Scrapping EMA

[TrollinaTrollpants]

will poor people really miss it?

Would you apply for it if you were entitled? do you get child benefit? What if there are no colleges closer? ..What if the local library has closed due to cuts?

I'd agree with you there if they want the children to stay on then there has to be the means to get to the school.

The libraries are closing our local council has to cut £100 million over the next 6 years, it's a blood bath.
The fact is people aren't prepared to pay more taxes to support these schemes or public services, if they were Labour would still be in power. Labour should have raised the taxes and therefore the finds to pay for it all before dishing it out.

finds .. the funds.

DS2's courses are not available nearer to us.
They are not courses that can be done in the local library.
Our local library,which was hugely upgraded a couple of years ago is due to close next year.
DS2 has used it loads,especially when we didn't have a computer.
Seriously,when he was younger i had to ask the librarians to limit his book outtake because we had too many at home and they weren't going back on time,so he was getting fines for late returns.
He was going by himself..he loves the library!

I don't know why I waste my breathe arguing really ..time after time I read WC kids have no aspirations ,and then over the last few years when staying on at school has become the norm for more WC kids this fucking government takes it all away

If all the working class kids have aspirations then it fucks up the system doesn't it, the pyramid scheme no longer works.

ds1 collage is 7 miles away its the nearest one

Im guessing they will have to provide free transport and free school dinners for any others that have 18 as compulsary leaving age so, there not going to be saving that much by scrapping the Ema .

Ds2 will be staying till 18 compulsary and his school is 8 miles away gets free transport was teh nearest school with space for him

Many rural councils are closing smaller schools in favour of bussing and even boarding pupils to far away 'super campuses'.

Ours does.

The writing's on the wall for any EMA here, too, come our elections.

So yes, I'd vote for child fares for school transport till the age of 18.

'If all the working class kids have aspirations then it fucks up the system doesn't it, the pyramid scheme no longer works'

but now all the shipyards/mines/steelworks etc have been closed. what do you expect them to do instead?

I spose there's always the army

...The Army
or benefit dependency and crime. Hardly a saving in the long term.

Yes the army will give them all the food they can eat and free transport out to Afghanistan......problem solved.

Mine don't get EMA, but some of their friends do. None of the lads can get part time jobs. The local farms say quite openly they only want to employ eastern europeans.
DS has worked collecting glasses when local hotels have functions......there is no local work.

yes i would have but as per usual we don't qualify. i take your point about jobs, we live in the suburbs and transport links are good but i usually collect my daughter from work etc.

i have taken a job with less hours and pay so i am grateful my daughter works and gets a discount in a certain supermarket.

I always had a Saturday job in 6th form and my parents were fairly well off. I think expectations have changed and people want a high standard of living without means to achieve this.

DS2's college is 20 miles,hence the train journey.
I come from an Army family...i can say quite categorically that DS2 is not Army material.
DS1 maybe,but he's training to be an electrician.
Thank goodness.

also i think if EMA is scrapped maybe the councils could look into subsidising transport to schools for those on a low income

Us poor people just want an average/ok standard of living.
We want to be able to work and send our DCs to school and college in the hope that they can gain qualifications in order that they can also work and therefore make a living.

We don't want fancy stuff,just what we can afford.

I doubt councils would subsidise transport with all the cuts that are having to make themselves though.

what do you expect them to do instead?

I spose there's always the army

This seems to be the problem of our times, we need lots of people to pay tax and NI to support the aging population but we actually have no real need for the man power in terms of industry or agriculture.

And big business' don't want to pay them enough to live so it's a bit of a disaster if you ask me.
In the last 10 years we've been paying people to work 16 hours a week or not at all, nobody likes that idea any more. It's all a bit shit really.

DD works as well as getting EMA, she doesn't ask me for money atm. This is will change once it stops. Also the last couple of weekends she hasn't had any work because it's been so quiet at the cafe, due to weather, so it's sporadic.

They scrapped the EMA in Scotalnd for those over £21K household income a while back
Before that DS2 was getting EMA, next term it stopped. We still had to provide bus fares, meals, uniform

I was from a poor family. I stayed at school, got a Saturday job and my mum got CB for me until I was 19.

EMA ever should have existed. There's no need for it.

I think if you read this thread A1980 you will see there is a need for it

I just walked off the street and got a p/t job when I was 16. It was some time ago.

I doubt many kids round here will be able to do the same- the demand is too high