An unemployed single mother has told Channel 4 she is afraid to look for work because she could lose the benefits that currently keep her household stable.
Amy, 30, from Keighley near Bradford, appeared on Britain’s Benefits Scandal: Dispatches, which aired on December 2. Speaking while watching her eight-year-old son Alfie at a playground, she said a pregnancy injury left her with serious mobility problems. Amy explained that her pelvis was badly damaged and required fusion surgery. She said she relies on a walking stick and lives with constant pain, alongside mental health issues including CPTSD, anxiety, and depression.
Because of her condition, Amy receives long-term sickness benefits and has never worked a full-time job. She said she would like to work, but fears the financial risk. Dispatches said she would need to earn more than £35,000 a year to match her current support — around £10,000 above the average salary in her area.
Amy also pushed back at criticism that she “looks fine,” saying appearances can be misleading. Her worry, she said, is that even trying a job could trigger an immediate stop to payments, leading to rent issues and debts. “Where does that leave my eight-year-old?” she asked.
Eddy Graham, from the charity Z2K, said many people on sickness benefits feel the same fear. He told the programme the risk of losing a low but steady income can discourage people from attempting work.
By the end of the documentary, Amy said she was training to become a councillor, but remained unsure about returning to the workplace. Presenter Fraser Nelson described her situation as a clear example of the “welfare trap.”