Concern over "£95,000-a-year" benefits family
A family are reported to be receiving £95,000 a year in state benefits.
Pete and Sam Smith now live in a rent-free four-bedroom house with their 10 children after being evicted from a rented property in Bath.
The Smiths were moved into a property in Kingswood, a month ago after being evicted from the privately-rented house in Weston in Bath.
The couple have not worked since Mr Smith, 40, left the Army in 2001 to care for his wife, who suffers curvature of the spine, and their three children.
Since then Mrs Smith has given birth to seven more and now is paid £140 a week in child benefit for her 10 children, aged from 14 years to four months.
Along with disability living allowance, carer’s allowance, tax credits and income support, the family’s income rises to £44,954.
The family also benefit from a £950-a-week bed and breakfast deal, which is said to equate to £49,400 per year.
Mrs Smith told the News of The World: “It’s not really that much money we get. It’s certainly not enough for all of us.”
A spokesman for Bath and North East Somerset Council said it had a legal duty to rehouse the homeless children and the bed-and-breakfast deal was just a “temporary” arrangement.
Campaign group the Taxpayers’ Alliance said it was disgraceful they received such a large sum.
Spokesman Emma Boon said: “It cannot be right that there are so many cases where couples are getting a lot more than the average working family.”
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by Tom Trosborg, Bath
Friday, September 10 2010, 10:20AM
“@Chris, Bath City Centre - I didn't realise that not wanting more cyclists to die unnecessarily on the roads was a party political issue.
@JM - it doesn't take much to make you "indignant", does it.”
by David, Bath
Thursday, September 09 2010, 9:31AM
“Er, Chris...in a viable democracy all views have a place. Just because 32.4% voted that way in the last election doesn't mean We're All Conservatives Now.”
by Chris, Bath City Centre
Thursday, September 09 2010, 9:19AM
“Tom,
As with your views upon the acceptability of cyclists riding on the pavement your left wing views on this issue have no place in the post Labour country.”
by David, Bath
Thursday, September 09 2010, 8:55AM
“And so often the ones pushing the buttons use every trick in the book to sidestep their tax obligations, protected by the political influence they wield, using their platform to ensure the plebians spend so much time and energy attacking each other that they won't notice that they're being p***** on from a great height, and told that it's raining....”
by JM, Bath
Thursday, September 09 2010, 8:53AM
“Wrong as usual TT - not "baying masses", just indignant hard-working taxpayers!”
by Tom Trosborg, Bath
Thursday, September 09 2010, 8:11AM
“There are about 72,000 homes in B@NES. The right wing media, supporting a right wing government (which is par for the course), plays up a story about the family one of these, and the baying masses starts frothing, as if this were the most important issue of the day. It's like pressing buttons!”
by Viscount Vixley, Bath
Wednesday, September 08 2010, 10:50PM
“@ Chris Bath.. As you are no doubt aware, these are Ed Milibands very socialist LABOUR policies. I rest my case.”
by Chris, Bath City Centre
Wednesday, September 08 2010, 10:46PM
“Thankfully, these social parahias who fed off the rotting carcass of our once great nation will not find sanctuary under the policies of the present government.
As we are all too painfully aware that such policies are necessary to repair the untold damage inficted by the past inept and irresponsible labour government.”
by Viscount Vixley, Bath
Wednesday, September 08 2010, 10:41PM
“Isn't there a candidate for some party or other calling fo a real living wage so that working can be more beneficial to a person than struggling to survive on benefits?? Didn't someone once say recently that it's disgraceful that a banker earns £X00000's more than a cleaner. Perhaps they have a point and perhaps if this was so it would put an end to some of this right wing diatribe. I doubt our Daly Mail friends will acquiesce but surely anythings better than filling your hearts and minds up with hate?! It causes cancer you know? (Daily Mail said so)!”
by David, Bath
Wednesday, September 08 2010, 9:20PM
“If there's any doubt this story is politically motivated at the point of origin, then that quote from a "DWP spokesman" in the NotW story pretty much blows it out of the water. No rank-and-file Department flak catcher is going to say ""The current system is broken" to a journalist, never in a million years, no way. Can you imagine our local neighbourhood B&NES spokesman coming onto this site and saying "everything's completely f*****"? No, because their job is to deflect or defuse criticism, not fan the flames.
The quote, taken as a whole (""The current system is broken. That's why we're reforming it to ensure work pays and we get people off benefits and into jobs") is, however, strangely reminiscent of Employment Minister Chris Grayling's slightly more polished comment in today's Independent: "These figures are a further indictment of how the current system is failing families and is a shocking reflection of the scale of worklessness across the UK that this Government has inherited.....this is why we are pushing ahead with our Work Programme, which will give people who are out of work and need a job the right support at the right time so that they can get into employment."
I'm guessing Andy Coulson asked him to keep it short and sweet for the News of the World crowd, what with long sentences being so confusing and all.”