Universal Credit loophole means I can’t afford Christmas presents – despite working delivering pizza 20 hours a weekSINGLE mum-of-four Gemma Cholerton works part-time and is studying to become a psychologist because she wants a better life for her four kids.
This means that not only will the kids - Callum, 20, Harry, 16, Charlie, 15, and Leah, 12, two of whom have special medical needs - have few presents under the tree this year, but that she often has to go without food. But there are big problems with the flagship new system - it takes 5 weeks to get the first payment and it could leave some families worse off by thousands of pounds a year.
We want the government to cut the taper rate and raise the work allowance, as we’ve highlighted in our Make Universal Credit Work campaign. “I’m trying to get better, at the moment I’m on morphine for my back and suffer from the most atrocious migraines, they are just debilitating," she adds.
You can still have Christmas without purchasing presents. Make them. Sentimental gifts are the best xx
So don't buy presents it's just one day in the year, it's not the end of the world
20 hours a week? 🙄🙄 I clock that in two days
Get a job as a private taxi driver you can work 180 hours a week and pay your boss to submit a 16 hour week every taxi driver in Bradford works a 16 hour week wonder why.
20 hours a week!!! Lol
She £1700 a month? I have two jobs and 5 kids and striggle to earn that much. Can still afford a great xmas tho
In the 1950's we were in worse poverty, had to make presents and settle for hand me downs from Santa. Freezing cold, once a week the main meal was packet soup and bread. No good coats, not enough blankets. Parents worked 16 hours a day 7 days a week running a farm.
Great that she is trying to better herself, but it’s Not bad if all you have to do is work 20 hours a week to feed & put a roof over your head
I do 60 hour weeks. Stop moaning. Go to work. Get your kids into work. They should be paying you some rent now. How the hell do you get 1700 a month for doing sod all. It's a disgrace that some people work hard full time and only just get that.
Don’t have kids if you can’t afford them why should every taxpayer pay for yours When we have are own children to pay for.
Yes because 'studying' to get a qualification that has little real world use, and 'working hard 20 hours a week' is the problem. Your kids have grown up, why not do what everyone else does. Not have 4 kids if you cant afford them and work more that 20 hours of you need cash?
April fool ! Jesus, get a grip woman, most of us have worked that many hours by Tuesday.
Xmas isn't about presents ...it's about spending time with family ...always better
Turkey pizzas ..😒
I'm sorry but if you can't afford 4 kids then don't have them and £1.700 a month is £20.500 a year which is more than enough to live on, that's more than what the basic wage is for people that work 40 hours a week and have kids to support, more hours=more money 🤔
Nobody who works 20 hours a week can afford Christmas. Stop feeling like the country should fucking pay you to live.
Get a proper job
She’s on over 22,500 a year ffs
We work 80 hrs a week between us and can't afford xmas! Shame we can't go back to satsumas and coal! Everything is too expensive and the need for more and more is getting crazy stupid.
£1700 🤔 shes on more money with the deductions than those that pay their way.
20 year old and 16 year could be doung part time work as well?
Works hard for 20 hours a week🤣 I’m probably twice his age and work 40 hours a week.
So this is what she gets on UC? She (and everyone else) Seems to have forgotten under the previous system she wouldn’t have got anything working 20 hours a week!
If her kids have special needs she will also get DLA & working tax credits this is utter bull shit!!!!!!
🤣👍🏻🤣👍🏻🤣
I'm getting eviction letters from hullccinfo as universal credit only pays 28 days rent every calendar month so short by 2 or 3 days every paynent
'working hard' 🤣🤣 get a proper job and start supporting your family like a real man.
She has a 20 year old. Get that one into work
FFS she gets more in benefits than I earn a month as a nurse. Wouldn’t bother training as a psychologist as you won’t earn that amount if you work within the NHS
I hate to break it to her but Christmas happens at the same time every year. She has quite an amount coming in. The oldest son is 20 what’s he doing to help?
Punt a bit a gear and your sorted hen 👍
I bet she has cable, internet and every gaming device.
20 hours a, week fuck me
20hours a week⁉️‼️🤦♀️
Get a full time job them ... for fuck sake 🙈🙈🙈🙈
She's 35 ffs
Working hard 20hrs a week. Try 14 hrs a day and 2 hrs travel on top. Work harder make more money. Oh and I struggle at Christmas
Oh dear think doing this story has back fired on her just a bit!! Think she was expecting more sympathy.
20 hours this guy for real
If I’ve read this right she gets £12k tax free = £1k a month + £500 salary + £1121 UC increasing to £1457 from this month, so £2957 per month for delivering pizza 20 hours per week?! Where do I sign up?! She’s on the same money as me and I pay tax NI + Pension for 40+ hour week!
How much did they get paid for this then?
You have roof over your head food you are so very fortunate 💕🌲⏰
4 kids that's 4 lots of CSA. waster!
I'm having a great Xmas and why? Because I work 50hr weeks to support my family with free cash handouts. Go get 2 jobs or a full time one u turd
Thought this was a joke. This kind of complaining I was taught to keep to myself or suffer the pain of embarrassment. I am not heartless and see she is trying her best. But, who does she want to pay her bills? Her daughter wears Nike, she and her son were branded merch.
20 hours a week? Whose fault is this exactly?
They punish you for working where's the sense in that. People would be better off working full time and telling them to stuff their universal credit up their arses. This country is a bloody mess 🙄 the dwp force people into work and then punish them for it 🤷♀️
20 hours? FFS I’ve don’t that by Tuesday
Ever known anyone work so hard as to do 20 hours a week
Is she having a laugh? A child aged 20yrs old? She was quick enough to sell her story to the sun. Ffs!!!!
Tbf a 20 ur old is an adult. Ppl have forgotten meaning of Christmas.. family n love flip price or amount of gifts should be insignificant
Cut your cloth like everyone else, oh get a full time job. There are plenty of then, if you want to work
Here we go.......
Tough one this. I have sympathy for anyone who wants to support themselves but why on earth did she have 4 kids when she clearly wasn’t financially stable? I’m sorry that they won’t have a Xmas, but why should the rest of the country pick up the tab for her? Nobody pays my bills!
question, where is the father in all of this?
Haha 20 hours....must be exhausting
20 hrs per week !! 😂 Excellent compo 'sad face' photo though 🤞
Your are not alone More folks giving up on Christmas this year it s not affordable for lots of us Nothing to be ashamed of just eat and enjoy only one day lovie don't feel guilty just love and be with each other I will be on my own but still got roof and shelter books to read TV
Working hard delivering pizza 20 hours 😂😂😂😂 That's hard hard graft bud.. If u think it is your never gonna amount to much.
20 hours
Is that headline satire
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