To want a budget which puts young people and families first

What planet do you live on?! Families with children do not need to be prioritised.
Says a single person who gets no help whatsoever from anyone. It's a joke.

Even worse is that for a significant proportion of the population, particularly those with poor education/qualifications, having a family is seen as THE way to get a home, enough benefits to live a decent-ish sort of life, etc. These are the ones with no hope and who know they're never going to get a good job earning enough to pay for their own home, their own lifestyle, etc., The benefit culture allows them to live a life on benefits, backed by having children, often at a very young age, often with no father(s) on the scene financing them. You can't blame them really when they genuinely don't see any alternative way of getting an equivalent kind of lifestyle other than a life relying on benefits, whether not working at all, or working minimal hours in NMW jobs relying on in-work benefits.

I think part of the issue is that the older generations have had opportunities now denied to the younger ones, i.e. affordable homes, better adult education, more job opportunities, endowment mortgage windfalls, privatisation and demutualisation windfalls, house price inflation, etc etc.

Today's youngsters work just as hard and have different challenges, it's just different. But they don't have the same opportunities. Job opportunities are poor in lots of regions outside a few big cities. Adult education (for retraining etc) is virtually non existent. Homes are unaffordable. No "windfalls" on the horizon. And every likelihood that state pensions for all will be scrapped by the time they hit retirement age.

That's the difference really. It's not about working hard or "struggling". It's the lack of opportunities which older generations could have benefitted from.

We need to stop infighting and think about what is best in the now and for the future.

This is why people aren't having families which is also of great concern.

What on earth are you talking about? The PP said in his post:
"we struggle more than a couple with children do getting on the property ladder as we only have one wage".
So she did say that young couples have it easier.

Excuse me, but that is like saying why should my taxes be used to road maintenance costs when I never live my town?
If no children are born, future pensions won't be paid. Your financial stability in old age depends on a younger generation prepared to cover the costs you’ll create for the system.
As a consequence, families with children need to be prioritised.

Triple lock - because we had ( and still have compared to equivalent countries) an awful lot of dreadfully poor pensioners

Free prescriptions- that's the English for you, welsh and Scottish people get them whatever their age

Bus passes- well you want older people out of their cars don't you? And they have slightly more time to make use of the bus (erm is this the right word) service

I have never voted Tory in my long life. I find your remark insulting.

Well it does actually make sense; two incomes as opposed to one for the mortgage for a start. It is really not necessary to spend a fortune on equipping for and clothing small children with Ebay etc available, and young children don’t add a large amount to the food bill.
However, I think a major part of the problem is the expectation that it’s ok to produce children when you can’t afford to.

But 2 people working means 2 tax free allowances. You also get child benefit and help with childcare costs if your income is that low.

All single people get is a 25℅ council tax discount.

All groups have some people struggling. Pitting one against another isn’t helpful. Theres nothing special about younger people, any more than there is about anyone else. 🤷‍♀️

100%

And why wouldn’t we want to improve it for them?

It’s the classic old attitude of “back in my day, we didn’t have colour TV”

”Yes Dad, but times change and move on…”

Why would we want people to be stuck in hardship?!

This

The biggest difference I've seen in the young people generation Vs their parents is that they are starting their adult life feeling deflated, whereas we were full of hopes and ready to embrace it. We focused on the positives whereas the new generations seems to be stuck with every possible negatives. This is so sad.

Ultimately, whether harder or not, life goes on, and to feel scared, deluded, pessimistic about what's to come is certainly not how it should be. They need to feel some confidence that life is not all gloom. However, with a generation governed by the media, which feeds on sensationalism, they are caught in a dreadful vicious circle. Media are the poison of their generation.

Build more social housing.
Cap on private rent.

Yes! 100%. So much self centred thinking on here.

Exactly. I bloody hate this attitude. Some people seem to think by paying for children's education they're somehow doing the PARENT'S a favour. As though they didnt get the same themselves.
And actually if they want to retire someday then they need other people to be having kids (especially if they had none themselves) to ensure future tax payers who can cover the costs.

They DID say it though. Here:
"we single, childless people are the bottom of the pile and second class citizens but you know we struggle more than a couple with children do getting on the property ladder as we only have one wage."
And it's obviously ridiculous to suggest that 1 salary paying for 1 person is going to be harder to manage than 2 people's salary (1 of which is being taken by childcare costs potentially) paying for 4 people's living costs. It actually makes NO sense at all.

This is so true. It really is depressing for young people today. No wonder they probably have low motivation. I read an article that a large percent of young people wish to move out of Britain. My generation has faced two recessions, Brexit, COVID19, Ukraine & Middle East war…

The thing that most people don’t realise or care to reflect on is that we need young people to support our economy, jobs, infrastructure, pensions even.

I think every generation has their hardships, but what’s the point in thinking about the past now, we really ought to think about what is going to benefit the present and the future. No point engaging in compare and despair.

The trouble is most people just think about what benefits themselves and not for the greater good of the society that we live in. As for the “why should I prop up people who chose to have children.” Well those children might be your carers one day!

Absolutely. It took me until my mid 30s to get on the housing ladder with no family help, my finances are still recovering from exorbitant childcare costs and years of paying student loans.

However I honestly believe I have had life so much easier than most people in their 20s today. I at least could move and rent a room in a shared house. I was not infantalised when I went to uni - I was an adult and 90pc on my own two feet - not relying on parents. I could do a degree I loved and spend the next few years working in a career I enjoyed for low pay, while living independently, which has helped set me up. I lived and worked in Europe.
I was able to eventually pay off my student loan and slowly buy a house.

Most ordinary kids in their 20s now can’t do any of this now and a lot of that is, in part, down to choices made by older generations of voters - Brexit, austerity, snapping up buy to lets, the mini budget.

Someone paid for your state education etc so why shouldn't you for the current generation?

You said your claim about young couples with children having it easier than childless singletons

Except the poster never said that. Her comment was that single people.with no children are treated like second class people. Never a priority not even seen as equal when it comes to most things in society but in particular the budget. We are just simply cash cows to be milked to pay for other peoples choices.

But that's their choice, why should other people have to pay for someone else's children?

yes I agree with this 100%, as a regular bus user on a very low income this is really worrying me. I cannot walk the journey I take as it is miles. 40+ pounds per month is a huge amount of my income that I cannot afford to lose. It may not be much money to the millionaires who make these stupid decisions but it is to me and thousands of others who will struggle as a result of this increase.