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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To rant about government financial help

255 replies

Alittlenonsensenowandthen · 24/10/2023 21:56

Firstly, I'll say that I've previously been in receipt of financial help from govt and extremely grateful and also want those who need help to be helped, but...
I've now met two people (retired) who are telling me what they're spending their fuel allowance on (new flat screen TV, holidays, new sofas). This is not an agiest or benefit bashing thread but it just gets my goat that there are people happily spending money given for heating on luxuries. It's not actually their fault - they haven't asked for the money, it wasn't means tested so arguably why not spend it and see it as bonus money. If govt wants to help, it needs to pay for things directly surely?
Just really bugging me at the moment because we're fine financially but only just, and we earn too much for help.
Argh! Just needed a rant to the ether this eve!

OP posts:
Unithorn · 26/10/2023 11:16

nokidshere · 26/10/2023 09:29

I did feel it was my duty to have a conversation along the lines of "It's no my place to tell you how to spend your money but PIP benefit is designed to help people manage costs associated with their disability. Such costs may include..."

PIP is not designed to help people manage costs to do with their disability. It's designed to help people with disabilities make their lives easier in whatever way they can, whether that's buying aids to help with daily tasks, two holidays a year in the sun, paying the bills or just putting it in savings account.

How incredibly rude and patronising of you to actually speak to someone in that way.

Yeah exactly, plus for many having a car and a mobile phone makes things much more accessible so they aren't even wild examples anyway.

VickyEadieofThigh · 26/10/2023 11:30

nokidshere · 26/10/2023 09:29

I did feel it was my duty to have a conversation along the lines of "It's no my place to tell you how to spend your money but PIP benefit is designed to help people manage costs associated with their disability. Such costs may include..."

PIP is not designed to help people manage costs to do with their disability. It's designed to help people with disabilities make their lives easier in whatever way they can, whether that's buying aids to help with daily tasks, two holidays a year in the sun, paying the bills or just putting it in savings account.

How incredibly rude and patronising of you to actually speak to someone in that way.

Indeed. I felt that the examples quoted in that post were exactly the kinds of things that would help people with disabilities manage their lives better.

x2boys · 26/10/2023 11:38

GrazingSheep · 24/10/2023 22:00

What’s so wonderful about a flat screen TV? They are almost always mentioned in benefit-bashing posts.

When mumsnet was in its infancy
Flat screen TV,s were a new and wondrous invention that cost £££,s so.were spoke about in awe on benefit bashing threads ,well.this is what I imagine what happened
But yes I don't think.you can get any other type of tv now.

BIossomtoes · 26/10/2023 13:09

Given that you can buy a TV - flatscreen, obviously because there’s no other kind on the market - for about £130, it’s hardly aspirational.

IncomingTraffic · 26/10/2023 19:31

I think it’s telling that on these kind of benefit bashing threads we get people
who claim to support disabled people in applying for PIP who insist that mobile phones and car insurance are not appropriate uses of it.

Apart from anything else… how can you be a competent professional in this field if you don’t even know that PIP claimants can be eligible for a whole scheme to help them have a car. But even for those whose don’t qualify for motability, having a car might make an enormous difference to their lives.

I hope the poster is overegging their expertise/role. Because otherwise they’re just not very good at their job.

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