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Can you all please sign my petition

To all undergraduate students who are on universal credit and having their money reduced due to your maintenance loan this is a petition to try change the legislation that reduces our benefits and puts us in financial difficulty when trying to better your life.
https://chng.it/n8S9qSyk7H
I'm not sure I fully agree...

I can see how it's a struggle, but I'm taking into account Universal Credit is comprised of several benefits rolled together, so while as a parent or in certain housing you might qualify for assistance, a large part of universal credit is based on you being available and willing to work full time which you can't be if a full time student.

By all means ask them to reconsider the state of things, but I don't think asking for 0 reductions is realistic when others peoples income gets reduced for X,Y, Z - It's also v hard to use the 'improving myself and my earnings' argument without essentially claiming that people already going to their work (and paying taxes) aren't.

(You'll know this better than me, do your benefits get directly reduced by the student loan amount, or is it a '55p in the £' thing like workers?, if they take it off in full that's a bit much imo)
Original post by LauraNibbs
To all undergraduate students who are on universal credit and having their money reduced due to your maintenance loan this is a petition to try change the legislation that reduces our benefits and puts us in financial difficulty when trying to better your life.
https://chng.it/n8S9qSyk7H

Hi Laura,

Firstly well done to you for backing yourself and going to Uni. I am sure, based on your blurb on link that you will achieve what you want.

Reference your blurb, I totally get the sentiment and agree in some ways, but i wont sign. I worked fulltime plus overtime, and got my degree distance learning alongside. It was tough but i understood attending a brick based uni would be impossible due to being unable to support me and my dependants/rent/bills etc. Thus i made the choice to do it far slower but with less impact on ability to keep my current job.

I think the current system is tough but fair. We all have to make choices and balance what we want against what is best. These are rarely the same thing. The comparison against working and receiving undiscounted UC versus getting UC and doing a degree is not the same. The first is based on your job being below a certain earnings threshold and the second situation is you choosing not to work (i know you think this will provide more earnings in the future, but this is your choice to earn less, and having a degree does not guarantee higher pay).

You are right to point out most students or parents struggle, but this does not mean everyone should receive any benefits to make up the shortfall. Most students have to take work on to survive, or if they have children and/or extra responsibilites, delay going. This is something I had to do myself. You have a right to want a different or even better life, but not a right to receive it. These are 2 different things.

I wish you lots of luck though.

Greg
Reply 3
Avatar for LauraNibbs
LauraNibbs
OP
2
Original post by StriderHort
I'm not sure I fully agree...

I can see how it's a struggle, but I'm taking into account Universal Credit is comprised of several benefits rolled together, so while as a parent or in certain housing you might qualify for assistance, a large part of universal credit is based on you being available and willing to work full time which you can't be if a full time student.

By all means ask them to reconsider the state of things, but I don't think asking for 0 reductions is realistic when others peoples income gets reduced for X,Y, Z - It's also v hard to use the 'improving myself and my earnings' argument without essentially claiming that people already going to their work (and paying taxes) aren't.

(You'll know this better than me, do your benefits get directly reduced by the student loan amount, or is it a '55p in the £' thing like workers?, if they take it off in full that's a bit much imo)

I get what you are saying but when I was working full time and my ex husband was self employed we still received universal credit and now I am a student they are not giving me anything. How does it make sense when my student finance is a loan a loan that I am still using to put back into the economy may I add. So I suffer and my kids suffer for me been at university and it’s ok to say I should live off less that £4000 per term that’s less than £1000 per month with 4 kids, a car and a household to run. It’s not feasible or fair tbh. There are people who don’t work, don’t do anything but be on benefits and get all the help people who are working or a student can’t get. The system isn’t right. I have made taxes, worked my arse off. It is discrimination to single mums like we are not entitled to the same rights as everyone else in gaining a degree
Reply 4
Avatar for LauraNibbs
LauraNibbs
OP
2
Original post by greg tony
Hi Laura,

Firstly well done to you for backing yourself and going to Uni. I am sure, based on your blurb on link that you will achieve what you want.

Reference your blurb, I totally get the sentiment and agree in some ways, but i wont sign. I worked fulltime plus overtime, and got my degree distance learning alongside. It was tough but i understood attending a brick based uni would be impossible due to being unable to support me and my dependants/rent/bills etc. Thus i made the choice to do it far slower but with less impact on ability to keep my current job.

I think the current system is tough but fair. We all have to make choices and balance what we want against what is best. These are rarely the same thing. The comparison against working and receiving undiscounted UC versus getting UC and doing a degree is not the same. The first is based on your job being below a certain earnings threshold and the second situation is you choosing not to work (i know you think this will provide more earnings in the future, but this is your choice to earn less, and having a degree does not guarantee higher pay).

You are right to point out most students or parents struggle, but this does not mean everyone should receive any benefits to make up the shortfall. Most students have to take work on to survive, or if they have children and/or extra responsibilites, delay going. This is something I had to do myself. You have a right to want a different or even better life, but not a right to receive it. These are 2 different things.

I wish you lots of luck though.

Greg

Thank you for your reply but the same I have to disagree. We live in a time that we are all being plunged into financial difficulty with a cost of living crisis. Plenty of people who are working till they drop just to survive. Is this living. No it is not. I am 34 years old and do not have the luxury of waiting anymore. And there is nothing wrong with wanting back from the system when I am one of the people who has paid into it since I was 17. There are people on universal credit who choose not to work but still get help like 15 hours of childcare that they don’t need etc. I am sorry but it discriminates against parents who want to develop themselves. This should not be a choice we have to make. And believe me I am willing to take on a side job but think logically is this fair on my children who will never see me. Is it fair on my children to stay in a low paying job due to no degree and my business failing in Covid that means we struggle to live without luxuries. I do not see this as fair or even humane tbh. They are cutting the middle class tbh having a regular job in our times is not enough to have enough to survive let alone be comfortable. I get it for people who are not trying and are just happy to stay on benefits or haven’t put into the system. But this is coming from someone who has been on all sides.
I commend you for what you have achieved but unfortunately we don’t all have the same luxury of time etc and like I said why should we have to take a much slower option when I should have the same rights as anyone. If I was a man with kids guess what I could do a job that I would earn more from part time and go to uni full time and would not be expected to do everything a mum must do with the children. Being a single mum means it is all on me it’s a hard enough job without throwing a full time law degree in there too. And no disrespect to other course but law is one of the hardest most time consuming degrees to accomplish. Taking on a job also is just not something that is achievable or practical
Original post by LauraNibbs
I get what you are saying but when I was working full time and my ex husband was self employed we still received universal credit and now I am a student they are not giving me anything. How does it make sense when my student finance is a loan a loan that I am still using to put back into the economy may I add. So I suffer and my kids suffer for me been at university and it’s ok to say I should live off less that £4000 per term that’s less than £1000 per month with 4 kids, a car and a household to run. It’s not feasible or fair tbh. There are people who don’t work, don’t do anything but be on benefits and get all the help people who are working or a student can’t get. The system isn’t right. I have made taxes, worked my arse off. It is discrimination to single mums like we are not entitled to the same rights as everyone else in gaining a degree


I dunno when your partner was self employed but if he was just starting out he would still have been eligible for the working components of universal credit for a while as support/incentive.

Are you sure you don't qualify for ANY universal credit? I'd expect you to be still eligible for child payments of £500+ per month which isn't nothing UC - What you'll get - But the UC standard allowance is for people available and looking for work, you simply wouldn't qualify for it, it's just not what that budget is for - likewise asking the state to pay for your car costs.

If I had taken my full student loan and still struggled I would also make a hardship/discretionary funding application for maybe a few 1000.
Original post by LauraNibbs
I get what you are saying but when I was working full time and my ex husband was self employed we still received universal credit and now I am a student they are not giving me anything. How does it make sense when my student finance is a loan a loan that I am still using to put back into the economy may I add. So I suffer and my kids suffer for me been at university and it’s ok to say I should live off less that £4000 per term that’s less than £1000 per month with 4 kids, a car and a household to run. It’s not feasible or fair tbh. There are people who don’t work, don’t do anything but be on benefits and get all the help people who are working or a student can’t get. The system isn’t right. I have made taxes, worked my arse off. It is discrimination to single mums like we are not entitled to the same rights as everyone else in gaining a degree

As someone who has worked in services supporting those on benefits, I can tell you that those at the bottom do not get all the help like many would believe. Please leave harmful generalisations about those on benefits out of your argument, particularly if your argument rests on asking other taxpayers to help you pay for you to do a degree (there isnt a magic pot of money from your past taxes you are taking back from). I would never try to paint you as a freeloader simply because you are on UC at the moment, life is tough and sometimes we may need the support of services and organisations outside.

Regarding what is fair or not does not come into it. You are choosing to do a degree in Law, so there will be sacrifices if you leave employment. Exactly how there would be for anyone.

Greg

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