Is it just me being cynical or was this planned? (Universal credit days out)

[elliejjtiny]

I know they don't have to do this but I saw it advertised and thought what a lovely idea. Basically there are some attractions that are doing massive discounts on entry fees for people on universal credit. I thought it was great and thought I would have a look to see if there was anything my older teens would enjoy as they have both declared anything affordable to be "boring", but they have SEN so I can't leave them all day while I take the younger ones out. But then I looked at the list and they are almost all in and around London where I would think there are a lot less people on universal credit than average. So now I'm wondering if the places that have signed up for this have done so because they look like they are doing a nice thing but they also know that there aren't many people on universal credit who live close enough to Kensington palace or Kew gardens to take up the offer so they won't be any worse off.

Of course it could just be that these businesses are the only ones who can afford to make this kind of offer. The attractions in the poorer areas are probably struggling to keep going because the local people can't afford to visit.

There’s quite a few in the north west too

Is it expensive to take the train in?
I'm not in England..

I suspect there are a lot more people in London on Universal Credit than you realise.

There are probably just a lot more attractions in London due to the size.

Years ago a lot of places had discounts fit people who had a UB40 ( evidence of the dole).

You're not wrong though there's a company that says that if you have a civil service pension you can enjoy discounts at tourist attraction but again the vast majority are in London.

Grenfell tower is in Kensington borough op.
That should tell you that there are plenty people on uc in central London.

There are about a million people on UC in London out of a total of 6 million nationwide, so definitely no shortage of claimants to take up the offers. Having said that there should be a fair geographical spread especially as London has quite a lot of free stuff to do already.

I think it’s because those places in London get millions of revenue they can bump up for a few free tickets. But it’s frustrating because the number of UC tickets is limited each day.
we were looking at tower of london and the soonest dates are September. It’s back to school time then so less likely to be able to travel.

Chatsworth house £3 entry to house and gardens. £1 for children.

I didn't realise that, I thought Kensington was full of rich people.

It simply reflects the fact that there are far more places of interest in London than anywhere else in the country.

I am gobsmacked at your assessment that there are few people on UC in London! London has many of the poorest and most deprived areas in the country.

Kensington has one of the biggest divides between rich and poor. London has many people on UC, it is a really tough place to live if you are on even an average income, let alone a low income.

And likely more people renting so entitled to help with the cost of housing even when working in professional jobs like teaching and nursing.

But people will travel to the London attractions from all over the country either for a day or a holiday. Being on UC doesn't necessarily mean someone is on the breadline and can't afford days out.

OP have you looked to see what other schemes are available? My city council does a card that offers big discounts or free carer entry for families with disabled DC for example.

Or if there's a particular attraction that your DC like you can often get an annual pass for not much more than single entry, so can work out really good value if you go more than once.

Plus obviously take a picnic as the food on offer at these places is usually poor quality, expensive and at the end of a long queue.

Op camden borough covers central London covent garden theatre land camden town market

Somers town is a massive council estate between Euston and camden

50.7 % children in somers town live in poverty. Across Camden 36%

They can get a bus to the sights if they can afford it

www.dsdha.co.uk/projects/5d9cb275304448000d74aaef/Central-Somers-Town

Any big city has large numbers of people in low wage jobs. Who is cleaning working in shops health care assistant etc If they can get social housing in centre is easier to get to work . So only some people in London are rich.

Hi, I've been logging all the Universal Credit days out ticket offers I've found on this page: https://museummum.com/universal-credit-days-out/, it has a map too to help people locate things near them.

Just under half the 66 offers I've found are in London, but the rest are across England and Scotland. It's very uneven and some parts of the UK are not covered at all - I'm looking at you Wales! If anyone finds any UC offers near them please let me know and I will add them to the map.