eat meat maybe 3/4 days a week. A family of 4 could survive on £60 a week. Sure, they wouldn't be eating the best food but it wouldn't be hard as long as you cut out all the unnecessary crap and bought own brand (not even value) stuff.

Edit: I mean £60 for food, not for everything (that would be mental).

This is so true!
I could easily eat well for £15 a week!

£30k a year is a shiiiit load of foods

I smelled Daily Mail as soon as I read this title

also, the 30k includes £14,400 going straight to the landlord.

Not that it makes this alright. However, i'm loving the complete over-reaction from tsr lol.

Maybe you should have posted one that focuses on the fact the claimant was not born in this country.

It just tastes completely wrong

Can you honestly not tell the difference between tap and bottled? Tap is just horrible in comparison...

Christ, people still do that? Doesn't that take ages?

Why spend time making pasta sauces when you can spend it on TSR?