Maeve McGoldrick
The Need NOT Greed coalition launched our campaign ask today calling for the government to increase the earnings disregard, the amount of money that can be earned before it is deducted from their benefits, from the current £5 to £50.
The launch received a lot of media attention including a BBC Radio 5 interview (iPlayer) with a person working cash-in-hand and not declaring it, followed by the TUC’s Nicola Smith. The Radio 5 journalist highlighted the problem with the benefits system, how the present inflexible rules were causing people to fiddle the system, leading them to take cash in hand jobs such as the qualified plumber who is struggling to survive financially on the £64.30 he receives per week from his Jobseekers’ Allowance.
