Nearly 18,000 families in Birmingham on Universal Credit are now eligible to claim extra cash after the Labour government scrapped the two-child cap in April. The change has sparked anger among workers, who told the Sun newspaper that the situation in the city was “unsustainable”.
Workers React to Rule Change
Some Birmingham residents expressed frustration, with one saying, “It’s not worth going to work anymore” due to the rule change. Another described the policy as “atrocious, topsy turvy and not sustainable,” adding that “people going to work are paying for this through taxes while they’re struggling to afford their own bills.”
A worker with 14 nephews and nieces noted that even hard-working family members are questioning the value of employment. “If people can get free money for not working, they are going to do it. It’s human nature for some people, but politicians don’t realise because they live in a Westminster bubble,” they said.
Concerns Over Benefits Culture
A second resident argued that some recipients now view the extra money as equivalent to a part-time wage, potentially discouraging them from seeking work. “I don’t think they have the mindset of going back to work anymore. Others have said it would be easier to have another kid than work because you get more money for it,” they claimed.
A third critic pointed to broader issues, stating, “We’re in a nanny state now – with school meals, breakfast clubs, children not ready for school, all of these things. Parents don’t have the skills that they used to have.” Another added, “People are being bought up with a ‘benefits attitude’, and it has got to stop. The country doesn’t make enough money to pay the benefits out.”
Government Response
A Government spokesperson defended the policy, stating that their Child Poverty Strategy would lift 550,000 children out of poverty by 2030 and that welfare reforms would save “nearly £2billion by the end of the decade.” They added, “Child poverty costs the country billions through pressure on public services and lost potential, and with six in 10 of benefitting families having a parent in work, scrapping the two-child limit is an investment in Britain’s future that supports working households.”
