Phillip Herron was a 34-year-old single dad with three kids who was deeply in debt and desperate. Even though he worked hard to take care of his kids, he was too busy with his money problems to do anything else. Phillip sadly killed himself, leaving a family and community that are still in shock over the loss.
Phillip’s story shows how terrible it can be when the benefits system isn’t working right. Without a job to take care of his kids, he was having a hard time making ends meet. Phillip felt like he had nowhere to turn because he owed more than £20,000 and had an eviction notice coming up soon.
Phillip’s financial problems were made worse by the fact that he had to wait up to five weeks to get his Universal Credit check. A lot of people have said that this wait is bad because it makes families even poorer and more in debt. Even though Phillip’s death was sad, the Department for Work and Pensions has stressed how complicated suicide is and warned against linking Phillip’s death only to his benefit claim.
Sheena Derbyshire, Phillip’s mother, is still having a hard time with the death of her son. She hopes that telling his story will make people realize how badly the Universal Credit system needs to be fixed right away. “I want to make sure that no one else has to go through what Phillip went through,” she added.
One person who disagrees with the government also spoke out. Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary Margaret Greenwood said that the Universal Credit system was “cruel and flawed.” She has told the government that the delays and inefficiency that are hurting so many people must be fixed right away.
The sad story of Phillip shows how badly we need a more caring and effective benefits system. We should all do something to help people who are having a hard time making ends meet.
