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.

Plus travel to London or parking,

I have to agree with this, what is wrong with a parent working part time, particularly a single parent. I worked part time as a single parent as it gave me a good work life balance and yes I received some top ups. Now as a married professional I also work part time (DH full time) I’ve tried working more hours but just wasn’t able to balance things to keep everyone happy. Perhaps different for someone in a chilled job, easy kids or a mum round the corner who can help out loads. I do resent the fact there isn’t more universal help or at least tax breaks for families but I don’t resent the taxes we pay meaning a single mum doesn’t have to work full time

Where I am working age people have to pay at least 20% regardless of income

That’s very black and white - there’s many a middle class mum either married to a decent earner or one herself with 2 or 3 children whose very conventional marriage goes wrong or he turns into an abusive shit /fecklessarse and who suddenly finds all her arrangements turn to shit, be that housing, childcare, job etc - or the woman or man develops a degenerative illness , hasa disabling accident etc etc - the idea we know someone is going to be an arse or have serious health issues many years down the line simply isn’t the case - a friend of mines lovely H of 35 years is currently in a hospice dying of a brain tumour at 60 - she had to stop working to care for him and I’m
pretty sure they will have used a lot of savings in order to do this, if not all.

Silly. There is no black and white thinking. I am musing, considering, wondering if that helps.....why can a family on UC with at least one child with autism go to Disneyland, get to the front of the queues and others are slogging their guts out and get to visit a local park?

Look again at the list of activities op provided. Most of these locations are educational/historic/cultural. Children of families on uc are much, much less likely to achieve educationally.

Places you'd absolutely want under privileged children to be in order to put them in line with peers.

It's about being equitable in order to put children on an equal footing rather than just treating everyone the same when we know certain things will be harder for certain people.

And you have to wait in the queue of shame 😳

Absolutely i work a minimum wage job and im so proud of myself for doing that yes its only part time but its all i can manage. People honestly have no clue on the reality and just don't understand when they say things like you should of just studied harder. I wish your son well in his future however that may look.

The fact that he can cope better with the reasonable adjustment? Just like he may wear headphones to help reduce the noise or any other number of things that may help him cope. It will be extra work but why should a child have to miss out just because they are disabled?

It's no different to having wheelchair accessible rides. It is allowing him to access places like Disneyland Paris despite his disability.

100% this 👍

Also, to get free prescriptions and dentists and school meals, your household income a month (inc benefits) has to be less than £935 a month. Which is nothing. Wonder if OP could live on that 🙄

The gap between privileged middle class kids and those growing up in disadvantaged households is enormous. It's really hard to fathom how anyone could really begrudge those kids the odd day out.

How long have you and your DH been higher rate tax payers OP?

A lot of people would like to visit exciting places but they don't lie and cheat their way there.

Because the working poor don't work hard. Riiiiight🤨

I was in your position a couple of years ago, then my partner left and I can only work part time due to having my children most of the time, and one of them being disabled. Im fortunate that I have family who can help so I can at least work part time or Im not sure what I'd do. I work hard in a professional role which I trained for years for. Id love to work more hours and did when I had a husband around to look after the kids. That isnt possible for me now. Most people on universal credit work. I was fortunate enough to be able to take my children to the zoo because of the discount.

I cab assure you its fairly soul destroying sitting in the job centre with security guard, and the way the advisors speak to you. I really hope one day I can contribute more again as I did for 20 years before this happened to me, some of that time having 3 jobs. The right wing press are very good at selling the story that we are all scroungers. But everyone who needs benefits is just an ordinary person like you. You dont know what can happen in your life. I definitely didn't expect to be here 2 years ago. It certainly isnt a position to be jealous of 🤣🤣

To be fair, it is far more irritating that the government(s) are all weak / complicit/ actively maintaining and haven't done anything to have an increase wages in real terms.
Also, going after Individuals on benefits is ludicrous (very small potatoes) I get far more angry about the HUGE companies that can't be arsed to pay a fair chunk of tax. ..... Then maybe public attractions could get some actually decent subsidies.

Who is lying and cheating?

What did you get your bafta for?

So they are pretending that he's autistic now?

I often wonder how the millions of people on benefits (especially single parents) cope when their children grow up and benefits stop. There must be thousands of families losing thousands overnight? For many single mothers that also include child maintenance being gone at the same time.

Ask the Zoo! They're the only ones who owe you an answer, as the person on UC does not set the prices.

The person I referred to.

Who's lying and cheating their way there? Are you suggesting that the parents of a child with additional needs like in this post who uses adjustments are lying?

Never mind that as a single mum who works full time I am also paying taxes and have been since I started working age 16!

Uc has been the only reason I've been able to sustain employment since becoming a lone parent. My ex pays the amount set by cms. It doesn't cover even half of the childcare bill a month. Never mind literally anything else dc needs which all comes out of my (much smaller) salary. I had to move us 60 miles away to find affordable housing and change job in the process. I'd much, much rather have a solid family unit and a safe father for my son than be on uc. It's so insulting.

I honestly can’t bring myself to be annoyed about this. You can blame or judge parents on UC if you really want to, call them lazy/demotivated whatever, if that is what you think nobody here is going to change your mind, but the bottom line is that there are still lots of children with those parents and I’d hate to think those children grow up with no experiences to look back on or enjoy.

My husband was raised by parents who have very rarely worked, money was always tight, clothes and shoes were handed down and worn until they literally could not be anymore, there were no treats unless a grandparent surprised them or at Christmas/birthdays, if things like this had been around then maybe he would have had a better childhood.