A single mother-of-six is getting more than £80,000 a year from the taxpayer to live in a £2million mansion in an exclusive London suburb.
Essma Marjam, 34, is given almost £7,000 a month in housing benefits to pay the rent on the five-bedroom villa just yards from Sir Paul McCartney’s house and Lord’s cricket ground.
She also receives an estimated £15,000 a year in other payouts, such as child benefit, to help look after her children, aged from five months to 14.
The four-storey house in Maida Vale has five bedrooms, two bathrooms, a double living room, large fitted kitchen-diner with French doors on to the landscaped garden and a state-of-the art buzzer entry system.
Astonishingly, it is understood Miss Marjam found the house on the internet through a private letting agency, rather than waiting for Westminster council to give her a vacant property on their books.
She then applied to the council for the £1,600-a-week benefit – the maximum amount the council allows.
Miss Marjam said: ‘I moved here at the beginning of the month as I’m entitled to a five-bedroom house.
‘I was in a three-bedroom council house but I needed a bigger place once my new baby came along. So the council agreed to pay the £1,600 a week to a private landlord as they didn’t have any houses big enough.
‘I’m separated from my husband. He’s a solicitor in Derby, but I don’t know if he’s working at the moment. He doesn’t pay anything towards the kids. Things are quite difficult between us.
‘The house is lovely and very big, but I don’t have enough furniture to fill it.’
She does, however, have two large flat-screen televisions and several leather sofas, plus a large amount of children’s toys scattered over the wooden floorboards.
During the week, vans from Argos and other home stores dropped off large purchases.
Miss Marjam does not work, as she spends all day looking after her children – Zekia, 14, Abdulhakim, 13, Jihad, 11, Hamza, ten, Ayman, two, and five-month-old Nasir.
The four eldest have the surname Benjamin, while the two youngest have the surname Khan.
Labour’s controversial Local Housing Allowance enables council tenants to receive such high benefits to pay private landlords.
The maximum that can be claimed is set by central government and the allowances can be huge, leaving the taxpayer to foot the bill.
The Daily Mail has highlighted other outrageous examples, such as the single mother of eight receiving £90,000 a year to live in a £2.6million Notting Hill mansion.
Taxpayers are also picking up the £6,400-a-month bill to house Nasra Warsame, her seven children and her elderly mother in central London, with Westminster council also providing Mrs Warsame’s husband and their eighth child with a two-bedroom flat nearby.
In total, 16 families are living in million-pound-plus London properties funded by the Local Housing Allowance.
Phillipa Roe, a Westminster councillor, said: ‘We would like to see the entire system changed as the current rules are wrong and do not offer taxpayers value for money.
‘We want to have more control to limit the amount of money which is paid out. Local councils are far better placed to determine benefit levels than ministers in Whitehall who won’t know the facts on the ground.
‘The Government has repeatedly pledged to reform housing benefit but failed to do so. The whole system needs a radical review and ministers should stop dragging their heels and get on and do it.’
A Department for Work and Pensions spokesman said: ‘It is not right that in London high rents have been able to distort the system, resulting in a small number of people getting excessively high payments.
‘We took immediate action and capped the Local Housing Allowance in April. The plans we published in December go even further and will exclude high rents from LHA rate calculations.
‘Only a very small minority of people receive such high rates of housing benefit. The average payment is £81 a week.’
RELATED ARTICLES
- EVs pollute 1850 times more than Fossil Fuel cars according to new study
- UK Warns that China is Preparing for Total Nuclear War with the West
- Jacob Rothschild Dies At Age 87
- UK Government-Funded Study Found Virtually No Dental Benefit From Fluoridation
- UK Elderly Couple Ordered in a Council Letter to Sell Their House as its Needed to House Migrants
Loading ...
tax payers money is often plundered by those in power
i like to buy children toys that are educational too, in this way, your kids can learn by playing ;;`
Bonsoir, je suis un jeune Algérien musulman vivant à Alger Je suis un
employé de la police dans la bande mobile de la police Vous cherchez
une femme honnête Je tiens à les identifier afin de construire une vie
heureuse mariée J’attends avec impatience votre réponse S’il vous
plaît accepter mes assurances de respect et d’appréciation Je suis un
jeune musulman de nationalité algérienne vivant en Algérie
ma Profession Police sentiments sincères Je suis un jeune Algérien
musulman né le 13.08.1976 à Alger Je veux construire une
relation
Honnête Base de l’amour et l’affection Et de l’honnêteté et la
sincérité Et la compréhension
Je veux construire la vie Une vie de bonheur J’espère trouver
Une place dans ton coeur Pour La relation conjugale
J’espère que la relation
Un bon présage et signe d’espérance J’espère que vous aurez mon
message Et le sentiment, de la santé et bien-être très Vous
et les membres de la famille S’il vous plaît accepter mes
remerciements et de respect pour tous les Je mets la demande à la
disposition de votre dignité que vous jugent appropriées pour la
stabilité et heureuse vie conjugale une rencontre avec un femme
gentil, sérieux, attentionné, avec
beaucoup de valeurs , pour regardeer dans la meme direction et fairee
un long chemin ensemble en construisant un nid chaleureux, basé sur
l’Amour, le respect , la fidélité et l’honneteté. Bonne chance pour
tous. Je suis un jeune Algérien musulman né le 13.08.1976 à Alger Je
veux construire une relation
Honnête Base de l’amour et l’affection Et de l’honnêteté et la
sincérité Et la compréhension
Je veux construire la vie Une vie de bonheur J’espère trouver Une
place dans ton coeur Pour La relation conjugale J’espère que la
relation
Un bon présage et signe d’espérance J’espère que vous aurez mon
message Et le sentiment, de la santé et bien-être très Vous et les
membres de la famille S’il vous plaît accepter mes remerciements et de
respect pour tous les Je mets la demande à la disposition de votre
dignité que vous jugen Hello, I’m a young Algerian Muslim living in
Algiers I am a
employee of the police in the Gaza police mobile Looking
an honest woman I want to register in order to build a life
happy bride I look forward to your response if you
Please accept my assurances of respect and appreciation I am a
Young Muslim of Algerian nationality living in Algeria
my sincere feelings Police Occupation I’m a young Algerian
Muslim born 13.08.1976 in Algiers I build
relation
Honest basis of love and affection And the honesty and
sincerity and understanding
I want to build a life of happiness I hope to find life
A place in your heart to the conjugal relationship
I hope that the relationship
A good omen and sign of hope, I hope you have my
message and the feeling of health and wellness you very
and family Please accept my
thanks and respect for all I put the request to the
available to your dignity that you deem appropriate for the
stability and a happy married life encounter with a woman
nice, serious, attentive, with
many values, for regarded in the same direction and fairee
a long way together building a nest warm, based on
Love, respect, loyalty and honesty. Good luck
all. I’m a young Algerian Muslim born 13.08.1976 in Algiers I
want to build a relationship
Honest basis of love and affection And the honesty and
sincerity and understanding
I want to build life A life of happiness I hope to find a
place in your heart for the hope that the marital relationship
relation
A good omen and sign of hope, I hope you will have my
message and the feeling of health and wellness You and the very
Family members Please accept my thanks and
respect for all I put the request at the disposal of your
dignity you Jürgen
In the U.S. we have a well fare system. I won’t even get into that. Not that we shouldn’t have it, but it’s broke. People take advantage of it, and take money and aid given to them for long periods of time. The system should not be used to hold your hand, but lend you a hand to help you up so you can take care of yourself.
Good for her and her family, we need to support women like this, thats the reason for tax, not for making fat politicions fatter, not for UK to go to was and killing innocient people, but to support the helpless.
Adam
http://www.imuslimmarriage.com
She’s not helpless; she’s irresponsible. Don’t keep having children if you can’t support them on your own, and don’t expect everyone to be happy to go along with it.
She’s not entitled to a five bedroom house. She’s entitled to a hysterectomy.
Typical and we only thought that happened in America. Why do the Brits put up with this? Paid to breed like the subhuman animals they are. Let them starve, bet she never worked a day in her life
Tod, I meant that u haven’t got in US this paradise called “benefit”.
u guys in US don’t have this bullock,isn’t it?
and what is outrageous,only somalis and other moslems get these multi pound mansions,but not white families.
the madness has gone too far..
So you’re upset that white people don’t get to exploit the system equally? Jackass