AIBU to feel annoyed about discounted attractions for benefit claimants?

[Sheldonsheher]

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-15721199/Benefit-claiming-families-UK-attractions-working-Brits.html

I know I’ll get slated as the origin is the daily fail but, but this kind of annoys me too! I mean as a single parent I don’t want to pay £60 to go to the zoo either.

Also school activities and trips. Other parents have to subsidise the families again who are on benefits.

Where I live there are so many advertised free things like childcare , clubs , after school care, but only if you are on benefits so maybe after while it just feels like too much.

Yes because being poor is such a perk!

Because they don't know what they are talking about, and can't be bothered educating themselves.

It was the same with the pensioners when those on pension credits were getting more than people with pensions from working because they got the WFA and free TV licence and paid less council tax and lots of other perks. Reeves had to U turn on WFA in the end

Nope schools will get funding for children who are entitled to pupil premium. This money will be used by schools to help fund things and close the gaps between them and those more fortunate

https://www.dayoutwiththekids.co.uk/hub/parenting/money-and-finance/our-top-pick-of-universal-credit-days-out-2026

anyway this seems a good point to post this again for anyone who was previously unaware of this and may benefit

It's sickening isn't it? There was even some nasty piece of work on the other thread wishing she had SEN children so she's get all this amazing free money and 'jollies'
I've been that person on <shudder> benefits in the past with a small child and it's absolutely no 'perk' at all.
Some people are beyond disgusting.

@MyLuckyHelper It’s a working part time benefit when you have dc who are old enough to not need much child care. It’s what loads of people do. What’s the incentive to do more when you get all the subsidies - even dc can get £2000 bursaries at university! It’s widely abused and some people doing it have professional qualifications but cannot be bothered to work in that field. I’ve seen this a lot.

It keeps being said people can go to London zoo for £1 and it’s irritating as if you’re going to rant at least do it accurately. Some places are £1 on these schemes, London zoo isn’t £1

Yes.

and do check regularly as more places are getting involved (now they realise how much places can make from participating)

I’ve just checked London Zoo’s prices. Standard adult admission (online) is £31.00. The scheme was introduced in 2023. The same admission price in 2022 was £30.00 (adjusted for inflation that’s £34.50 in 2026). So it’s CHEAPER to get in now than it was before the scheme started.

Also there's numerous attractions that are free for all. Free museums and art galleries.

@Sheldonsheher

Also school activities and trips. Other parents have to subsidise the families again who are on benefits.
Where I live there are so many advertised free things like childcare , clubs , after school care, but only if you are on benefits so maybe after while it just feels like too much.

That’s not true about school trips - any subsidy comes from pupil premium funding, not other parents. I’ve organised a lot of school trips & have never used money from parents paying in full to subsidise other places.

I think the issue is that people on middle incomes will never get any help but likely can’t afford those sorts of days out on a regular basis. When mine were little & we were broke we rarely did days out, soft play, cafes. It was mostly free activities or the local toddler groups. People I knew who were not working would do more expensive things than us & also get free child care.

I am unsure we will be much better off in retirement as we will have to pay tax & those who haven’t worked will seemingly get tax credits. So all these years I have been making sure I pay my NI & now those who haven’t worked will just get top ups.

In school I would say it’s the kids with parents working on modest incomes who are the worst off. Often the ones getting UC have latest phone, decent clothes & get to go on trips. I have sorted out funding for trips & got their food paid for only to find out they’re off to Disney or Dubai the following week! I’m sure it’s not all, but I don’t think all of them need free days out.

I work full time and still receive UC every month. An amount I literally couldn’t live without. My children don’t need childcare luckily, if they did I’d be able to claim 85% of that too, so not sure what the relevance of no childcare is.

UC is not like legacy benefits, the more you earn the better off you are. If you choose not to work when you’re able, your benefits are capped at (what for me would be) an unliveable amount.

I understand not knowing things, especially if you have no first hand experience. What I don’t understand is being so loud and refusing to accept the facts, even when you’re being spoon fed them by people who do know. Why would you want to get het up about things you’ve misunderstood 🤷🏻‍♀️

Because 'poor me syndrome'. It drives me up the wall. The irony usually being that people in receipt of benefits never ever say 'poor me' - they say thank you.

Not everyone is but some are.
My point is that if you know exactly how to work the system and absolutely not saying everyone on UC are doing this - you can bring in benefits and income very close or exceeding a couple on NMW.
As I said up thread - have 4-5 kids and preferably spread them out.
One or two with mild ASD or ADHD but able to attend mainstream school and hang out with friends. Claim DLA.
Claim support from partner who lives separately.
Work a very small amount - receive free childcare,
Live in heavily subsidised flat in the middle of a expensive city.

This absolutely isn’t everyone on UC but I have very much noticed this pattern among parents at my DC’s school. They do not work or if they work do so only a little.

Clearly if you or your child is severely disabled and you cannot work - you absolutely should be entitled to UC and more. And I don’t begrudge any kids getting the £1 tickets - I’m glad we live in a country where this happens.

However, pls some understanding for families working long hours for a similar income or less and getting zero help or extras and having to budget every penny. I am sure they would love to take their kids to these attractions too.

Oh fab idea. Any idea how to guarantee a child with a disability? Don’t want to waste my time getting pregnant again if they’re not going to be worth it to me.

also why is it everyone on Mumsnet knows multiple people “playing” the system. And that all these acquaintances are freely disclosing their finances to anyone that will listen

You forgot his order to have children’s murals in an immigration centre painted over. He’s a miserable excuse for a human being who could suck the joy out of anything.

Yes, it is odd that all these benefit cheats go around boasting to mumsnetters. If one was cynical one might think there is some fibbing going on. And not from the benefit cheats.

Children have to be severely disabled to get dla, just thought I'd point that out. I'm one of the fortunate ones as my dc are able to attend school but many can't. My dc school has gone above and beyond to enable my youngest to attend. They don't get anywhere near enough funding from the LA.

If I want them to do any after school activity I have to either stay with them (which does nothing for the older ones street cred, "luckily" the youngest is too disabled to care) or pay someone else to stay with them.

When they are too old for school, some of mine will be able to live independently with support but my youngest will forever need care, either from me, his brothers or from someone I will have to pay to do it.

What you mean you don't give the random family down the street full access to your medical records and your bank accounts I thought this is what all of us on uc do

Sometimes I wonder if I should do that. At the moment I rarely tell anyone very much. So my inlaws guess, get it wrong and tell everyone they know a load of rubbish about how we are rolling in it. They also like to tell people that if we would give our autistic children a good smack, make them eat mouldy bread, force the sensory avoiders to hug people and make the one with the mind of a toddler walk 2.5 miles home from school on his own they would be cured. But according to them we don't want them cured of their disabilities because we want to keep the dla.

Oh youve got multiple children receiving DLA? Jackpot…just think of all those perks you’ve got.

I know, if only they didn't have a tiny attention span I would have been able to enjoy my free trip to the museum instead of dashing from one exhibit to the next really fast after my 11 year old until he discovered the toddler role play area, squeezed himself in and played i there for about half an hour. Oh well maybe next time I will get to go on the earthquake simulator.

I don't know. It's all a mess really. I feel for families on low incomes unable to afford attractions for their kids. I also am glad that kids on benefits get to experience stuff they wouldn't usually.
The issues are the cost of housing. Long and the short of if. If people's rent was lower they'd have more disposable income and benefits would be lower.
I couldn't ever afford to do this when my kids were young either. They are young adults now so we don't or if we do they pay for themselves. Life is bloody hard, especially when half your income goes on childcare and the other half goes on rent. I don't know what to do. The last 40 years of government have been dreadful and short termism for votes. We need cross party political collaboration for health, education and welfare and housing.
I grew up in the 70s and 80s and my mother was terminally ill. We had to go on benefits as my dad had to give up work. I still remember the lady who shouted all those on benefit dinners line up here. Honestly it was horrific. But benefits didn't pay much then but also it was cheaper to actually live.