Life on the breadline

Stacey and her family are finding it hard to manage

The tax credits fiasco continues.

And the hardships being endured by many families show just what effect the bureaucratic bungling is having on people's lives.

The government promised that claimants who've applied in good time for weekly payments would get them by last Friday - the rest would have the money by today.

Angela Poole lives near Leicester with her partner and two-year-old daughter Stacey, who has special needs.

We were on the breadline and now we're going under

Angela Poole

She applied for her tax credit in September, but has still not received a penny.

The family should have been receiving about £100 a week for the past month.

"We were on the breadline and now we're going under," says Angela.

"We've borrowed £200 at a very high rate of interest because we can't get a bank loan.

"It's at 40% interest so we're paying £80 on it over the year. We've actually borrowed £280 just to survive."

Everywhere Angela looks, she needs to find more money.

Bank charges

"I've incurred bank charges because I've gone overdrawn, having to pay bills and so on," she says.

"The charge is about £20 every month and still there's no sign of the money."

Just meeting day-to-day costs is proving a real struggle, and parents are having to help out.

We don't know where the money's coming from

Angela Poole

"My mother-in-law bought the shopping for us yesterday because we couldn't afford basic foodstuffs and my dad gives us money when he can," explains Angela.

"It's just devastating - we don't know where the money's coming from.

"There's no phone call, no letter - nothing to say there's hope on the horizon. What are we going to get?"

She has been told she could apply in person at the local tax office for an emergency payment, but that brings its own problems.

"That might be easy for some people, but with a two-year-old who has Erb's Palsy I just cannot get into town.

"It's 10 miles away and the bus service is virtually non-existent.

Mislaid

"I challenge anyone with a two-year-old to go up to the tax office and sit there for a day or maybe two days to get something done."

The Inland Revenue denied that they've mislaid large numbers of applications which were submitted in good time, or been unable to retrieve the information.

But Working Lunch viewers are still getting in touch with their tales of woe.

One was told the Inland Revenue had lost her details and she would have to apply again.

"I swear that they've lost the forms, I really do think that they've lost them," says Angela.

"What was the point of putting your forms in early when they are going to be six weeks late in paying you?"