Here is a heart warming story

18 Jan 2012

As a Romanian immigrant living in the UK, Big Issue seller Firuta Vasile already qualified for more than £25,500 a year in benefits.
But one state handout she wasn’t entitled to was housing benefit. Until now.
Yesterday the 27-year-old mother of four was celebrating having won the extra payout – worth at least £2,600 a year – after her local council was over-ruled by a judge.
Miss Vasile, whose marital status is unknown, said the benefits money would help her pay rent on her £130,000 three-bedroomed home, while she continues to earn around £100 a week selling copies of the homelessness magazine.
Miss Vasile claims £25, annually in benefits. Every week she receives £326 in tax credits, in child benefits, in disability living allowance and in carers’ allowance.
She would now be entitled to around £160 a week in housing benefit – although this will be reduced to around £50 due to her other income.
Read more:
Chris Grayling was not best pleased with the courts decision, I wonder what you guys think?
I feel we should be able to afford a nice shindig for the Queen!!

19 Jan 2012

But certainly David Cameroon is on the case? Does he not hate scroungers and has he not promised that it'll always pay to be in work?
Or was it just hot air ?? Guess we all know the answer to that !!
John

19 Jan 2012

Anyone really suprised.................

19 Jan 2012

Not surprised at all by:
The source of the story.
The OP
The responses.
All of whom seem to share an agenda which does not appear to be fuelled by love or tolerance.

19 Jan 2012

Quote by Ben_Minx
Not surprised at all by:
The source of the story.
The OP
The responses.
All of whom seem to share an agenda which does not appear to be fuelled by love or tolerance.

Maybe I am just jealous that I can not provide my family with such a high standard of living.
That green eyed monster :bounce:

19 Jan 2012

Quote by Bluefish2009
That green eyed monster :bounce:

what one of these mr bluefish dunno

actualy i can find nothing wrong with either the source of the story or the op, or the responces. all seem fine to me :notes:

19 Jan 2012

Quote by starlightcouple

That green eyed monster :bounce:

what one of these mr bluefish dunno

actualy i can find nothing wrong with either the source of the story or the op, or the responces. all seem fine to me :notes:
Yes Star, that is the little fella wink

19 Jan 2012

Quote by Ben_Minx
Not surprised at all by:
The source of the story.
The OP
The responses.
All of whom seem to share an agenda which does not appear to be fuelled by love or tolerance.

Importing millions of people from the third world taking jobs and prospects away from those already here tends to have that effect on a population. I worked 50 hours a week as a delivery driver, hard, dirty, physical work. This woman "earns" more than I did.
The UK government is borrowing £500,000, a day just to keep things ticking over, tax take is over 50% and the government spends more as a GDP% than the Eastern Bloc did before the fall of communism. 85 graduates for every single job, millions not even able to qualify to count as unemployed, over a million young people unemployed and still the UK imports more and more people.
Economic reality trumps "peace and tolerance" every time.

20 Jan 2012

Quote by Ben_Minx
Not surprised at all by:
The source of the story.
The OP
The responses.
All of whom seem to share an agenda which does not appear to be fuelled by love or tolerance.

So the story is a complete lie?..................

21 Jan 2012

It's not that. Noone's questioning it. Facts are facts. It's the lack of context, and the spin. A completely non-controversial ruling that selling the Big Issue satisfies the self-employed category required as regards benefits ( and presumably tax. ) as previously stated by the social security tribunal which prompted the Council's appeal, at which point the system designed to mark down benefits against earnings comes into play, as intended.
It's perfectly straightforward, but we're left to infer that there's something unusual about it. It's presented as though there's something here which shouldn't sit quite right because she's a Romanian immigrant single mother of four kids, but the simple fact is that now that her employment status has been dealt with she's entitled under the legislation in place. They're spinning it as though that shouldn't be the case and she's pulled a fast one. Why? They don't expand on that, but why are we left to infer that she's exploited the system? She hasn't, she's claiming her entitlements, so what's their point?

21 Jan 2012

It does not lack context for me, where she is from is not the point, Any one who lives in this country, legaly must receive the same treatment no mater where they come from, I personally wish her well, for me its the system I do not like.

22 Jan 2012

Quote by Bluefish2009
Any one who lives in this country, legaly must receive the same treatment no mater where they come from,

and when bluefish was the last time that happened??
seems to me that minorities of whatever denomination get better treatment than anyone else.
that is the story of britain now. along the same lines bluefish as criminals getting better treatment than the victim. shameful, still plenty of rich lawyers have made a nice sum of money out of the madness that is britain 2012 style. :twisted:

22 Jan 2012

Who looks after the children whilst this lady is out flogging the Big Issue?

22 Jan 2012

What annoys me is that she has come over here and started claiming.
It really p*sses me off.

22 Jan 2012

Quote by browning
What annoys me is that she has come over here and started claiming.
It really p*sses me off.

right through spain and france as well. blink

22 Jan 2012

Quote by browning
What annoys me is that she has come over here and started claiming.
It really p*sses me off.

I don't doubt she came here with the idea that she'd get a job and earn her fortune .....looks like everyones illusions get shattered

23 Jan 2012

Quote by starlightcouple
seems to me that minorities of whatever denomination get better treatment than anyone else.
that is the story of britain now. along the same lines bluefish as criminals getting better treatment than the victim. shameful, still plenty of rich lawyers have made a nice sum of money out of the madness that is britain 2012 style. :twisted:

And what evidence do you have for that Starlight? It's all in your imagination. D'you think the DWP or the judge looked at it and thought 'You know what, she probably shouldn't be getting this cos we wouldn't give it to anyone else but hey, she's a Romanian immigrant, let's bend the rules a bit and chuck money at her she shouldn't have to shut her up, stop her making more of a fuss'? Course they didn't.
It's statutory Starlight. Her entitlements are laid out in black and white, available to anyone who cares to look, the exact same entitlements anyone else would be entitled to in her circumstances, even you should the world turn upside down and you suddenly find yourself having to look after four kids on your own, the nearest thing to work you can get being standing on a street corner all day selling the Big Issue. If Chris Grayling ain't best pleased about it as Blue said it's because he knows damn well that's the case, and until the Govt changes the benefits system and brings in the cap there's not a thing he can do about it, because what she's getting is completely in line with the rules the DWP have to work with. Her minority status is neither here nor there. Anyone in her shoes would get it.

23 Jan 2012

reely neil?
the law is clear. " Unlike other European Union nationals, Romanians and Bulgarians are subject to strict employment rules in the UK because their countries were late entrants to the EU ".
i thought governments made the laws and not judges dunno

so you are telling me that had this been a british born person the judge would have acted this way neil? yes of course you are but funny how it was not a british person who took this issue ( not the big issue )up. this woman has lived here since 2007 and yet still needs an interpreter fgs.
" Housing benefit has previously been provided to Romanian citizens only if they fit into one of three categories" neither one she fitted into.
" I got legal support and was helped with an appeal". if there is a national newspaper in romania that has looked at this story, the big issue will be selling a few extra copies later this yeer.
the future is very bleek for this country but a lot of happy lawyers making themselves richer by the week.
no wonder the labour politician said there is no money left.
many answers at the bottom of the page and one in particular
" Will THE BIG ISSUE be advising its 2000 + vendors that they must ALL now complete self assessment tax forms and at least pay class 2 national insurance. After all if Big Issue sellers have now been ruled as self employed then they must, by law, complete a SA & pay class 2 NI".
will wait and see on that one but there wont be many that will be running to the local tax office i suspect.

23 Jan 2012

Quote by starlightcouple
reely neil?
the law is clear. " Unlike other European Union nationals, Romanians and Bulgarians are subject to strict employment rules in the UK because their countries were late entrants to the EU ".
i thought governments made the laws and not judges

Yes, of course. And the social security tribunal said 'According to the law the Govt has made which says as a Romanian immigrant she must fit into one of three specific categories for our purposes she fits into this one' and the Council said 'Hang on a minute, you sure about that, let's ask a judge, see if you're interpreting that right' and lo and behold the Judge says 'Yep, that's what it says here, she fulfils the criteria laid down, job done, next case.'
The Judge hasn't made the law. He's just confirmed that as the law's written down it allows for that interpretation, not specifically precluding this particular circumstance. If the Govt doesn't like it they should probably look at changing it, adding specific exclusions to prevent such an interpretation in future but until they do that they're bound by the terms of their own legislation.

" Will THE BIG ISSUE be advising its 2000 + vendors that they must ALL now complete self assessment tax forms and at least pay class 2 national insurance. After all if Big Issue sellers have now been ruled as self employed then they must, by law, complete a SA & pay class 2 NI"

Probably not no, but then I'm not sure this particular ruling could be said to apply to their circumstances because they're not the same, are they, seeing as the vast majority will be UK citizens eligible for Housing Benefit anyways and asked to declare their earnings from it already. Maybe noone's had to ask the question then if they're self-employed or not because they're not required to fit into the same category as that which applies to a Romanian national's employment status because there's been no doubt as to their entitlement to Housing Benefit. If someone asks that question at some point you might get a ruling that clarifies their employment status.