My neighbour is in real trouble.

She works every hour she can get in geriatric wards at a local hospital, she drives a clapped out old car and I hear her setting off at 6:30am and she doesn't get back until after 7pm.

Because of the rota they use she works more hours one month than the next she is not able to claim benefits even though her income, on average, is low enough.

Since the budget her income has fallen, the tax on her car has gone from I think 65 to 110 pounds, the cost of petrol was already a problem, and she has fallen behind on the rent.

She eats the leftover food from the hospital meals - which is forbidden and she could get sacked for it, but she can't afford to eat. Sometimes she has food at home, but doesn't have gas to cook it nor electricity to keep it fresh, so it goes bad by the time she gets back from work with the keys which control the prepayment meters in credit.

She wants to stay in the house where she grew up, even though the landlord has bodged every job done on it, so, for example, she can't get enough hot water for a bath as the boiler cuts out when the water pressure drops.

She is studying - on her 'days off' so she can get into a higher pay band when she gets more qualifications, and hopes that might help.

If she loses the house, all her possessions, her car and her job, which could very well happen if the landlord throws her out for arrears of rent - how can she ever be compensated?

She was told a little while ago that there would be no more overtime as they had recruited a lot of foreign workers to fill the vacancies.
The foreigners would not do the work, left people sitting in front of their dinners because they would not feed them, let them get dehydrated as they would just put down the cup in front of them to be knocked over - would not do any of the normal jobs associated with geriatric nursing, and most of them left after a few weeks so at least the normal situation has been restored and the overtime is back.

God save us from what the welfare state has turned into.