Irritated that families on UC get heavily discounted entry

[happybug1234]

feel very aggrieved this afternoon to find out that people on UC get heavily discounted entry to popular attractions:

London Zoo
London transport museum
science museum wonderlab
Cutty Sark
kew Gardens
St Paul’s cathedral

As a mum with a professional career, with both husband and I working full time, paying a mortgage, paying a fortune in childcare for 2 under 4’s I seriously despair! From experience of people I see around me, families on UC seem to have more disposable income than us as their rent is paid, have no childcare costs and all their costs subsidised on social tariffs etc.

why is the government getting away with this and why are more middle class/income people not up in arms about it! At the moment I can’t see how us working hard and being self sufficient has benefited us as a family.

Depends what you call a graduate I guess. There are only 2m university students in the uk, so it’s not the people who graduated in 2025. It could be anyone who ever went to university.

Omg how accurate

It isn't just London btw as I know RHS Gardens offer £1 entrance for anyone on a huge range of benefits.

There may be that figure of unemployed graduates, but very few of them will be qualified for what I do.

I do see where you are coming from, I think it’s great we have a welfare system and people who don’t earn much are able to have a decent life, I especially appreciated it as I was once that child and then parent. However … now married and both professionals and with young children I seem to be able to afford far less than I did as a single parent, there definitely needs to be more universal support/tax breaks for families

As someone who sees people on benefits who do not work, and bringing in over £4000, yes four thousand and more a month, when others work full time bringing in far less and struggle, I get where you’re coming from.
Even the school has admitted that the only parents struggling to pay for school trips, and late paying lunch fees are the working parents.

Do you i wasn't sure as ours is private.

So true.

So lets say you get struck down with a horrible life limiting condition.unable to work .. you fel your children should no longer get to go to the zoo?

If everyone in the country “bettered” themselves, who would do the lower paid jobs?

You do realise the majority of people on uc don't get anywhere near that amount right.

That's kind of funny as I am on UC and a carer who is desperately looking for work and I struggle to make it through the month and everyone else I know who works or doesn't on UC is the same. The first week or two is manageable then it's a struggle onwards from there.

People get pension credits to top them up to the state pensions equivalent IF that is all they have. I very much doubt you will be living on £12,500 per year in your older years.

I think about 3% or older people are in care homes, so there's a 97% chance that your home will not be used for fees and that your property assets will be passed on to your family.

And, if you did need that money to pay care home fees, have you any idea how much choices that gives you? If you see some of the worse places...

Do you work for the DWP then? What circumstances do people have which means they are claiming over 4k a month?

Yes disabled people and their children shouldn't have opportunities. Let them stay home and rot. Lazy scroungers

Maybe the real issue is how expensive these attractions have become…

I think most on IC work , the only people I know who don’t have severely disabled children or adults to care for or are disabled themselves. I earn a good wage and it pains to see people on here being so ridiculous

Graduates aren’t qualified to do anything, are they? I think vets and dentists are the exception

It’s not a flex to be better qualified than a graduate 🤣

@DreamyJade very funny on a not funny thread.

Well that comment was more aimed at the previous poster

This is over the benefit cap, so The only way this is possible is a large, disabled family.

@happybug1234

Why would the school divulge such information to people? That sounds highly improbable.

Just quit your "professional career" and go on benefits then OP. Problem solved.

Honestly OP, I get you. We’re also in the same situation as you, I just tend to get on with my life and not think about these things otherwise one will be bitter. We both work full time and for example during this half term, some people got free access to holiday clubs and I had to pay full price for my child’s. I’m not bitter about it as my child is my responsibility but if I add up everything I pay for that someone else gets access to for free or discounted, then I’ll be worse off financially than they are but I can’t claim anything as my ‘pay’ is more than theirs so it sometimes feel unfair but how I look at it is that if that access means a child is in club doing a sport rather than on the street and mixing with the wrong crowd then I’m glad they have access to that.
Anyway, I tend to use cash back sites, Tesco club card, my perks at work scheme and sometimes octopus app to get discounts to places which makes it more affordable for us.
Basically rather than begrudge those getting things for free or discounts I’m not getting, i look for other ways in which I can get discounts to afford some perks too and not compare.