London's Immigrant Council Benefits Scandal

The coalition government has announced this week a £400 weekly cap on housing benefit as part of it's benefits reforms. In some areas of London people are receiving upwards of £1,000 a week in housing benefit to help pay their rent.

In this video we see a single woman from Jamaica with 5 children, renting a 4 bedroom house in Islington, one of London's most exclusive boroughs. The house costs her £690 a week rent from a private landlord, of which £583 is paid by the state.

The woman is complaining that under the new £400 housing benefit cap she won't be able to afford to pay the rent. She earns the minimum wage working as a care assistant but doesn't want to move somewhere cheaper because it wouldn't be convenient.

In the news clip we see various people trying to justify and defend her position, including the presenter. Some might argue this is an absolutely outrage. How can someone who is a foreign immigrant earning the minimum wage and relying on state benefits be living in a house like that at the tax payers expense.

A government minister actually talks some sense for once. Lord Freud, the Minister for Welfare Reform says people who are claiming benefits should be living within their means and will be moved into appropriate accomodation. He pointed out the fact that many hard working people who don't claim housing benefits (and have to make do with sub standard council properties), resent the fact that others like this Jamaican lady who earn less and claim state benefits are living in plush private properties.

So basically this woman thinks its perfectly reasonable she comes to the UK and lives beyond her means at the expense of you and I, the tax payers, so she can spend her earnings on things like a nice widescreen tv and plush furniture. Scandalous.

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• Immigrants
• Welfare
• Council
• Benefits
• London
• UK

[GhGuBeUS]

I have a question of all the citizens of these richer countries, Europe and N America.

Why does it seem to me that you easily provide residency to unqualified immigrants, who clearly can not earn a good living without govt assistance, then you complain. For instance, some of us here, including myself in the USA, have a PhD and two masters in Math and Engineering but we have to leave after some time. I don't mind because I will go entrepreneurial. It just seems like u want cheap labor,slaves.

[BritainDivided]

@GhGuBeUS You are not making the distinction between government and people. People complain, and rightly so, because as tax-payers we pick up the bill. We are not consulted on immigration and most people are against it. The government has its own agenda and poor policies that fail to take into account the wishes and future of the indigenous population. We're fighting back. Those politicians will have a limited future.

[GhGuBeUS]

@BritainDivided What you are saying makes sense. Its important to distinguish between the government and the people. I am just saddened that people from parts of the world, including the part that I am originally from (Africa and the Caribbean) have to run to these 1st world countries like UK and US to beg for jobs and residency. It would be nice if our governments were not greedy dictators and I think this problem would be eliminated. It truly saddens me.

[BritainDivided]

@GhGuBeUS Yes indeed that is a part of the problem. It's a shame those people can't make a decent life in their own countries among their own people. The burden on small countries like the UK is too great and we can't keep taking in people who have a poor standard of living in their own countries and so want to jump ship for a better life here. That comes at the expense of British people which is not fair. We should do something with the British Commonwealth, restart British Empire.

[BritainDivided]

@GhGuBeUS If those countries can't be governed properly then Britain could provide governance and administration for them like we did in the days of the British Empire. Many countries were much better off and countries in Africa would benefit greatly from proper investment and infrastructure, industrialisation which would bring prosperity and stability to many areas of the world.

[GhGuBeUS]

Rent is 690 pounds per week, for that house. England sounds ridiculous.

[BritainDivided]

@GhGuBeUS That's in one of the most exclusive parts of London, the capital city and most expensive place to live in UK. It's ridiculous you're right, that someone who isn't even making a positive net contribution to UK economy is living there and subsidised by tax-payers.

[mastercarey19]

aww my white proud english heart bleeds for this parasite to this fucked up goverment system!!! the money she gets for her rent i have to work a hard 2 weeks for it!! i still have to live with me parents cus i cant afford a flat never mind a house!! dunno why i bother infact im quittin me job n gettin on the benifits fuck it!!!

[BritainDivided]

@FreedomFighterUK We as citizens have seriously got to tackle this problem and get to grips with the politicians responsible eh. They're spending OUR money, giving OUR money away to other people against our wishes and without our consent. That strikes me as being unconstitutional and undemocratic. A government should serve the interests of its OWN people first and foremost, above all else. I'm sure people who voted didn't agree to pay for other peoples lifestyles.

[slightsociopath]

my dad came here form africa in the 80's married my mum in the 90's. we lived in a 4 bedroom for 13 years paid rent and then moved to better part of islington and 800 pounds a month. my parents find it disgraeful that immigrants come to islington and mayfair etc. and rent houses. my dad worked for 13 years before he thought he could afford to move these people dont THINK.

[wank0r]

How the FUCK can this unskilled, Caribbean baby-maker, A foreign national, a NON-EU national i might add, come here and be eligible for benefits?

This country is like the fucking Twilight ZONE!

[BritainDivided]

@dashwood123 As I said, this is a country full of opportunities for people willing to take them.. we have the best education institutions in the world and free higher education for low earners. It's the best country to start a business in, and there's no shortage of things you can do if you set your mind to it. You have to take responsibility for yourself. It's easy to say oh I was born on the wrong side of the fence, or oh the government and banks are rich and I'm not etc.