To wonder on the future of generous welfare in the UK

[happybug1234]

It seems increasingly obvious that many middle-income families are becoming frustrated at how squeezed they are financially, while at the same time seeing people on universal credit receive a growing range of subsidies and support — £1 attraction tickets on days out, a 6% rise in benefits this financial year, childcare costs reclaimable through Universal Credit, housing benefit, and so on. I see thread after thread on this on this site and also increasing momentum in the media on this issue (income cliff edges etc)

In my own extended family, 1 unemployed parent with the other on min wage, in social housing appear to have more holidays and more disposable income than we do, despite us both working full time with a household income of around £95k. Once childcare, mortgage, insurances, commuting and tax are taken into account, we 100% have a lower level of disposable income than they do as they do not have any of these work related costs and their rent is paid. They have recently gone on a 2 week holiday whilst the most we can ever afford is 1 week.

Quite a few teachers in my friendship circle are declining promotion opportunities or TLR because the extra pay often doesn’t feel worth the additional stress once tax, pension contributions and childcare costs are factored in. Instead, some are putting more effort into private tutoring, which is tax free cash in hand.

What is stopping the government from addressing this as people seek to be responding accordingly in their behaviour!

Outings are luxuries for most people. Not it seems for those on UC who can go in for £1.

The childcare for 2 year olds where the parents aren’t working DOESNT make sense though does it? If they’re not working they can look after their kids. Why do they need childcare?

If you want to see a huge upturn in the number of homeless people dying on the streets, that’d certainly be a good way to go about it…

The system is flaws, especially when it comes to social housing.

I am in a HA house, and my neighbour has a house back home. IMO they shouldn’t have ever been entitled to any for of social housing if they own property.

Where is back home for your neighbour? Abroad?

Obviously it makes sense.
Unless you don’t want children to be socialised and educated.
Or you don’t want the parents to actually apply for jobs, attend interviews and the like.

They can be socialized with the other kids of other SAHPs, toddler groups etc.

And I didn't think this benefit was contingent on the parent being an active jobseeker. Cos it isn't .

Another attack the poor/benefits thread again. Keep punching down everybody, how about looking up.

Just because people receive benefits doesn't mean they get to spend it, most of its for housing.

I must admit the £1 days out UC tickets is annoying considering as a household not entitled to any benefits we can never afford to go to these sort of places. It’s not that I resent everything families on UC get in principle, it’s the fact that families not on UC are all assumed to be ‘rich/broad shouldered’’ by the government when in fact we often have no more disposable income left than families on UC. Although that’s our own fault for having mortgages according to some on MN, Supposedly don’t deserve to have that and the same standard of living as a bonus for earning your living yourself. (Even though in many cases housing assets end up paying for care home fees)
I’ve always been very pro welfare state and left leaning but even I’m starting to get annoyed at the unfairness of it. The well meaning quirks in the system such as having all child maintenance disregarded literally mean you can be eligible for maximum benefits while receiving £700 a week in maintenance but parents on much lower incomes or if the parents were together they would not be eligible for anything making the resident parent much better off alone. Other quirks, for example someone with a military pension gets that 100% deducted from their entitlement, so a single mother who is a 45 year old veteran is not allowed to keep a penny of the pension she’s earned risking her life defending our country through her life, even to help support her children but if you’ve got a high earning ex you get to keep 100% of it 🤷🏻‍♀️ Labour seems genuinely oblivious to the fact that what they say about ‘needing all our money to tackle child poverty’ does not add up with the lifestyles people are seeing their neighbours and relatives living. It doesn’t help that the tax system is also riddled with other unfair quirks which Labour have done nothing to address, for example the tories were planning to make child benefit eligibility based on household income but Labour scrapped this idea. If I was on benefits (as I have been) I wouldn’t feel they were doing me any favours to be honest, due to the justified resentment

You do realise businesses do all sorts of discounts blue light card, student, pensioner, family, birthday etc. Do you realise that the majority of people on uc will not be able to access the £1 day out. Do you also realise that these £1 day out will be very specific like only available on specific dates always dates where nobody wants to go like the middle of winter.

The cheap UC tickets are for mostly educational days out. Not tacky venues like London Eye, Alton Towers etc. The Blue Peter badge does the same job, and everyone can get one with a little bit of effort. I used the Blue Peter badge loads of times but have only used my universal credit offer once.

Waits for the two parent family moaners to say they don't have time for their kids to apply for a Blue Peter badge as they're working all the time.......

Most people are on benefits for not nice reasons I think the more these children can be out the house the better. You seem to think everyone on benefits are just taking their kids to toddler groups and soft play and that these kids are having a lovely time and for some that may be the case but for a lot its not.

I do work by the way.

What a well thought out policy…have you considered a career in politics?
FFS

Clearly not true, I’ve just taken one of the places offering this at random, London zoo, if I were on benefits I could visit with my children for all of £20 during several days during the May half term, available
tickets at the moment. We don’t have the spare £76 I would need to pay to book the same tickets as a family not on benefits. Even for blue light card holders it’s still £68 and thats assuming you can apply the 10% discount to everyone in the group, which often isn’t allowed

I see thread after thread on this on this site

Well this is the second one you've started recently, isn't it? The last one was moaning at people on UC getting discounted entry to places, so you are obviously trying to generate ill feeling towards those receiving benefits.

Well if it makes you feel any better im on uc and can't afford to go to london zoo either

Earning more doesn't make you middle class. You can be MC and on benefits.

Lots of those people who earn lower wages are far more valuable to society than many higher earners, but you don't want them to live as nice a life as you.

I have actually been on benefits and £20 would had been affordable, it’s a great scheme in principle but there’s nothing for families not on benefits. Yes some not on benefits could easily afford the £76 but many can’t. It would just be nice if there was some fairness in the system so that you didn’t have to be on benefits for your children to get opportunities

But its not £20 though is it unless you live in london

So tired of the whining re tickets for theme parks and zoos. We could rarely afford to take our 3, it was a once a year treat as it should be. Life doesn’t end if you don’t go to expensive zoos( which I question the morality of) and theme parks. Doing this constantly just encourages a big sense of entitlement. There is plenty of free stuff to do.

Totally agree. There are a huge number of people who are earning too much to receive benefits but nowhere near a high amount either and it’s these people who are rightfully pissed off.

Right some of us scroungers need to go to work enjoy your day sat on mumsnet telling people they need to work more

It's only that cheap if you actually live in London. Travel costs are expensive and price a lot of people out anyway, even with cheaper UC tickets.

These cheaper UC tickets have nothing to do with the government anyway.