Benefits explosion- where will it end?

[TheBlueKoala]

"PIP benefits explosion: Anxiety and depression handouts have nearly TRIPLED to £4.3bn since Covid - with autism and ADHD bill hitting £2.2bn and 'back pain' £1.6bn"

Something is not right here. When I have written before on here telling about people I know who claim for anxiety although they have rich social lives (funded by 440£ extra per month from PIP) I've had many people telling me that it's not possible etc. It sure is. How many 16 year olds are claiming PIP for anxiety?

Instead of benefits why not pay for therapy- invest massively in the NHS mental health support so that people with anxiety, adhd and autism can see a therapist regularly to help them. This would make a difference for tje individual and the society. Throwing out money won't.

AINBU- I agree with about
AIBU- No, extra money is always useful

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-15510221/PIP-benefits-anxiety-depression-austism-ADHD-pain-Covid-Labour.html

@Shrinkhole there is criminality, mostly drug related here, but there isn't really any gang related criminality. I can't write what I understand to be the problem without my words being taken down as racist.

Plus let's also acknowledge that living hand to mouth is no way to live for anyone. There has got to be a reasonable level of 'extra' money that goes past essentials to enable people to pay unexpected bills/ do repairs on their home or car so they can put a small amount to the side each month. It also allows for people who may struggle to manage their money frugally due to their illness/ injury/ condition to have a bit of a safety net. Not everyone claiming pip has someone who they can trust to act as an appropriate guardian and not everyone claiming pip is entitled to this or needs it.

If someone chooses to save up and use £20 to get their nails done then that's for them to budget.

There is a very worrying theme of ableism on this thread that's suggesting that people with illnesses or disabilities who are unable to work should be living hand to mouth in poverty and I'm curious as to why people think that's acceptable in today's society.

Especially when many people claiming pip also have dependents they are responsible for.

If people working full time are living in poverty, unable to own a car, have children, have their nails done, have a holiday or pets then why should people who are supported by the state (for ANY reason) have a better standard of living than them.

If people who work are unable to afford those things then they need to be looking up and not down. Ask for a payrise or campaign the gov to increase min wage.
Cutting the money of the people below them is not going to make them better off.
I do not know anyone who is on benefits and not able to work have a better standard of life than someone who is working and not disabled. For starters they are disabled and that is something no amount of money will take away.

How are you going to police that? How far does it go?

Someone who works says "I can't afford to buy a bacon sandwich from Costa until payday", are all benefits claimants banned from buying bacon sandwiches until that person's payday?

And why is that?

How are they being stupid?

I'd police that by ensuring that people who are entirely state supported - through old age, disability, unemployment do not receive more than full time minimum wage - and that includes for housing.

It's fairly easy to calculate £23,809 - 37.5hrs per week at minimum wage over a year.

That's it - that's what you get for working full time shifts in a crappy job.

If you're state supported you should not get more.

Not everyone has mental illness though peoole seem to forget or dont want to acknowledge that severe and enduring mental illness such as schizophrenia, Bi polar,Shizoaffective disorder exists

The only reason why I'm supported by the state is because my child is disabled.

People are more than welcome to swap my life with theirs if they consider watching their child struggling daily, being at the mercy of whichever government is in charge and lying awake at night wondering what will happen to their child after they die to be a better standard of living simply because it also includes a motability car and a holiday.

Sorry - but benefits are a pittance. Particularly for single people. Until September 2024 I was living on less than 400 pounds a month and I currently get lcwra and adult disability payment and I still live below the poverty line - I am sick of people on benefits being shamed. Particularly those on disability benefits

I am on UC and PIP and get no where near a full time min wage. Single people living alone do not get a lot at all.
Not all of us on benefits are on tens of thousands. The people who are tend to have severely disabled kids and I can guarantee you that they would swap that money for their childs disability to be taken away.

I don't get more than that

'Look up' - that is looking up - people on minimum wage are looking UP at people on certain benefits.

We cannot raise minimum wage further - it has already caused wage compression for professional and highly skilled jobs.

Jobs are becoming fewer - more people will need state support and so state support will need to be less generous.

Not enough jobs to people wanting them.

Those saying 'I don't get that' - are you including everything - housing support, energy support, free prescriptions, free dental, free travel- all the things that people who work pay?

I get way less than someone on min wage. Why are you looking up at me?

Stop reading the Daily Fail and concentrate on living your own life and you won't be bothered who's on benefits and why. Easy fix.

People working full time in crappy jobs are very often receiving universal credit top ups
My son will never be able to work hes severely autistic with severe learning disabilities at nearly 16 his functional age is about 2or 3 he will need alot more than minimum wage just to survive .

Recollections may vary.

In 1984, when ‘Boomers’ were in their 20s and 30s, the UK unemployment rate peaked at about 11.9% (over 1 in 10 working age people out of work).

Youth unemployment was very high and there was a huge spike in young people sleeping rough due to cuts in benefits.

In 1984-85 approximately 3.6% of the UK working-age population was claiming invalidity benefits (long-term sickness). This rose to 6.9% by 1994-95.

In late 2025, the UK unemployment rate was 5.1%.

Blooming youngsters today, eh? Not like the hardworking Boomers.

I’m writing this as someone completely incapacitated by mental health problems. While I appreciate that society has become more aware of mental health and supposedly people are more in touch with their normal or even difficult emotions, full on mental crisis is something else. It’s not a choice, it’s not something you can fix, think or talk your way out of e.g. in the six CBT sessions on the NHS. That’s great that that exists for people but what I’m going through I expect will have a lifelong impact on my health as I’m unable to care for myself or do the most basic tasks. What I’m saying is that there’s another tier where people are truly incapacitated. You might see it on the streets as many homeless people are ill this way.

Yes, there’s a race to the bottom in this country. E.g. with pensions, should we not be asking why our pensions are amongst the lowest in the developed world rather than begrudging people getting the paltry amount that doesn’t allow for any decent standard of living anyway? Why do we not ask why our pay is so low rather than accusing those who work FT and have to claim benefits? Do we not want a better society? Better if everyone was poor? Really convenient for the politicians that we are all here blaming each other. Where’s the money gone?

I fundamentally disagree.

If we start to reduce benefits we will ultimately end up increasing the number of people who are living in poverty. Who start to become unable to access healthcare and become more unwell. Who start to become unable to access enough nutrition and become more unwell.

This means MORE pressure on the NHS and healthcare services which is expensive.

Wherever there is increased poverty there is increased crime. Crime is hugely expensive. From needing increased policing resources to fixing damages or rises in costs to cover stolen goods to supporting victims of crime. People's bills go up such as insurance costs and house prices drop.

Businesses are also less likely to invest in areas with high crime rates.

As increased poverty leads to increased poor health that also means increased rates of unemployment. So the people who ARE working and claiming pip suddenly find themselves under increased pressure and in increased poverty and cannot manage and are no longer able to sustain that work. Putting pressure on the workforce.

All of which leads to poorer outcomes for children more of whom will then be growing up in poverty. This has a knock on effect to education and social services resources which are critically under resourced as it is.

More children falling out of school to take on caring roles. More children suffering from poverty and neglect and not achieving as well in school. Therefore harder to find and retain decent paid, secure employment as adults.

And now we're into a multi generational crisis.

And all so very expensive to fix. Taking people's benefits will not 'save' us money in the long run, it will create huge pressure on already struggling services and the redistribution of income will not be significant enough to counter act that, especially after years of austerity.

It always amazes me how people who work and don't claim benefits don't realise how much they benefit from the existence of benefits. If you want to live in a nice, clean, civil, safe society - then you need to pay towards benefits because that all works together.

Anyone who thinks there isn't a huge, obvious issue with a lack of resilience among younger adults has their head in the sand.