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.

The proportion of claimants who aren’t working or who don’t have disability/ caring requirements meaning they have no work commitment is only around 20% Some of these it may be a short term stop gap while they get back to work after redundancy or another gap in employment.

the vast majority are working or have a recognised reason they can’t work. Many are like me and work even though they have no work commitment due to caring responsibility.

If they ended the discount and reduced the headline prices for those paying full whack then yes it would make me feel better and my life would improve.

You really think they would lower their prices. They'd be losing money if they ended the discounts, not making extra.

@nearlylovemyusername Sorry I meant most claimants who can work - as in not disabled people or carers are working. Only 19% are not working and are able to.

Any evidence to this?

Even here on MN there are regular threads when people want to stop working to move on benefits, or reduce their hours to get top ups.

There are 2.6m more disability claimants in the last six years, miraculous coincidence with time when benefit cap was introduced but disabilities were excluded from such cap. Esp given that you need to state the impact of said disability to qualify, not to bring any objective tests, e.g. MRI, CT etc, to prove.

The problem with attraction passes is the same as with taxation for benefits - these businesses expect to get certain profit, so they set up prices in such way that full ticket prices subsidise reduced ones. So you pay your tax first to pay for their living and then charged extra in terms of ticket cost to give them entertainment.

Holiday in Scotland example is great, it was funded by charity. It should be like this and people should have a choice to donate to such charities or not.

The majority of welfare payments are to pensioners, but no one wants to talk about means testing pensions or the associated benefits such as WFA. It's always about demonising working age people. Many of whom are doing their very best in their specific situations (the 16 hour rule is long outdated and related to Income Support which is defunct). The 'mugs working every day' are also claiming UC in lots of cases, and those that aren't are likely either medically unfit for work, or caring for someone. Of course, we could outsource the caring - at a much higher cost to the taxpayer. The structure of UC means that 'choosing' to stay home and not work, does not pay. Sanctions and caps mean it would never provide a liveable income.

The full paying customers aren't subsidising the discounted ones. There is no evidence of that at all. The UC tickets are usually limited

OK, so instead of a zoo ticket costing you £30, it's £29.50 and children on UC don't get to go anymore.
Why does that make you feel better?

those so against this particular line of discount do you get so irate about blue light card discounts? Student discount? Local resident discount?

reduced entry rates for concession groups? Kids go free offers?

which discounts are deemed acceptable?

I don't hate it when poor people get nice things. I hate it when people who don't work get free nice things that people who do work can't afford or have to pay for from heavily taxed wages.

The baffling thing about Jenrick spouting off about this, is that he is taking aim at a large chunk of Reform's core support.

He is not very bright.

It would be interesting to see data on who visits, percentages - access on benefits, how many pay full price and how many use other discounts - blue light card etc.

I also wonder how many children who could benefit from the discounted UC entry are plonked in front of a screen in a darkened room at home - which is a greater reason to be outraged imho.

Very grateful that I was brought up to understand that other people having things that I didn't, did not in any way diminish the stuff I was lucky enough to have.

If people want to stop working to get top ups, more fool them. They'd be worse off. UC is structured so that if you can work, you're always better doing so.

Although anyone spending a considerable amount of time of here would be forgiven for not realising that. The ignorance around UC is loud and clear on almost every thread.

More pertinent is to ask yourselves just why this thread (and the previous one) has been started now?

And who might be behind it.

Some people could do with remembering they are only one illness or accident of needing to rely on the support they are so against.

Stop working and go on UC or JSA if you don't like it. Or just don't go, undoubtedly the venue will be heartbroken at losing you high spender.

@Everanewbie are you annoyed that my nana gets a free bus pass, she never worked after her children were born.

I am more than happy to pay a little more so that children who have next to NOTHING can have a nice day out.

It all boils down to a festering state of grievance that is being inflamed and manipulated by various political and commercial interests. The strategy literally is “divide and rule”.

Any system will have inconsistencies.

Unless people learn to recognise in themselves this feeling of resentment and understand how it is being fuelled and by whom, we are in for very difficult times ahead.

I've never, ever been pissed off about a family on UC getting a £1 ticket and I find it absolutely bizarre that you do.
Honestly it's such a mean spirited attitude, it's not something I understand.
The zoo may or may not be affordable for me but someone else getting a freebie doesn't impact me.

Do you feel the same about other groups getting discounts? What about groups getting half price tickets to things?
I've been to musicals and theme parks as part of a group and paid half of what a family would.

Elections... if the turquoise crew get a foothold into Wales I will be so bloody furious with people who should know bloody better. Our whole culture is about community and caring - but it's guff like this thread that just creates divisions. But selfish people vote for selfish people I guess.

Get a lower paid job then you can get discounted tickets too?

A little, yes. Pensioner benefits annoy me too. The wealthiest demographic seems to have money thrown at them and everyone thinks that is fine and dandy. But suggest letting hard working people keep a little more earnings you'd think we'd suggested we round up everyone over the age of 70 and ship them off to dignitas.
The people that need free bus travel the most are students and people starting out in their careers.

Yes I get all the comments.
if I get a lower paid job though I will pay less tax so less money for benefits.

i think people are missing the point in not benefit bashing in general

im just saying it’s not really reasonable you can enjoy the zoo if your on benefits but not if your working but don’t qualify for benefits but can’t afford it.

also I know people work on benefits but at lot don’t work full time, a lot of people
part time etc gives them
more time to look after their kids less expenses etc.

Agree - I have to pay £1200 a year for my sixth former to get the bus to school, despite the rules saying she must remain in education. But my nanna (who has a bank account bursting at the seams), can travel for free.

I am a Chair of Governors for a Primary School in Tower Hamlets, approximately 50% of our pupils are on free school meals (FSM)... their parents are asked for voluntary contributions to school trips if they can afford it, but we NEVER leave a child out. The trips we do with children are for their cultural enrichment, be that going to the Barbican to hear an orchestra or the Science Museum to be inspired. Yes, we flag up places which are open to children whose parents are on UC, we have a weekly walking group of parents who visit places available to them for free or a low cost so that they can continue to the work of the school during the holidays.

Without the school prompts, some children would never leave their locality, let alone the borough. I came from a family where I should have received FSM but my mum was to ashamed to claim it, so we went without and my parents struggled. No one should be left behind and I am so thankful to my local library which gave me the gateway to the world.