Re: should benefit cheats be allowed to be councillors
 

I don't particularly care whether they become councillors or not. Benefit cheats dont buy 350,000 houses just on scamming benefits, they still have to make a massive amount of that money through hard work still.

People who cheat the benefit system dont particularly bother me though for some reason. Ive never thought anything much about the issue to hate it.

Re: should benefit cheats be allowed to be councillors
 

its not really a matter of hating it- i dont, its like with owt - if you get caught you pay the piper.;) at the end of the day its not great if fraudsters are representing you,

Re: should benefit cheats be allowed to be councillors
 

It would be nice to have some evidence to read, but in theory of course I wouldn't vote for someone who was cheating the system.

Re: should benefit cheats be allowed to be councillors
 

I know a few people who have done it and are now trying to build up their lives normally through being skint and struggling instead. I can understand in particularly my friends situation why she would cheat on benefits. She got kicked out at 14 and sometimes held part time jobs (over the amount of hours allowed) to help pay her bills better and have a bit extra. She still lived on bare minimum. In her situation i can understand and now she's older and getting qualifications under her belt she's starting to do well on her own.

Thats why I'm the only one who has clicked yes so far :)

Re: should benefit cheats be allowed to be councillors
 

Re: should benefit cheats be allowed to be councillors
 

When your young I think your main instinct is survival rather than standing by morals. If there is no food on the table you do the best thing you can to get it, you find a way to get money or u resort to actually commiting theft or something to put it on the table.

I suppose it would be even more of an instinct to provide necessities if u had dependants as well that werent recieving enough and you felt there was no other way to provide. You dont think of others when your children are starving after all and I dont really think most people would think of others if they themselves were starving or unable to afford adequate clothing say if the seasons where rapidly changing.

Re: should benefit cheats be allowed to be councillors
 

its an interesting discussion, i dont blame any buggar working a fiddle in exeptional circumstances, kids to support etc, aint saying its right, but can understand why! but still i'm sure anyone convicted of fraud cos thats what it is,should not be allowed to represent joe public on the counsel.

Re: should benefit cheats be allowed to be councillors
 

Benefit fraud is theft. It is stealing off every single person who pays into the system.

Re: should benefit cheats be allowed to be councillors
 

Under a Nazi regime they wouldn't get away with it - there probably wouldn't be any benefits in the first place, the claimants would have been 'eliminated'. ;)

Re: should benefit cheats be allowed to be councillors
 

no one needs to cheat to get buy everyone is given enough money to get buy on.should not be alowed on council.if you have been conficted of drink driving try getting a license to run a pub.

Re: should benefit cheats be allowed to be councillors
 

Whatever the reason behind someone being a benefit cheat,the fact is that it is a crime.I don't think that criminals should be councillors.

Re: should benefit cheats be allowed to be councillors
 

Very well put Lilly.
I certainly would not like to be represented by a councillor who was a criminal.

Re: should benefit cheats be allowed to be councillors
 

It's all cobbler's... the press will bring up 1 case in a million and evryone thinks its so easy to cheat on benefits.. rubbish.. anyone who has to suffer the delays, indignity, and downright relutance of what is now the DWP will tell you it's dam hard work just getting what you are entitled to.

Re: should benefit cheats be allowed to be councillors
 

I had to jump through hoops, which is quite difficult when you have Parkinson's Disease.:D

Re: should benefit cheats be allowed to be councillors
 

why do you have to jump through hoops? because of people doing benefit fraud it,s them who spoil it for the people in real need:mad: