WHETHER it's a wee dram in Scotland, a flurry on the races in Newmarket or beers on the Belgium beach – I love getting away as often as I can. I rarely slum it, aiming for 4-star establishments on the whole and the wining and dining that comes with it. 5 Erica Crompton, who is on Universal Credit, enjoys around five holidays a year Credit: Supplied 5 She says that those on benefits are just as entitled to a holiday as people who work Credit: Supplied 5 She and her partner Paul recently enjoyed a break to Amsterdam Credit: Supplied I get away on a short break at least five times a year, mostly in the UK, but sometimes I venture a little further afield in Europe.
I know many of you will be thinking ‘how does she have the annual leave?’ - well, the short answer is, I don’t. I’m not the wife of a millionaire or a wealthy heiress, in fact, I'm on Universal Credit. I get half my £910 allowance for living with a serious mental illness called Schizo-Affectiver Disorder and psychosis, and the other half for caring for my partner who I now live with (he's a full-time wheelchair user).
Universal Credit isn't the only benefit I receive. I also get £290 a month Personal Independent Payments (PIP) for living with my mental illness. This is currently under review because my severe mental illness isn't seen as permanent by the DWP – they believe it could get better or worsen, so they ask me to reapply for my Personal Independent Payment every couple of years.
I am told in aroun.
