To think this won’t work and will force more into poverty?

[KimberleyClark]

Kwasi Korteng wants to cut benefits to part time workers to force them to work more hours.

www.theguardian.com/politics/2022/sep/21/kwasi-kwarteng-to-shrink-part-time-work-benefits-to-grow-labour-supply

you gotta love the Tories

I am centre left and social minded but the current system is actually incentivising it to make more sense to not work full time if you have kids and are either alone or with a very modestly paid partner and rent .

I have got to the point where I don't blame some people, although it will bite them on the arse once kids leave home or they don't have social housing and find they need to move.

The gvt need to stop tinckering at the edges and get to the nubs of the problem and the problem is that in vast swathes of the country there simply isn't enough decent social housing- meaning that people can pay rents from wages and lower paid jobs will still make sense - not needing to be paid in benefits. The gvt need to accept that the young EU people who were here were not in the main taking other peoples jobs, they were filling gaps in the workforce that others simply didn't want to do and we now have huge price rises due to shortages in labour market amongst other things and we need to make childcare subsidised and affordable for all ages of children - there are many women just outside the level of getting any help and working full time would indeed make them worse off if they need childcare.

People think Britain is a low tax society, it really isn't if you add in NI, council tax, paying for stuff that other higher tax nations take for granted as part of general taxation. But we waste so much on paying comfortably off peoples mortgages for them on 'investment' places etc by having to pay peoples private rentals. We have just wasted £490 billion on Brexit simply to mainly appease right wing voters with no real bonuses for average people. We have a party who are constantly thinking 'how can we prop up our vote' rather than actually governing for all and to make life fairer for all -

A tax cut isn't "giving money". A tax cut is merely not taking it.

I work for the government, I look forward to them offering me the extra hours I've been asking for for the last ten years instead of the split shifts they currently offer me which stops me getting any other job to fill the gap.

Maybe if the government actually took steps to stop companies forcing older workers out, there wouldn't be such a shortage

Indeed, I noticed that they were going to have new job coaches for unemployed over 50s. Well sort out employers who manage older workers out! Even my woke employer who has various diversity and inclusivity initiatives doesn't have one for older employees, despite my suggesting it.

Do you people think that you just tell the dwp that you have a health problem and then bingo you are exempt from their threats of sanction

My mum had a friend whose son has or had kidney failure (I don't know if he is still alive as this was about five year ago). He needed daily dialysis, not 3-4 times a week like I think it is usually and so clearly can't work. Yet he has to constantly justify why he can't work. It is ludicrous (and a waste of resources constantly checking up on people).

A family member is an amputee, a transplant patient, has heart problems, blind in one eye, severe neuropathy, diverticulitis, and some other health issues plus is only four years away from state pension age/retirement. Super attractive prospect for potential employers, aren't they? The DWP has them in the work activity group, they have to sign on and they have to justify why they can't find a job.

Try reading through to my second paragraph. In that paragraph I stated where issues could arise - that could be considered a constructive criticism, no? This is where exceptions will have to be made to accommodate them, such as exempting parents of kids below a certain age or those who receive Carers Allowance. In fact, many of these exceptions are already in place as this is a moving of a threshold rather than a brand new policy.

You've jumped straight on me, but not on anyone else who has spoken up for it, I notice. I've told you before that I don't just blindly support any policy that they turn up. I definitely preferred Andrew Adonis to Chris Grayling in the DfT for example.

Try reading through to my second paragraph. In that paragraph I stated where issues could arise - that could be considered a constructive criticism, no? This is where exceptions will have to be made to accommodate them, such as exempting parents of kids below a certain age or those who receive Carers Allowance. In fact, many of these exceptions are already in place as this is a moving of a threshold rather than a brand new policy.
You've jumped straight on me, but not on anyone else who has spoken up for it, I notice. I've told you before that I don't just blindly support any policy that they turn up. I definitely preferred Andrew Adonis to Chris Grayling in the DfT for example

I'm not picking on you but you ve not NC'd & a very memorable name, so its easy to follow your politics and imo you do back any Tory policy, no matter how stupid, if you don't like that, don't do it or at least deny it plus we both ride bikes, so you need educating lol!

Chris Grayling gave a freight contract to a company with no ferries, even i would be surprised if you backed him.

Carers don't work FT because they already commit to 35hr per week.

Parents of young children don't usually fall into the over 50s target group.

But lots of older people have informal caring responsibilities, i used too, went PT to help my mum live independently, being available to get her to hospital or GPs was vital... it was PT (2 days a week) or nothing for mum and UC does not allow for this.

Also, not addressed how you aim a policy at a specific adult age group?

UC is a very proscriptive means of benefit delivery.

As I said below the gvt are constantly tinkering at the edges with things designed to appeal to those that vote for them who are mainly homeowners, often over a certain age and who have a mentality fundamentally opposed to benefits (until they themselves need them or a close family member does) - also often opposed to immigration from anywhere that isn't British speaking as mother tongue.

None of the big issues are tackled such as radical change in housing policy and social housing. Right to buy should be totally abolished in my opinion. Councils should have to allow 50% of any new building to be for social housing (of all types) - give huge incentives to insurance /pension funds to build and develop for rent at social rates. Take a good look at immigration for work purposes from offshore- why pay £5000 plus to bring people from Indonesia but anyone from EU has to jump through multiple hoops . Why not keep tax the same but fund and subsidise school holiday clubs, nursery provision for all over 1s, after school clubs, over 70s social groups etc , bring back surestart and connexions (for teens). Get more social wardens (paid) on the streets and town centres in an evening etc

Why reduce tax when the country isn't functioning in so many areas and there clearly isn't enough social investment or barely functioning services. I don't think an extra £80 or so extra a month in personal wages is going to touch the sides of sorting out the real big issues- it would be better spent and ringfenced on national issues.