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Original poster

Thread 7 Starmer : Cats and Conferences

992 replies

DuncinToffee · 03/09/2024 23:32

Previous thread

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/_chat/5145757-thread-6-starmer-were-going-to-need-a-bigger-skip?page=40&reply=138030825

OP posts:
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86
itsgettingweird · 09/09/2024 15:45

DuncinToffee · 09/09/2024 08:56

https://x.com/Haggis_UK/status/1833049196984672329

Transparency International UK has identified significant concerns in contracts worth over £15b awarded by the Tory govt during the pandemic... a vast waste of money

Daniel Bruce(Transparency Int. UK): Relevant authorities should conduct a forensic audit of all of those contracts

Is that part of the missing money or is that on top Shock

OP posts:
Original poster
DuncinToffee · 09/09/2024 16:04

itsgettingweird · 09/09/2024 15:45

Is that part of the missing money or is that on top Shock

Show quote history

I don't know

OP posts:
cardibach · 09/09/2024 16:34

DuncinToffee · 09/09/2024 16:04

I don't know

Show quote history

I’m assuming on top, because that isn’t missing - we knew it had gone, and where, and suspected it was a tad corrupt…

itsgettingweird · 09/09/2024 16:53

Good point cardi. But that means the party of fiscal responsibility have squaffed £15bn on false contracts and overspent another £22bn somewhere.

I'm so glad they were so fiscal with that nearly £40bn. We have loads of money to waste after all Hmm

PandoraSox · 09/09/2024 17:42

Does anyone think there will be some kind of U-turn on the WFA? I think there might be.

Notonthestairs · 09/09/2024 18:01

DuncinToffee · 09/09/2024 08:33

Its funny that this report doesn't seem to have been covered in the Times online at all. Maybe they will tomorrow.

It really is pretty shocking -

'the authors claim there was an unjustifiable disregard for publishing the details of contracts and an unhealthy reliance in government on uncompetitive procurement even as the impact of the crisis on the health system subsided.
Almost two-thirds of all high-value Covid contracts by value lacked competition. A year into the pandemic, UK contracting authorities were still frequently making awards without competition even as countries in the EU such as Italy were reverting to competitive bidding.'

SerendipityJane · 09/09/2024 18:04

Notonthestairs · 09/09/2024 18:01

Its funny that this report doesn't seem to have been covered in the Times online at all. Maybe they will tomorrow.

It really is pretty shocking -

'the authors claim there was an unjustifiable disregard for publishing the details of contracts and an unhealthy reliance in government on uncompetitive procurement even as the impact of the crisis on the health system subsided.
Almost two-thirds of all high-value Covid contracts by value lacked competition. A year into the pandemic, UK contracting authorities were still frequently making awards without competition even as countries in the EU such as Italy were reverting to competitive bidding.'

Show quote history

The quote from Fawlty Towers still stands ...

"How on earth did they win the war ?"

Zonder · 09/09/2024 18:47

PandoraSox · 09/09/2024 17:42

Does anyone think there will be some kind of U-turn on the WFA? I think there might be.

I think there may be some adjustments.

itsgettingweird · 09/09/2024 19:10

Interesting article earlier about how only 60% of pensioners entitled to pension credit claim it. And even with WFA being capped they only think claims will increase by 5%.

I'd like to see a system that pays people what they are owed without reliance on claiming. Makes you wonder what's preventing those 40% claiming.

SerendipityJane · 09/09/2024 19:13

itsgettingweird · 09/09/2024 19:10

Interesting article earlier about how only 60% of pensioners entitled to pension credit claim it. And even with WFA being capped they only think claims will increase by 5%.

I'd like to see a system that pays people what they are owed without reliance on claiming. Makes you wonder what's preventing those 40% claiming.

The amount of benefits unclaimed used to exceed the amount lost to fraud by quite some margin.

dontcallmelen · 09/09/2024 19:17

itsgettingweird · 09/09/2024 19:10

Interesting article earlier about how only 60% of pensioners entitled to pension credit claim it. And even with WFA being capped they only think claims will increase by 5%.

I'd like to see a system that pays people what they are owed without reliance on claiming. Makes you wonder what's preventing those 40% claiming.

Possibly due to its very difficult accessing support around claiming benefits as many borough’s have cut the services to the bone, or pride perceiving benefits as charity, hard to say I suppose.

dontcallmelen · 09/09/2024 19:20

As for Honest Bob he is another fucker who should have been charged a long ago with the majority of the conservative government for corruption fraud & just being downright incompetent grifting fuckwits.

BIossomtoes · 09/09/2024 20:04

SerendipityJane · 09/09/2024 19:13

The amount of benefits unclaimed used to exceed the amount lost to fraud by quite some margin.

Show quote history

It still does which is why I can’t get exercised by it.

Notonthestairs · 09/09/2024 20:22

"The amount of benefits unclaimed used to exceed the amount lost to fraud by quite some margin."

I didn't know that so I looked it up.

•	3.7% (£9.7 billion) of total benefit expenditure was overpaid due to fraud and error. 
•	0.4% (£1.1 billion) of total benefit expenditure was underpaid due to fraud and error 
•	the net loss to the Department for Work and Pensions, after accounting for recoveries, was 3.2% (£8.6 billion) of total benefit expenditure

The amount of unclaimed benefits is £22.7 billion.

SerendipityJane · 09/09/2024 20:35

The amount of unclaimed benefits is £22.7 billion.

Which is too close to the "black hole" for comfort.

It surely can't be beyond the wit of woman to find a way to get that £22 billion where it belongs to turbocharge the economy ?

Zonder · 09/09/2024 23:32

Can someone explain these unclaimed benefits to me? Is it that some people don't realise what they're eligible for?

This really doesn't fit with the narrative that everyone is just out for all they can get!

PandoraSox · 09/09/2024 23:38

Zonder · 09/09/2024 23:32

Can someone explain these unclaimed benefits to me? Is it that some people don't realise what they're eligible for?

This really doesn't fit with the narrative that everyone is just out for all they can get!

Some people are just too proud to claim or feel guilty about claiming or simply just don't understand the system.

I claim Carer's Allowance and sometimes have feelings of guilt about doing so, even though I am doing nothing wrong. It is odd!

InMySpareTime · 10/09/2024 06:09

My parents have missed out on benefits because they got burned by the Tax Credit system, which made opaque and often incorrect calculations and over/underpaid more than it paid correctly.
They are worried about claiming anything now in case "the government claims it all back at once".

Saucery · 10/09/2024 06:20

I was a non-claimer of Tax Credits back in the day because they frequently fucked up the amount, sent letters claiming it all back at once, then another the next week saying they owed me. It was too stressful so we managed without. I know we were fortunate to be able to do that, but I suspect a fair amount of unclaimed benefits are because of that sort of administrative incompetence.

pointythings · 10/09/2024 07:34

Saucery · 10/09/2024 06:20

I was a non-claimer of Tax Credits back in the day because they frequently fucked up the amount, sent letters claiming it all back at once, then another the next week saying they owed me. It was too stressful so we managed without. I know we were fortunate to be able to do that, but I suspect a fair amount of unclaimed benefits are because of that sort of administrative incompetence.

Same here, when the DC were young we were absolutely entitled, but the complexity and incompetence put me off. I did claim when my marriage ended, got a little bit of tax credits then.

Zonder · 10/09/2024 07:35

Wow. I know some of the families I work with don't claim the DLA they're eligible for until they realise that it opens other doors too. I had no idea it was so widespread.

grannycake · 10/09/2024 07:40

My first job at 16 was working in the DHSS - now the DWP. The nearest equivalent to pension credit was supplementary pension which was similarly under-claimed. It was thought that people didn't claim it as there was a stigma attached to benefits - state pension wasn't seen as a benefit then. I would have hoped this had changed in the last 50 years but it seems not

Saucery · 10/09/2024 07:57

Dh had a break between jobs so I dutifully informed Tax Credits. I know what I said and at no point did I say he was without employment - I was abiding by their own rules on reporting any changes, even temp ones. They gave us full Tax Credits AND free prescription cards came through the post. No, they said, I could not send them back. No, we could not immediately pay back the overpayment. I did wonder how much 'fraud' was down to their own fuck ups. No one ever asked for that money back .

itsgettingweird · 10/09/2024 07:59

Saucery · 10/09/2024 06:20

I was a non-claimer of Tax Credits back in the day because they frequently fucked up the amount, sent letters claiming it all back at once, then another the next week saying they owed me. It was too stressful so we managed without. I know we were fortunate to be able to do that, but I suspect a fair amount of unclaimed benefits are because of that sort of administrative incompetence.

This was my experience with HB.

I wasn't entitled to much after ds left nursery but I still paid ASC during term time.

I explained everything, gave them all information, yet every April they'd try and raise the amount a ridiculous amount. Every year I'd tell them it was wrong. Every year they'd overpay me for 2 months anyway (I put it aside).

Then send me a shitty letter about how I'd o been overpaid and basically hinting I had committed fraud, I could be questioned legally blah blah.

But ending my claim was difficult.

Until I sat in the council offices one day and refused to move until someone say with me, apologised, took back the overpaid money and ended my claim.