Hundreds of families in Caerphilly County Borough have had their benefits capped over the last five years, new figures show.
The vast majority of households affected include young children, with charities warning that the cuts risk leaving families homeless or hauling them below the poverty line.
Figures from the Department for Work and Pensions show that between the introduction of the cap in April 2013 and February this year, 430 families had their housing benefits docked.
Couples with children are limited to an annual income from all benefits of £20,000, or £385 a week. In London, the cap is higher, at £23,000.
There are lower rates for single parents and households without children.
Over the last five years, 13 households in Caerphilly were docked more than £100 a week.
The majority of capped claimants, 55%, were single parents with children. Couples with children accounted for a further 44% of cases.
The chief executive of Shelter, Polly Neate, said: “At Shelter we hear every day from families who have been hauled below the poverty line by the cap on housing benefit, with many struggling to put food on the table and keep a roof over their heads.
“The cap is a cruel and ineffective way of achieving what the government claims is their aim of getting people into work, and doesn’t account for the wildly varying rent levels across the country.”
Meanwhile families struggling to put food on the table are being hammered by brutal rises to their council tax by the local authority………and I’m sure Polly Neate chief executive of Shelter would know all about poverty, she must really struggle on her measly salary of £122’500 a year.
Absolutely agree with you.
What about the chief executive of caerphilly council 150k a year
Meanwhile hard working families are struggling while people on benefits claim everything and are on more then people who are working full time.
If you say so Mr Smith.
Lot of negative vibs from you again.
Again run with the fox and hounds.
You run the council down about what they receive in wage the next thing is back them.
Get your facts right.
Bet your on some sort of benefits.
Did i mention or make any referance to the pay of the excutive? No i did not, i find it disgusting for someone to award themselves a pay ride to that level, equally i find it bad that someone on benfits are getting £20,000 a year. For the record jack my boy, im retired and having a pension, which is my entitlement for working hard, not a benefit.
Look at the new C.E.O of caerphilly council she is on 150k we all sit here and ragoff the old chief executive for his rise to 145k. Nothing about the new C.E and her increased wage.
Again running hot and cold.
Again conservative member.
Im totally and utterly lost with you! I made no mention of the chief excuctive of the council or their pay so i have no idea where you are coming from in this post? For the record Jack my boy i do think that both excuctives are overpaid especially when our Prime minister is on the same wage. In my time i have known several supervisors/managers through friendships good guys/nice guys but they are not worth the money they were paid. Because they couldnt do the job well. My point is we have overpaid people who cant do the job in a few professions. We need to look at this and work it out, maybe a pay related performance scale so if you do well you get paid more, even this should have a pay cap. No councillor/higher managers should get paid more than the PM.
So as you can see Jack im not running hot and cold. You seem like a nice guy but you dont seem to get a grasp of what people are saying, you seem to build an opinion out of nothing.
Put your glasses on again lot of negative vibs about unemployed people.
Lots of raceism about unemployed people. It’s your party that’s put people in this situation.
First of all Jack unemployed people are not a race, therefore i cant be racist. racism noun
prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism directed against someone of a different race based on the belief that one’s own race is superior.
Secondly i was being racist. So stop your false accusations because you cant win an arguement or cant even argue your point with out bringing up items that doesnt even relate to the topic!
Ed facts facts facts my old man something you and Richard seem to avoid or twist.
I have 20/20 vision and i dont really shop in that kind of place
Don’t understand ….. What shop….
Im very sorry if you cant live on £20,000 a year there is something wrong, most employed people dont earn that, so why should someone sat on their bum earn that
The true poor are not always on benefits. The low paid workers are the ones who bear the brunt of poverty. As you say many people in full time employment regard £20,000 as an excellent take home salary. They pay income tax, national insurance and contribute to their own pension and would need a gross salary of more than £25,000 to attain that level of income. For instance a full time worker at Marks and Spencer earns £18,200 per annum before various taxes and pension contributions are taken from them.
Totally agree with you, we need a change to our benfits system so those who go to work get benfits to boost their income, how can someone who does nothing earn more than those willing to work. A friend of mine is pulling his hair out at the moment is daughter is seeing a bloke who is on disabilty allowence, but volunteers everywhere but is not fit for work, he also bragged at Christmas when we had the cold weather that he had a Christmas bonus from the government!! As you say the true sick and the true poor do not get the benfits they deserve, while the swindlers who work the system gets it all while those who deserve it dont and its disgusting and needs stopping.
Absolutely agree we need to look at the way full benifits are paid. Why are so many food banks within our community.
Why are we giving free bus passes heating payments to the rich.
We should be paying £10. to see a doctor and pay for hospital visits.
Have you noticed its the people who have money that are swindles people taking more and more.
I do remember you are a Conservative and they Rob the poor and pay the rich.
Look at the mess we in by David Cameron and Osborne Totley rich take away from the poor.
Why are so many sick people having they benifits taken away cars being taken away by the Conservative party the mess of brexit by our PM May.
Ian Duncan Smith the old DWP minister called the silent killer of sick people.
What a shame being a Conservative member.
Like to see you on the shop floor when people loose they jobs and tell them they can’t clim benefit.
When ever I read your posts I feel like a school teacher correcting your grammar and trying to understand what you are writing.
Good Mr teacher I’m happy it makes you happy your quick enough to point out mistakes yet you make enough yourself.
Yes you are a racist your comments about migrants at our borders and now about benifits.
You are.
First of all, where did the migrants comments come from? ? I dont think I made any comments about migrants in any post. And again thr unemployed are not a race, therefore im not a racist. I think you need new glasses and a trip back to school.
There you go then…. At least it makes you happy ?.
Making stuff up again Jack my boy, I never mentioned the word swindlers. Of course it had something to do with you and me you fool, we pay the taxes that keeps going up to fund this benfit. I wont be reply to you again you are too dumb to understand.
Yes you have in your comments if you want I can point you in the right direction.
OK you say we pay taxes.
If you want to pick on people who claim benifits look at the broader benifits.
Blue bage fraud people useing blue bage to getaway with parking fee’s.
NHS fraud.
Housing benefit fraud.
Bus pass misuse.
If you want to stop people doing this then you start at the top.
The cost of living is increasing council property going up ” rent” all to do with this government and the past one under Cameron.
Let’s
Have you been drinking tonight? Your post makes no sense, first you ask why so many food banks have been set? Then you say that people should pay to see a doctor and hospital visits, surely this would tagert the ones who are not well off, because they would not be able to afford to go to these clincs?
People are having their benfits cut because we have people playing the system who can work and earn their keep, meanwhile those that really need the benfits can not get whats due to them. Its a fact we have a benfit culture which needs to stop now, otherwise when people really need it we wont have any money left. People who go out to work who were on benfits should be reward and have more money than those who sit at home, there is no incentive for people to work while they can claim £20,000 on benfits and have everything payed for them. The ones who go out to work are worst off. My grandson has lost two jobs due to cut backs but each time has found work, there is jobs out there for people willing to do them.
If people complain that immigrants are taking their jobs, remember this if they can come to our country learn a new language then get a job good on them. In my day people done any job they could working their way up the ladder. Now a days people expect to start at the top.
If you put your glasses on that was sent satarday and no I was not drinking as like you smoking pot.
Yes do a Really good cut back let’s pay for everything visits to the doctors visits to the hospital cut every thing.
Again you where attacking people on benefits. People on benefits having where having benifits capped.
Get off the pot Ed.
Conservative what to bring in the change of changing for doctors hospital.
Im so sorry, you post makes no sense i cant undetstand what you are saying.
You said I have been drinking when I sent a reply on Sunday it was sent on Saturday.
I said put your glasses on and stop smoking pot…. Cannabis.
Right, your skills at the english language are so poor, I couldnt make head nor tail of what you was saying.
Tell you what about swindlers councillors changing the tax payer US to foot the bill for child minders to look after a 14 year old girl when his wife is there and family members in the sum of 14k and then send them on holidays.
And that’s on top of he wage.
That’s a swindler…..
Can’t believe that you can sit there and say about people’s benifits and you wanted to wast money in a bloody old historical monument in Caerphilly
The money that could be used for something more important things all you cllr past and present are all out there for money greed.
I have no idea what ‘monument’ you are referring to Jack. Also, for your information, I served the people of my ward as Town Councillor to the best of my ability and never received a single penny in either salary or expenses. Please try and learn a little before posting stupid comments directed at me and other members of this forum.
So you not the ex. UKIP councillor who wants to restore David Williams memorial in Park place.
Let get one thing straight read the comments.
Edward is quick enough shouting his mouth off about benifits let’s cut back on everything.
Councillors always get away with it again as you say I served the town well so be it you take this to Hart.
Again Take your pick form my comments are you and Edward seam to do.
Ignore him Richard he lives in land of make believe bringing radom topics into the discussions which have no relation to the topic being discussed.
I can’t make head not tail of what he is on about most of the time!
Same here it takes me ages to understand him.
The modern term is ‘troll’, someone who does not want to debate but seeks to annoy and elicit a response. I think I know who this one is now, I won’t waste any more time.
I like that terminology, neither will I, neither will I.
Zero hour contract pays what. Mr Smith.
Once again what does this have to do with my point. But as you asked the question i will respond. Zero hour contracts pay zero when you are not working, however when you do work you earn the minimum wage.
Zero contracts work for some people students and those that are retired because they can pick the hours and work they need. For others though with a house/family they do not they need a regular income. We do need a change. We need flexabity for some with regular pay for others.