To think pre-paid benefits cards are a stigmatizing, punitive scheme?

[ArsenicFaceCream]

Just announced at the Conservative Party conference.

They will initially be 'voluntary' for claimants with addiction issues, apparently.

But of course the intention is to roll it out.

Universal Credit is going national in February so this could get interesting, given that UC will be paid to working claimants as well as those not working.

"Even those who have worked for a number of years, then found themselves genuinely unable to work due to ill health/redundancy had the opportunity to protect themselves with Accident/Sickness/Unemployment insurance while they had an income. They chose not to do so and instead decided that the taxpayer should fund their lifestyle should they become unable to work. This isn't ok."

Oh my gosh, you cannot be serious. Do you really think people on low incomes can afford insurance? What about people who became ill/disabled before they started working?

I grew up on benefits, Liverpool in the 1980s, hard for my parents to find work, even if they'd looked. I should add, they didn't look because the general feeling was that there was no point because there weren't any jobs.

My mum smoked like a chimney and went to the bingo every night, my dad spent every day in the betting shop or pub. Actually probably only about 5/6 days each, it just seemed like every night and my mum did have a part time cleaning job. I think people like my family might have actually benefited from a card like this. They would never have left us to starve and never did, we just ate the cheapest of the cheap food etc. I really think they would have cut down/cut out the bingo, pub and betting shop leaving more money for everything else. I don't know if my mum would have stopped smoking though.

Anyway, this forced staying at home because they didn't have any cash to go out might have led to a lot more tension in the house and maybe a lot more misery which might have been worse for us than the cheap food.

I don't think they would have come under this scheme anyway, as I said we were always fed.

gamer yes! Whover said that is living in 1987. There is very little help for people. Even crisis loans are gone now.

People will be living on food bank donations and stigmatized. I would not be surprised if we don't see the return of the Workhouse soon. Controlling people's benefits to this extent is the tip of the iceberg.

For those who don't understand the practical implications of this scheme, look up the Azure payment card that's currently issued to asylum seekers. Same principle, same mechanics, same depressing outcome. It's a system that's been in place for quite some time now.

I think it's a good idea for certain people and should be judged by case by case basis. Not given to those who spend their benefits responsibly but for the minority who do spend it to feed an addition or on holidays or smokes/drink/TV while their children go hungry or badly clothed I think it's a very good idea.

How to vet each individual and see if they should have it or not is a minefield.

Yes Baby I remember seeing asylum seekers with vouchers when I lived in Hackney. They could only go to certain shops to exchange for food and some of them sold the shittest stuff.

People will be forced to buy from certain places.

If ANYTHING would make me get out on the streets to protest it's this.

Probably one of the reasons they have come up with this scheme is because they are embarrassed about food banks. The feckers can't bear the fact that people are surviving on food banks and can therefore afford to refuse the crap zero hours contract retail work the job centre offers them. Ensuring people use their benefits for food undercuts the food banks, makes them less necessary. Perhaps they should set up fag banks instead.

The Azure card says you can't carry over more than £5 and you can't spend it on fuel. That's everyone with a car fucked then. The car you need to get to a job in the first place because there are no buses. To get to sign on.

Clap I'll be joining you.

What with George promising to freeze out of work benefits for 2 years, this amounts to a full scale attack on the poor. Bastards.

I'm on benefits atm and that's already humiliating enough. To be supplied with a card to let all and sundry know I'm on them would be even worse.

That's the point though Pretty, to shame you into working. Even if you can't, whatever the reason. As a pp said, you may as well wear a badge or be branded. IDS and co don't give a shit about dignity.

I'll join you too but I have a nasty feeling there'll just be three of us strolling through Whitehall.

I can't believe how little news coverage this got last night.

The pp who said this was the road back to the workhouse was quite right, I think.

Yes, the shame is part of the plan.

They have to win the election before they can roll it out pretty. They might not win.

I think they will win tbh - they have a large chunk of the newspapers, magazines and certain TV programmes doing their work for them with stories of large families with multiple fathers supposedly getting everything but the kitchen sink off the taxpayer (I wish someone would ban that particular phrase, it really gets me annoyed). You just have to look at threads on here about the DM's weekly scrounger story to see that an awful lot of people believe it.
They have encouraged an 'I'm alright sod the rest of you' attitude among the people in this country and it's worked.

Cleo - yet another way for them to decide who are the "deserving/undeserving" poor. As you say, a minefield to determine, so let's make everyone a suspect. Lazy, ill-thought out policy IMO.

"Perhaps if they weren't busy comparing their bow tied cocks they could have a fucking look at the world around them and realise what absolute fucking tools they really are.

Don't even get me started on the transparent desire to firmly put every one who isn't them or able to provide any connections for them in their fucking place."

^ This - thanks, Cornettoninja for expressing what I wanted to say!

I am half hoping they will FAIL to hold good on their promises to Scotland and will get kicked out very soon.

thefishewife

It terms of things breaking down for those of you who don't know the DSS runs a loan and a grant system for cookers, clothing ECt so if cooker breaks you go to dss they get the Argos book out look for the cheapest cooker and you get that money via a giro

Ma'am, the DSS has not existed for thirteen years. Giros also do not exist. Given you don't know the names of present major governmental departments, I doubt the rest of your information is current either.

When the DWP did still run a grant system, money was paid by electronic transfer. If you don't have a bank account, payments are made to Post Office accounts.

I think it could have some positives - if it stops some families living off takeaway rather than cooking.
Clearly immoral spending money that is for food and essentials on alcohol/drugs /cigs. Especially the affects all these have on family/nhs. Even one parent quitting smoking like a chimney could help their child's asthma.
Also strange that they reckon BF rates are highest in middle classes.

Not sure this will work for reasons mentioned but paying for everyones addictions is not good.
Wonder if they could track what food you buy?

Isnt there a card like this already people use it to withdraw money from the post office ? Pre paid cards might be a good idea but If it has sanctions on it then no that is unfair how people chose to spend their money is their business

naty but those families may have better food in those circumstance but their children will have NO way of enjoying normal things in life either. No Brownies, no comics...no icecream from the van....and are you serious about food tracking!??

That would be like communist China!

"We have evidence that you bought a mars bar. So we're cutting your allowance"

It would also mean that crime would shoot up as a black market would emerge to allow addicts to buy alcohol.

But why is it anybodies business if a family have a takeaway working people eat takeaway not everybody on benefits eat kebabs and down special brew my nice mc harassed single parent working friends children eat take away 4 nights a week should we food track her

But how can a family eat home cooked food if they can't afford the electricity to run a cooker, or can't afford an actual cooker at all?

mrsjayy

Those are Post Office Card Accounts, and they were created to replace benefit books. They're aimed at people who aren't eligible for a bank account, or don't have a bank branch near enough. They're a bit like children's bank accounts. Money can be paid into the account, but you can only withdraw the money from the account in person at the Post Office, with the card. You don't get a debit card, so it's impossible to run up an overdraft.

So people who have their money paid into post office card accounts still have agency over what they purchase.

Yes, because they take the money out of the account in cash.

You know Queentilly after I posted about the P O accountsit twigged it was very different from this pre payment scheme