An unemployed single mother told filmmakers she’s too afraid to find a job – and lose her benefits – because it means she might not make enough money to support her child.
Amy, 30, from Keighley, near Bradford, appeared on tonight’s episode of Britain’s Benefits Scandal: Dispatches on Channel 4.
When she was younger, Amy had hopes of becoming a lawyer, but joked that “her pelvis had other plans.”
Watching her eight-year-old son Alfie on the playground, the single mum said: “Being pregnant basically broke my pelvis so I needed fusion surgery to put it back and keep it in place.”
‘I need a cane to move or it hurts, I will fall or I can’t go in a certain direction.
‘I’m in pain all day every day, so I also suffer from mental health issues. CPTSD, anxiety, depression and things like that.
Due to her limited mobility, Amy claims long-term sickness benefits from the government and has never worked full-time.
“Sounds horrible, doesn’t it?” Amy said. “I’d like to have one, but the problem is finding something I can do consistently without my son suffering and me suffering and losing money.”
Amy (right) from Keighley presents Britain’s benefits scandal on Channel 4 tonight. Presented by political journalist Fraser Nelson (left)
Due to her limited mobility, Amy claims long-term sickness benefits from the government and has never worked full-time. You would need to earn more than £35,000 a year to match the benefits you receive now – £10,000 more than the average salary in your area.
During the documentary, Amy talked about how she would like to have a job, but worries that if she finds one, or even starts looking for one, her benefits will be reduced and she will lose much more money than she could ever hope to earn—a cycle known as the job trap. welfare.
According to the Dispatches team, Amy would need to earn more than £35,000 a year to match the benefits she receives now.
That’s £10,000 more than the average salary in your area.
Responding to comments that she looks healthy, Amy said: “Just because someone looks good doesn’t mean they are.” I use a cane for a reason: not as a fashion accessory.’
Explaining her dilemma, Amy said she has to make decisions for both herself and her son.
She said: ‘If I find a job that’s not suitable and I try and try, I need to know that I can recover because I have a child.
‘If I went and got a job tomorrow, everything I would get would stop being today.
‘Letters were coming through the door telling me my tenancy was up and I owe this and I owe that and where does that leave my eight-year-old son?’
Eddy Graham, who works at the charity Z2K in London and helps people navigate the benefits system, said Amy is not the only one who feels this way.
He told Channel 4 Dispatches: “A lot of people who are unwell and receiving sickness benefits would like to go back to work… but they are very worried, anxious and scared about what would happen if they tried and didn’t succeed.” .
“It is the insecurity and fear of losing the low but stable income they have that acts as a real disincentive for many people.”
Watching her eight-year-old son Alfie on the playground, the single mum said: “Being pregnant basically broke my pelvis so I needed fusion surgery to put it back and keep it in place.”
The single mother said she had wanted to be a lawyer but her ‘pelvis decided otherwise’
At the end of the documentary, it is revealed that Amy is preparing to become a councillor, although she is unsure if she will ever be able to use her skills in the workplace.
She said: “It’s scary because it feels like there’s no middle ground.” “I don’t want to be in a situation where I can’t provide for my child.”
“That, in a nutshell, is the wellness trap,” said host Fraser Nelson. “The new government needs to do something about this and quickly.”
Fraser is a British political journalist who previously edited The Spectator until Michael Gove took office this year.
At the beginning of the hour-long documentary, Fraser declares that the benefits system is in crisis and the ‘g“The biggest challenge facing the new government.”
He goes on to say that seven percent of The workforce is demanding long-term sickness benefits, and 900,000 more will join them when the next election is held.
This is equivalent to losing the combined workforce of Birmingham and Glasgow.
Britain’s Profits Scandal: Dispatches airs tonight at 8pm on Channel 4.