AIBU to be miffed about Chester Zoo?

[Stillinshock123]

I need a space to rant but then I welcome feedback and general common-sense.

Chester zoo have posted about £1 deal for those on benefits such as UC, DLA and PIP.

Now, I understand that for some this may be the only opportunity to attend the Zoo given their already ridiculously high prices.

However AIBU to be upset that yet again working families (full time not claiming parts of UC) don’t seem to benefit from much?

We attend the zoo only once a year because of how expensive it is.. so that’s a luxury. So no thanks, no support or discounts.

I emailed them about this, and they replied saying that it’s part of a charity scheme to give back to families who otherwise can’t afford it. But then.. why shouldn’t it be first come first serve?

I haven’t heard of free gym subs either! Perhaps you could share the link so the others on this thread can enjoy?

I didnt say they did?

I am on UC and had to go private for dentistry as there were no NHS dentists.

I have heard of cheaper rates at my council run leisure centres but not completely free.

So go on UC then. What is stopping you?

I think it's okay to be a bit sad that a day out to the zoo is prohibitively expensive for families on decent incomes.

The debate about the income benefits cliff edge is a valid and enduring one. OP has just expressed it through one example.

And all those deals can also be accessed by those on universal credit.

The Universal Credit ticket can not be used in conjunction with other offers.

Because if everyone is a cash drain and there are no cash cows, those who really need it (like those with disabled children) will probably find life gets harder. It just takes a Reform/Tory coalition. People turn to extremes when they feel they are being treated unfairly. Is that what you want?

How sad to refer to people as cash drains and cash cows.

But those people can also access the deals in addition to this special offer.

Why? Call a spade a spade. I could put it a different way but it comes down to the same thing. And you didn’t respond to my question, preferring to focus on semantics.

Yes they can. But right now they only have to pay £1.
You just sound jealous. Go on UC and you can reap the "rewards". But you will have to put up with the shame and judgement that gets dished out on here towards anyone on benefits. Get used be being called a cash drain, a net taker, a useless eater etc

Which is why I keep saying it really isn’t about the zoo tickets. It is about making sure every family in the UK can afford an occasional treat and challenging the idea that is the same groups who need all the help for this to happen.

What do you want? A special offer just for those who aren't on UC? How would that work exactly?

I am not jealous at all. Ideally everyone either gets paid enough for their work to enjoy life or, if there is a valid reason why they can’t work enough, they are supported enough to also have occasional treats. What shouldn’t happen is that one group works really hard and gets nothing. It’s about being fair. If you can’t work, then of course you need support. But so does someone who doesn’t earn enough to get universal credit or to live a Ritzy lifestyle through their wages.

I’ve already answered this. As a previous poster said, offer all families £10 tickets. The zoo still gains customers at a quiet time and the tickets are still affordable. Heck, they could even offer £5 tickets. Wouldn’t that be lovely for all families who are struggling?

That won't be how their charity funding works though. Charity isn't for everyone.

Tickets are also limited and would be even more limited if they were somehow able to work around the charity funding requirements and offer it to everyone, they would be even more limited and people would still miss out. Not to mention those who would miss out because they might be able to afford £1 tickets but not £5 or £10 tickets.

That’s their decision. They have chosen to help the same group of people who already receive help from the government.

I think this narrow focus needs readjusting to include more families. Some people believe those groups are crying wolf and can still afford what they could afford ten years ago. I think they are wrong and it is causing resentment and will eventually lead to social unrest.

There’s such a misconception that people who are on lower incomes don’t work hard! People who work work hard for their money. It doesn’t mean that because you are a higher earner you are a harder worker.

Do you not understand how charity works? If it was offered to everyone, it wouldn't be considered charity and the zoo wouldn't get any charity funding so they wouldn't be able to offer it to anyone. These £1 tickets are not funded through memberships or anything like that, it is charity funding.

The easiest way for them to offer charity to the most in need is by who the government consider most in need. How else are they supposed to do it?

I feel really sad to hear people being called a drain on society purely because they claim benefits.

I’m on both sides to this - worked all my life and paid into the system and then benefitted from benefits for a brief period to allow me to work and put my child in childcare which I couldn’t have afforded without the help. I’m now on the other side as a higher earner and will defend to death the right to claim benefits and not be ashamed by it. We should be so grateful to live in a country that treats its citizens so well.

it’s hard at the moment and I really sympathise with anyone struggling but don’t beat the poor - get angry with the politicians that have made our lives hard.

So you could afford to take your family this year. But you think another child shouldn’t get the opportunity because there parents claim benefits.

The OP can afford an occasional treat - she takes her kids once a year. Unless that's the sole activity she does with her kids, they probably also get other occasional treats. Like most people who aren't on the breadline, but aren't falling over bags of cash either.

On the one hand you're saying that people who are on UC actually have high enough earnings to afford things without special offers like this. But on the other, you're saying that the government should raise the threshold for financial support to include people like the OP which would surely mean that even higher earners become 'cash drains' who are entitled to UC 'perks' which was the source of the original problem.

The narrative that the poorest people in society are responsible for the suffering of those who are financially just ahead of them doesn't really provide for any solutions.

Mathematically unsound, though.

I'll use 100 families on UC/DLA and 100 on £56,000 (the cutoff, more or less, for not qualifying for any benefits with two children). I'm also simplifying it to £1 for the entire family, rather than for 4 people.

100 families are offered a £1 ticket. The zoo receives £100. 100 other families come at £25 a go, so another £2500. Total gate receipts of £2600. The charity tops up the discounted tickets by £24, meaning the zoo receives another £2400, giving a final amount of £5000.

250 families start bitching, so they're offered a £10 ticket that isn't eligible for funding under the charity's rules.

65 of the families that would have come at £1 can't afford £10, so the income from the remainder is £350. The other 100 come for a tenner. Zoo receives £1000 from them. Total gate receipts £1350. The charity tops up the 35 eligible under their regulations, meaning another £840. Balances out as £2190. The zoo is down £2180.

Do this for a rainy fortnight over Christmas and there's a potential loss of £26,190 (closed Christmas Day and half day Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve for arguments' sake)

The zoo isn't paying for the discount, a charity is. And the entitled demands of those who are significantly better off - as evidenced by the fact that they don't qualify for Universal Credit - would mean that the zoo lost the equivalent of one member of staff for a year (or a hell of a lot of bananas).