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.

This is so boring!

Lots of people that claim benefits vote for political parties that will increase or maintain their benefits. They are every bit as selfish as a family struggling to cope financially with all the tax rises voting for a party that won't be adding further to their financial burden. Lots of people vote according to their own self interest.

Many people on this thread that are desperately defending these huge discounts will be claiming benefits and probably taking advantage of these offers themselves. They are not being selfless. They are furious when anyone even questions what they are entitled to.

Wonder if they are jealous of children with DLA getting cheap deals? Probably!

I know the pensioner bus pass thing annoys me too. At least it’s not only for certain pensioners though.

So you don't want to go on UC and get a discount, you just want to stop other children getting a discount?

Are there any other discounts you want to get rid of or is it just for people on UC?

Pensions bill is about 50% of the total benefit bill.

Making pensions means tested will be the last nail in the coffin for work ethics - you spend you life on benefits and you get pension credits. You do right thing, work and save and there is nothing for you.

Average life expectancy in UK is 83 years, so 16 years of state pension, given 2026 rate it's 200k over lifetime. Why would any sane person apart from really wealthy would accumulate savings to forgo such a huge amount? Also don't forget 40% IHT - so you work, you save, you don't get 200k pension (and other benefits which pension credits bring) and if you want to leave something to your DC - there is a tax for it as well.

Or people with Blue Badges get free parking in some places.

A previous poster has said that full paying customers aren’t subsidising these benefits cheaper prices for UC claimants. Where is the money coming from then? It’s a bit like Labours magic money tree!

As regards the pension, most have at least paid something in during their working lives, unlike many now who will literally be funded from cradle to grave.

Good for you!

You must be in a pretty fortunate position if this wouldn't bother you. I know families that aren't claiming benefits but have no spare money to pay for days out or even holiday clubs for their kids. They work from home whilst their kids have to make their own fun at home for weeks on end. It's crap! Meanwhile the family on benefits have access to free holiday clubs and discounted attractions with a parent that doesn't have to work.

I can tell you that the parents in the first family absolutely resent their position and feel bad for their children missing out.

YABU. Attractions are choosing to offer heavily discounted entry to some lower income families who qualify for UC. I fail to see how that could possibly be a bad thing. It would be even better if it could be offered to all lower income families, but they need to have an easy and verifiable way of checking eligibility.

Why anyone would be upset by some lower income families getting a cheap day out in the school holidays is beyond me.

I don't want the state pension to be means tested. But I would like to see the end of the triple lock, end of bus passes and stricter means testing of WFA.

More than a quarter of pensioners are in millionaire households.

London zoo are able to because of funding from the national lottery heritage fund specifically for that purpose.

i am guessing other venues have similar things in place either with their own charities or others.

But you don't care about people on benefits, you care about discounted attractions, so why worry if there's less money from your tax. I also don't mean to be glib but I don't expect a slight reduction in your paid tax is going to throw the whole UK economy out of kilter.

Plenty work full time (me included). And if, like me, they work full time and need childcare...it's subsidised through UC anyway...so working p/t would probably save tax payers money in my case. But people don't really care about the details - as long as people are seen to be working 200 hours a week.

Absolutely!

Someone is covering the overheads and costs of the attraction. It isn't those paying £1 to enter. I think there is a weird logic amongst those that support this kind of thing where it has to be a victimless system. They can't comprehend that if someone is getting something for free then someone else somewhere along the line is almost always paying for it.

@Everanewbie in my area a bus pass is £760 for the year if you paid yet you are only "a little" annoyed that my nana gets one for free.

A day out to the zoo at full price is £119 for a family of four.

Why are you more annoyed at that?

We have an average household income, I am more than happy to pay more so that families who are having a harder time don't have to.

These Victorian attitudes of the "deserving" poor make me so angry. It could literally be you by the grace of God stop being so fucking miserly.

p.s just in case you are going to back pedal you are more annoyed because you said you HATED the UC discount scheme, where as my nanas bus pass is only by your words "a little annoying"

I am not pissed off about the £1 charge, I am pissed off that I have to pay 35 times that for the same thing.
I already hand over more than a third of my salary in tax and NI, partially to support an ever increasing welfare bill. To now have a two tier system on leisure luxuries based on your income is taking the piss.

I personally agree with it, but then my children have benefited.

We work, we also get £300 universal credit each month, so we got into Chester zoo for £4 last year, we can't make use of the majority of the free ones because they're miles away but the kids really enjoyed that day out we had

Days out where normal when I was a child, we went to castles, on boat trips, a caravan holiday every couple of years, and we were low income then too - council housing and child tax/working tax credits, but days out were achievable even on a low income.

That's not the case nowadays, my kids had never been on holiday until a family member let us use their holiday lodge for free last year (my eldest was 12), and days out are to parks or for a walk, IF I have any money to put in the car. The cheap entries are just leveling the playing field a bit for low income kids

Sorry that you find the future of my country boring.

I am quite torn on this issue. I think the principle that all children should be able to visit these sites is a good one.
However kids of people who work full time but are unable to access UC because they earn slightly too much are in many cases now completely locked out too - given prices are so high.

It just boils down to the fact that if you go to work every day in an unrewarding job that pays a bit too much to receive any UC and struggle to pay the mortgage on a house that will be used to pay care fees - where is the benefit for you and your children? You miss out at every turn.

I would still prefer the freedom of an income compared to benefits but I think posters are being naive if they don’t think this is an issue.
Where I am pattern seems to be 4-5 kids often spread out over 20 years to keep payments coming. One or 2 with adhd or mild asd so - not affected by benefits cap.

Child support payments from partner - also not affected.

Heavily subsidised rent on flat in expensive city.

Less than 16 hours work in untaxing job - wage not affected by cap and childcare covered.

Lots of home schooling - not sure how this impacts benefits if at all but would not be surprised if some kind of loophole. Perhaps less pressure to find job when kid hits 12 - although could be wrong.

To stress - this is absolutely not reflective of everyone who claims UC many of whom absolutely need the help. I also know many, particularly single people, receive much less and struggle greatly.

However this is definitely a pattern I have seen among parents at DC’s school. And if the alternative is to struggle working 40 hours a week in a low paid job, miss out on time with kids and loose all these entitlements than who could blame them?

But taking something from someone else does not give you more.
The working family earning too much to claim UC have a better standard of living overall than the family who get the odd freebie. That's why no one wants to go on UC just to get a discounted zoo ticket.

No, it's boring that you are trying to shame people to vote against their own family's interests when they could be struggling already. Community isn't just about giving benefit claimants more and more at the cost of everyone else.

No she's isn't. Not at all
You are wrong, these benefit people get enough already.

I retired formally last year. I’d worked for nearly 50 years, full time, no breaks and I didn’t go to university. I did not change overnight from being hard working to being wealthy and in fact I’m still waiting for the wealthy bit. If money is being thrown at me, I’ve not spotted it.

In fact, since reading MN regularly I’ve become rather embarrassed by how little I have, particularly since I ended up with a professional career.

Quit your job and get the £1 ticket then?

If the discounts stopped tomorrow that wouldn't change things for you.

That simply isn't true. A family on UC can easily have better standard of living than a family that doesn't claim. There are so many variables.

Lots of people want to be financially independent and are trying to build a better future for themselves in a long term rather than a life of dependency.