[user104658]

Originally Posted by Kizzy

From my own experience I was a lone parent on a benefit and I paid £125 towards my council tax.

Any kind of confirmation from you would be a bonus, all you appear to have is your own preconception.

From my own experience of being in a COUPLE with children on slowly-increasing income since the first was born, I paid none at all until she was two and was only liable for the full bill once I was working full time at well over minimum wage. Experience in both the North of England and Scotland.

I must have far too much ****ing time on my hands because I've actually just done a full benefits calculation for the girl in the film based on the year it was made.

She would have had £117 a week child tax credits, £35 a week child benefits.

She would have lost £72 a week in JSA due to the sanction.

She would have had no rent liability (she states she is in a council property, housing allowance would therefore cover full rent)

She would be paying £2.95 a week council tax (confirming that my estimating skills are awesome).

So she has income of roughly £150 per week and mandatory outgoings of around £25 - 30 a week assuming just over £20 a week for water and gas and electricity.

I do know this system. I've lived in it, I've helped countless other parents navigate it, I've seen my mother navigate disability.

The only explanation for the girl in the film ending up starving, is substance abuse or debt. No two ways about it. We see clearly that she does not have substance abuse problems, therefore, for the film to be realistic they should have at least implied that she was in trouble with creditors - given that this is one of THE most pressing issues in UK relative poverty. It would have taken minutes. Shown her buying kids Clothes on credit with there already being a large outstanding balance, show her looking worried when a red envelope lands on the rug in the morning. These details are important. Her situation has to be a real one.