How have benefit changes hit you?

Has it been justified that this subsidy is fair, to the point that it is working or causing more hardship to households across the district? I am trying to explore the reason and gauge opinion of who is suffering from these real term cuts.

Having been a long-term carer and voluntary worker within the community, in receipt of the discretional housing payment for the last 18 months, I am now told it is for hardship of finance, not for lifestyle. Although it is commendable that I serve the community in a voluntary capacity, along with full-term caring responsibilities, also with restricting health issues, I’m advised to get a job, so that I can fulfil the gap of loss of income to bridge the shortfall of a government policy.

Do people really think that living on welfare means you get a better lifestyle than someone working?

Many people working are on low incomes and they receive benefits and subsidies from the DWP. The working poor are always the easy target.

I am looking for some clarification from the local council, or from our MP, who can state to us as claimants, what the policies are of district housing councils, private land lords, in regards to evictions, should payments not be made. No one states what they would do, even though they mainly agree that the spare room subsidy is wrong. And they have no housing stock to downsize people in to, which causes people concern that they are forced to move with no choice.

I have lived in my home for eight years. It’s my home - why should I vacate it to accommodate other people, who incidently, could move in use both rooms and still get full housing benefit for it? Where is the logic in that?

The spare room subsidy will reduce my welfare by some £1,000 a year, which if you look at that another way, being a carer full time, gives me a care premium of a little over £1 an hour.

I welcome some response from readers on their opinion of the welfare depravity and in particular the spare room subsidy and how it affects their daily living within the Warwick district

Andi Conway Horbury, Social Welfare Support at Direct Link Service