Jobless mum advises her daughter, 19, to get pregnant - for an easy life on benefits



Sinead Clarkson, 36, fell pregnant when she was 15 and has never worked



She lives in a three-bed council house and gets £1,200 a month in benefits



Ms Clarkson claims the benefits system makes it pointless for her to work

She admits she has encouraged her daughters to also 'work the system'



Ms Clarkson's eldest daughter Melissa, 19, is now six months pregnant



'Working the system': Sinead Clarkson, 36, got pregnant at 15 and has never had a job. She says the benefits system doesn't makes it financially worthwhile to work

A jobless mother has provoked anger by urging her teenage daughter to get pregnant for an easy life on benefits.

Sinead Clarkson, 36, has no qualifications, has never worked and rakes in £1,200 a month from the State.



She has now admitted encouraging her 19-year-old daughter Melissa to follow her shameless example and ‘work the system’ by having a baby.

Melissa became pregnant six months ago, and is now in line for an extra £400 a month courtesy of taxpayers when her baby is born, as well as a two-bedroom council house.

Her mother, who has another daughter, Amie, aged 12, said: ‘I am better off on benefits. I refuse to work for a pittance and struggle.



‘I don’t have any qualifications so it is easier to claim money than persuade an employer to give me a job.



‘I told Melissa to work the system and have a baby so she could claim more benefits, get a house of her own and have a better life.

‘I don’t want her to work for peanuts in a low-pay job.’

Yesterday Robert Oxley, campaign director at the TaxPayers’ Alliance, called for the benefits system to be overhauled.



‘It is a deeply depressing waste of taxpayers’ money and human potential for someone to aspire to live their life on benefits – worse still to promote the same for their children,’ he said.

‘The welfare system should never be an alternative to work. A system that allows people to see having a child as a pay-cheque is fundamentally flawed and needs further reform.’



Miss Clarkson, from Rochdale, dropped out of school after becoming pregnant at the age of 15, and has been receiving government handouts since she was 16.



She said: ‘It wasn’t planned but I was happy to leave school because I didn’t like it – I had no career aspirations.’ She first began claiming £260 a month in income support.

And nine months after having Melissa in July 1994, Miss Clarkson – whose boyfriend left her – was given her own two-bedroom council house, along with £68 a month child benefit.

Following in her mother's footsteps: Ms Clarkson (pictured left) admits to encouraging her eldest daughter Melissa, 19, (pictured right) to have a baby so she can live an 'easy life on benefits'. Melissa is now pregnant

In an interview with Closer magazine, she said: ‘I was thrilled to get my own place. It was a nice house with lots of space.’



Miss Clarkson, who claimed as much as £328 a month while her daughter was a baby, said she felt lonely when Melissa started school. She gave birth to Amie in 2001 after a brief relationship.



And to her delight, her handouts increased to £1,020 a month, including her rent, child tax credits and other benefits. She was also given a three-bedroom house.



‘Amie was not planned, but I was excited about being a mum again,’ Miss Clarkson said.



‘Plus I knew my benefits would increase and the extra money would come in handy.’



She added: ‘Being on benefits suits me. I don’t have the stress of working like some of my friends. I spend a lot of time cooking and cleaning, or I will watch TV or have friends round.

Ms Clarkson, from Greater Manchester, claims living on benefits brings a stress-free life

‘I know people will be angry with my choices, but they should not judge. It is the system’s fault that I can choose not to work.



‘What is the point of having a job if I can’t earn much more than I get now? People decide to have babies so they can get benefits because this country allows it.’

Miss Clarkson said her 12-year-old daughter Amie ‘talks about having a baby’ too – and if she did she would support her decision. ‘Amie is still in school and hopefully will get some qualifications,’ she said. ‘But if she did decide to go down the same route as Melissa, I would support her.’

Clinical psychologist Dr Sharon Lewis warned yesterday that it is crucially important for parents to set a good example – and that those who aspire to a life without work may prevent their children from reaching their full potential as adults.

She said: ‘Children are more influenced by what their parents do, rather than what they say.



‘If a parent is not showing a responsible attitude to their role in society, their children will follow suit.

‘Individuals need to work to thrive.

