What do you think Truss will do?

[Tinkerblonde1]

Stories I have seen kite flying are:-

1. Absolutely nothing
2. Reduce VAT
3. Increase the £400 to £1000
4. Temporary Nationalise
5. Totally Nationalise ( currently discussed on LBC)
6. Double child benefit for a month
7. Incentives such as rewards for not using energy between 3-6.
8. Discount on an average and full price for use over this.
9. More cash to pensioners and those on UC

I am sure many more. All have their pros and cons.

What do you think?

I think she's going to have to do something pretty massive, the projected costs are utterly horrific and people simply cannot afford them.

If Kwarteng is appointed as the Chancellor, I think he'll want to do something pretty flashy to make a name for himself, he strikes me as somebody with an enormous ego and would very much like to be seen as the person who swoops in and saves everybody.

I'm not sure we'll get any more money. I think the cost of energy bills will be reduced instead. Something like the rates are frozen at something a bit higher than this year and then the government will effectively pay the rest. It'll be through something like a loan to the energy companies and we'll all have to pay a bit of back over the next 'many' years or something like that.

I absolutely cannot believe that they'll have people a) literally sitting in the dark in freezing houses or b) try to charge people amounts like £600 per month for their energy bills.

People just cannot pay it, so something has to happen. Let's see what next week brings...

It’s not just the people on uc that will struggle though!

Whatever it is, it will be too little too late.

Exactly, our household income is £80K+ we cannot afford those types of monthly payments. That's why I think it has to be something like a general lowering of payments.

We know that. Just wondering what you think government will actually do?

In answer to the question: she will make everything worse.

I hope it is 3 and 7, as that would help me most. That doesn't make it the right decision of course!

Then maybe nationalise, though I am not sure enough of the pros and cons of this.

Daftasabroom · Today 14:35
In answer to the question: she will make everything worse“

yep.

Hell would over before Truss would nationalise anything.

Pensioners on the lowest ( topped up with pension credit) are already getting £1650 if I've calculated it right ( £650 cost of living payment for being on Pension credit, £300 normal winter fuel payment, £300 extra winter fuel payment, £400 credited to electricity account, plus many many more another £150 if disabled. Honestly I do not see how the government can afford to give more. on such a massive scale ? My dad is not in receipt of Pension credit but will still get £1k in payments, he is not poor, he has savings and a good occupational pension. He is on a fixed rate until next year and paying very little. I do understand that it is complex to means test people but this bloody government need to target the help to people who need it ffs.

None of the above, just make things a million times worse because that's what her party does.

#VoteLabour

And of course I don't begrudge pensioners on the lowest incomes getting all this help but there must be a limit as to how much they can keep giving and for how long? this crisis could go on for years. They also need to think about helping care homes or they will go bust and charities, for example I work for one for older people that runs day centres, has a bathing service for old people, cooks them a hot meal. Charities like ours will be bankrupt.

I think she will take 5% off vat and increase targeted support for the poorest and most vulnerable. The idea that doctors have a place in prescribing heat vouchers was roundly and fairly mocked, but it does show that the health ramifications of fuel poverty are foremost in the plans.

She'll reduce VAT, and probably be forced to have some intervention (though nowhere near enough) when a disabled family have been found frozen to death because they couldn't pay their bills and the optics were too much even for her.

I'd be quite keen to see a scheme whereby fuel was cheaper at certain times of the day (with exceptions where there is a member of the household on disability benefit) - might genuinely get people thinking about how to reduce their usage in a longer term sustainable way.

reducing VAT or lowering income tax does not help those really in need - many buy very little and food is VAT exempt anyway so VAT cut will not help them in the main and many will not pay income tax eg pensioners or those on benefits or those with disabilities who cannot work - she needs to take money off the bills even if some who don't need it get the cut it is the only way to help those really in need including many who work and were previously ok but now cannot afford £500 a month if for example you were paying £67 a year ago on an Avro fix (like me) and now am on £134 a month Octopus but going up October and January.

She needs to look at household income not just individual income, for example two people earning £45k (total household income £90k) could be offered financial help and they get to keep all their child benefit if they have children.

Im a disabled sahm, my DH earns £55k but has two dependents and we get taxed and lose half the child benefit. We’re going to be in a much worse financial position than a joint income household will lower individual wages, but significantly more household income.

10. be a cow

I think number 10.

Is this a what will she do thread or what should
she do thread?

Jus in case I got the wrong end of the stick, my post is a what will she do answer. I'm not setting my own fantasy budget here.

The Scottish Power CEO has the best plan out of the lot at the moment in my view. Government backed loans to energy companies to freeze the energy cap for 2 years, repayable over 20 years.

Yes, sometime I think he will pull off his face in the style of Mission Impossible and it was Gordon Brown under there all along.

I think this would be the best course of action because of lot of people are still on fixed tariffs and don’t need the handouts from the government. When their fix ends they benefit from the price cap freeze.

I think the VAT reduction.

I'd prefer the government backed loans in return for a price freeze of the options suggested. Keeping prices down is better than increasing income, as it reduces inflation from what it could be.

Either really.

Be the surprise contestant on this year's Strictly.

She should NOT change the wall paper. That has cost u