I know this will be contentious - cost of living rise

[qualitychat]

My mum is a pensioner and gets Disability Benefit and Mobility Benefit and Pension Credit. She receives almost what I get in a month. She is moaning about the Government not doing enough about the cost of gas and electricity, which I agree with. The thing is they have said that people on benefits and pension credit will be given lump sums towards their bills. I am a middle earner and so is my husband. We will likely get nothing. Do you not think it will be the ordinary working families who will be squeezed the most if something is not done?

I can't work any more than 40hrs a week due to health issues. But I'm not sick enough to claim anything. Also live alone and no DC and I suspect single people will get massively screwed over, can't split the bills with anyone but still have to use gas and electric
It's frustrating to earn too much for hell hut not enough that it's a proper living wage

Absolutely can't imagine many getting a pay rise or getting extra hours if shops etc are having to close and lose staff. It's not that easy.

The example you are repeating @Babyroobs doesn't have children. Please read before you comment.

Yes, I agree with you OP.

I totally get what you mean op but I myself was on benefits for a long time. Yes I had enough money, I could even save a portion because there was no travel, childcare costs etc. But the lack of control over my life really affected me. I was worried the amount would be cut or that I would have to work a job far away with no childcare. Of course some people are scroungers with no intention of ever working but I found it really demoralising having to explain my situation and my children seeing no one in the house working. Thankfully my dh is now working and I am a sahm not claiming anything other than child benefit. By working you are teaching your children the right way, best to put those that aren't out of your head, you can't change it so just worry about your own family.

Yep. A lot of it is aimed at disabled people. One question people seem to be reluctant to answer though. Looking at the extra money is fine, but are you prepared to accept the disability that goes with it. Because it’s not extra money if it’s eaten up by the effects of that disability is it ?

They will be when their bills go up and they are on a fixed low income.

Not unreasonable at all. Very true.

DH is a copper and on the home screen of their group page at work is contact points for local food banks. Of his team of ten, three are planning to use them when winter comes. It's madness and it's the same across emergency services.

If the people supposedly keeping us safe can't even afford to feed their families without support there's no fucking chance for the rest of us.

I thought that the suggestion was the disabled on disability benefits would receive a single payment of £150 extra. Do you imagine that’s the increase that they will experience?

So what do you get in a month OP?
Because your mum gets £182 a week plus disability benefits.
Do you think older people who need carers should not get any benefits towards this cost?

Sorry must have read the 3 lunchtimes as 3 kids ! Apologies. Yes it's pretty shit for low earners living on their own I agree.

Wow.

I've never seen such blatantly unpleasant and bitter posts aimed at older people and those who have a disability.

And some are event resentful of their own parent for rolling in the benefits they scam off of honest working taxpayers.

Shameful.

Bloody hell.

I have a very young baby so have the need to heat my house too, probably to a similar level as a pensioner

You work. You are out of the house during the day? A pension will not be out of the house during the day, particularly given that many pensioner clubs, activities, day centres etc. have lost funding, closed, or are operating reduced hours.

I'm a civil servant so have no option to ask for a payrise OR to increase my hours. Actually I could be 1 on the 91,000 to lose to be made redundant

But you are a healthy adult who could find an additional job to do to bring in some additional income? If you are made redundant, you will be entitled to a redundancy payment and if your household income is then low enough, you will qualify for benefits.

My husband already works 40+ hours so has no option to work addition hours

I have been a single parent for years. Teach full time. Have a couple of side hustles to bring in extra money. If I can do it, as one parent with 3 children (one of whom has a disability), why can't you do it as two parents?

Because the disability benefits your mum would supposedly get are attendance allowance, which means she needs someone caring for her.

I agree, I notice OP does not put any figures. All her mum would get is £182 per week plus disability benefits. OP could get disability benefits if she was disabled too. Nothing to do with age.

On the spectrum.

On the left, wealthy on £170k won't notice cost of living
On the right, unemployed on £4k a year, pensioners on 10k a year, disabled and sick and people on carers allowance etc will starve and freeze and need to use food banks and heat banks.

I'd rather be nearer the left of the spectrum and have options like lowering bills, cutting outgoings, dropping a car, ditching a holiday.

we’ve pretty much farmed out elderly care to private companies who gouge the elderly for care fees to the point where they have to sell everything they own before they get help

why shouldn’t they pay for their care? We have this bizarre mindset in the U.K. that the elderly shouldn’t have to pay for anything, that they’ve ‘done their bit’ (even though the proportion of SAHMs back then was much much much higher, how much tax did they pay?!) and to expect them to fund anything in unreasonable. I reject that.

It doesn't necessarily mean they need a carer, just that they have difficulties with personal care. To be honest I have helped hundreds to claim Attendance allowance and it is pretty easy to get. A lot lot easier than disability benefits for people under pension age .They don't even do an assessment.

Imagine being jealous of someone that is so disabled they receive mobility. Show your Mum this thread, let her know what you really think of her.

Its not a race to the bottom. Many people will need help. If you want that to happen, do something about it instead of being so credulous you turn on people less well off than you, the group who are more likely to die this winter.

These threads are so devisive.obv old and sick people will need more help.unlike working people who have options to work more hours.the energy crisis should have been addressed some years ago

I never fail to be amazed by how few women have never hardly worked in their lifetime. I regularly come across women who have barely worked and so barely get much of a state pension and have to rely on pension credit.

@biscuiteer I’ll hold my hands up and admit to having previously been a Tory voter. I will never vote for them again - they’ve shafted absolutely everyone in the country. Low earners, average earners, high earners (by that, I mean high, not super high), disabled people, carers, children, civil servants, small business owners, people who need to use the NHS or a dentist, the list goes on and on.

But, I can’t vote Labour. I’m terrified of a wealth tax. DH is in his 50’s and has an old defined benefits pension worth a lot on paper, he was made redundant from the company that provided it and has struggled to find another decent paying job ever since (being in his 50’s). We have a ‘normal’ semi detached home in London (mortgaged), but being in London it’s worth a good amount. I earn well, but with DC of 10 and 13, we’re not rolling in it. We won’t have to turn the heating off, but it will have to go on less, and if I lose my job, we’re fucked. The thought of a labour government that introduced a wealth tax on our pensions and require us to magic up £20/30/40/50k maybe more, is terrifying. We couldn’t pay it. Who do I vote for?

The problem is that working wages for low wage jobs aren’t significantly higher than benefits. The stagnation in wages over the last decade, whilst benefits have a yearly increase in line with inflation has squeezed this gap ever more. People on benefits aren’t rolling in it, in fact most people on benefits (excepting pensioners) are in work too. The fact is that working people are paid too little and as a country we have become accustomed to low wages and don’t challenge these as much as we should.

Well done everyone. You’re doing exactly as they planned. Fighting over scraps whilst those at the top rake it in and fail to address the real crushing issues.

fight to change the actual problems not the things we’re being lead to believe are the problems.

1- energy company parent companies making sky high profits whilst their subsidiaries claim they need the price rises.

2- stagnating wages.

3- rents and mortgages that were astronomical in cost compared to wages pre-2019 and have only gotten worse.

4- companies not paying adequate taxes

5- absolutely shocking treatment of workers especially those forced to take zero hours contracts or skilled work only being paid minimum wage because cheap as fuck companies know tax credits and universal credits will top up their employees wages whilst they still make substantial profits.

6- mental and physical health of a great proportion of this country is absolutely shot since March 2020.

7- the countries public services have Been systematically underfunded for over a decade under the guise of austerity but we still ‘can’t afford’ to do many of the things that would significantly improve the health, wellbeing and lives of the populace.

it’s not disabled persons, a pensioners or a benefit claimants fault this shit show is happening anymore than it’s the fault of those working for piss poor wages and/or paying sky high rents.

focus your rage at the ones throwing the fucking breadcrumbs.

Why is it a joke ? They’ve worked for it, the same way you’re working for it now. Presumably they have no mortgage because they’ve paid it. Do you have children ? If so, would you be happy about people questioning whether you should get that ? When you get to pension age, would you be happy that your state pension is begrudged ? Having children is a choice, being elderly or disabled is not. You’ll be old yourself one day and by then your perspective will change - especially if your health has deteriorated to the point where you have to rely on disability benefits. This is a horrible thread.