AIBU to be miffed about Chester Zoo?

They could always reduce their hours to get UC if they really think it's that great

This doesn’t affect me. But for those it does affect, you could get more in UC and your wage than they receive in their wage. Being on UC then opens up more benefits and discounts for you, including, but not limited to, £1 tickets to tourist attractions. This is what is upsetting so many people. Why are you so reluctant to accept that there are people who are worse off than you and they will be receiving nothing, despite working hard? You are actually relatively lucky (but it seems almost impossible for many who receive UC to admit this).

I am pretty sure you have more money than I do on UC otherwise you would be entitled to it.

I’m not angry but I do think it is an important thing to discuss. I don’t blame people on UC for taking what is offered, although I am not sure why they need to be given more on top of state benefits. I am delighted it is being offered to people with disabilities. I don’t care if Chester Zoo see it as a way to tick boxes and get money in at a time when ticket sales are low. I think the government need to be very aware that the people who are struggling are those who haven’t traditionally asked for help or received anything but that they may need more help now. If the government don’t address this, there are going to be large numbers of resentful people who are struggling financially. The whole country has to deal with the repercussions of not dealing with this. I don’t think you can keep saying, ‘But they aren’t struggling as much…’. You don’t know and shouldn’t assume. Salaries have not gone up and prices have gone up - massively.

How do you know? Times are tough and very tough if you don’t receive any help and haven’t a massive income. You need to stop assuming that it is the same people who are feeling the pinch.

What an odd thing to be jealous of.

As a disabled person I'm fed up of paying full price for things only to be able to do half of the attractions because it's not accessible. Except this information isn't always freely available. Or they claim on their website it's accessible but ignore those of us with disabilities that don't just affect our mobility.

I also don't understand why people are almost angry that children whose parents on low incomes can now afford to do these things because of discounted tickets

It's ridiculous.

It means a working adult in receipt of PIP for ADHD gets to go to the zoo for virtually free.

And high-earners in receipt of UC due to rent and childcare costs get the same.

Stupid initiative.

Welfare benefits were designed for people struggling to live, not as a top-up for otherwise financially secure people.

So who is to blame here? Chester Zoo? The person on UC? The government?

When you have figured it out, direct your anger there.

I don't think those in that category are struggling as much as those on UC. Yes you are feeling the pinch but probably not as much.

Where does it say that? It only mentions UC, which makes sense as UC is means,-tested whereas DLA and PIP aren't.

They've just called it UC tickets - there's actually a few qualifying benefits. In the eligibility list this offer has DLA and PIP as well as the means tested benefits.

There must be a specific funding/criteria for the offer as not all the zoo/attraction UC ticket offers cover DLA and PIP.

Does your income mean you earn more than those just ‘over’ the line? It is easy not to resent someone else getting freebies if you can easily afford it. Less so if you can’t and have to watch others having fun.

Some of you are very saintly but many people aren’t and are feeling let down and excluded. This is bad for society as certain politicians will capitalise on it. Feelings need to be recognised and not shouted down.

We are in receipt of DLA for my autistic daughter. We could happily plan a zoo day, buy tickets, get just through the gates and then a loud noise or too many people would set her off and we'd need to leave. The zoo is tricky as there are lots of exhibits she won't/can't access due to her issues so we cannot get the full benefit of the attraction. This happens so often that I am very wary to buy expensive tickets for things. We did see the lights at Chester Zoo over Xmas and got reduced price carer ticket. We repeatedly had to promise her that we'd leave if it was too noisy or she didn't like it. She enjoyed the first bit and then it was too much and we rushed through and left. Altogether we were there 30 minutes and half of that was only because it took us that long to get back to the entrance. We try to book autistic friendly slots but these are often hugely oversubscribed and sold out.

I am sure there are equivalent / more complex issues for those with physical disabilities. Making these attractions cheaper for those with disabilities reflects not only their ability to pay entry charge but also the value they may be able to get from an attraction that isn't set up for them to access easily.

I can't comment on the UC piece except to add that I doubt there are 1000s of these cheap tickets and I can't bring myself to resent someone struggling the opportunity to get a cheaper ticket to take their kid out for the day.

It's always been that if you work and don't claim anything you never get anything.
I've never been given anything and worked all my life . Only thing I get on MN are people moaning about boomers who have worked hard and never got anything , but are begrudge thier pension which they had paid for.

No its not.

A figure of speech is obvious exaggeration that has common use like saying 'I literally couldn't eat another thing or I would explode' in which case the common misuse slang use of the word 'literally' to offset the hyperbole of 'I would explode' is a figure of speech.

What you did was make up a false statistic to incite hate... nothing in that is a 'figure of speech' it was just dangerous deception commonly used to incite rage.

A figure of speech does not just 'make something up' its a play on language using hyperbole, anthropomorphism, metaphors, oxymorons etc...

I assume you will argue its Hyperbole as you back peddle but its not. In an 'out of 10' statement anything up to and including 10 is not 'exaggerated' unless its a complete impossibility.

If you said 'we all know 122% of people claim UC' you could maybe claim Hyperbole as its a nonsense amount. If you claimed '8 out of 10 pigs give birth baby elephants' its Hyperbole because its impossible. However '8 out of 10 people claim PIP' is nothing more than a deliberately misleading statement.

I’m sorry. I couldn’t imagine anyone begrudging a disabled family extra help to make life bearable and even fun. Taking this group out of the equation, however, I can see problems when offers and discounts are given to some families (who already receive benefits) and not others (who don’t) when the financial gap between them is so small and there are no other variables involved. Obviously there is always a line, but it is not easy for those who are just on the wrong (right?) side of it.

You've clearly never seen a DLA/PIP thread if you think everyone understands.

Of course and I imagine that everyone understands this. But there are many families receiving help who don’t have disabled family members. I think they are with whom comparisons are being made.

Universal Credit Zoo Tickets | Chester Zoo

There's plenty of financial disadvantages of having a disabled child or being disabled yourself too.

I understand the issues with lack of accessibility for disabled people and sympathise. I think the financial disadvantages of being a lower middle income family are a different issue and are being downplayed in this scenario.

Where does it say that? It only mentions UC, which makes sense as UC is means,-tested whereas DLA and PIP aren't.

So recipients of DLA and PIP aren't eligible then, as you stated in your first post (which did surprise me since DLA and PIP aren't means-tested).

It is for those who are eligible for PIP and DLA too.

So what has PIP and DLA got to do with the offer? The link you posted if just for people on universal credit.

But this is just one example of a discount received by those on benefits. At some point we have to be realistic and state that the people who are really struggling right now are those whose families earn just enough not to qualify for universal credit and who receive no help, either from the state or other businesses. They are the ones who don’t get treats as their parents are concentrating on providing basics. Those above them still have enough spare cash and those below them (salary wise) are given lots of support. Yes, there has to be a line but right now, it’s the lower middle income families who are struggling the most. You might not see that if your wages are higher and you might not appreciate what you get if your wages are lower and topped up by the state, with extra discounts thrown in.

I don’t want to take things away from those who receive help but I am surprised you can’t sympathise with how many families will be feeling right now. It is an issue that needs addressing as sneering at those feeling aggrieved will only make resentment worse.