To be cheesed off with Universal Credit entry fees?

[MaturingCheeseball]

I know it’s been done before, but…

I thought I’d like to visit Chatsworth House with (teenage) dd. The cost is £33 each PLUS parking at £7.50. So £73.50.

Then I saw the universal credit/pension credit/pip etc price. THREE POUNDS. And free parking! So £6.00 for two adults (age 17+).

I do not have 12 times as much money as someone on these benefits. I doubt many people do. I’m not begrudging the disadvantaged a day out, but come on! The price differential is ludicrous.

When I saw the £73 price I just decided we couldn’t go, and so be it. But upon seeing the potential for a £6 entry, it made me feel mugged off.

Don’t forget, they should cover themselves with a blanket and sit in a corner while they wait for death - lest they offend the eyes of their ‘betters’.

Oh don't be letting the facts get in the way of a benefits bashing rant!!

christ almighty, don't apply any logic. The frothing would have to stop if people actually stood back and thought for a moment. Can't have that, can we?!

For PIP and carers I get it but UC I don’t and I work and on UC being on UC doesn’t mean totally disadvantaged it just means you need extra support in areas. I also think they shouldn’t need to charge £33 per person in any case!

They both own homes in their birth countries too (but not in the UK).

If they didn't declare their overseas properties they are claiming UC fraudulently. If they did declare them then surely they were worth more than £16K so disqualifying them from UC so it looks like your friends are crooks leaching off British taxpayers.

That likely wouldn’t help the business qualify for specific funding. Which is what most of the ones operating the scheme are targeting.

They don’t actually genuinely care if people on any of the benefits go or not.

These places do it so that they can be eligible for charitable funding, not out of the goodness of their hearts.

Lots of places have an entrance fee of ONE POUND for people on universal credit plus often no discount whatsoever for pensioners. It totally pisses me off. Just why?

No tax is paid on universal credit and yet because I get a tiny bit more on my state pension because I did not opt out of SERPS I have to pay tax.

How very condescending.

A family member took in two Ukrainian refugees a few years ago, a mum and daughter. They get UC and have used it to visit a few places like this.

The son and husband are in the army. Their town is destroyed.

I couldn't bring myself to resent them for visiting a few stately homes.

Because pensioners not on pension credit don’t help the businesses qualify for funding and/or charitable status.

I would write to Chatsworth to complain as it would be extremely interesting to see their response.

£33 seems really steep to pay to go to a Kitty Cafe.

Why?

Not all models work the same but I know of an attraction in this scheme where the reduced entrance tickets are funded by a charitable grant.

Charity says “here is grant of size X, in return you need to give access to Y entrants in the category we support” and those tickets can be off peak usually. So attraction works out that A people need to attend to justify the grant, that means selling A+B tickets to allow for no shows, then factor in that they can fill off peak slots and there is a chance of ancillary sales in the shop, tea room etc plus those attending publicise the attraction. That price needs to be low to reach the numbers required for the grant, not least because attendees still need the money for travel and few attend unless they feel able to at least spend a few quid in the shop or tea rooms (which supports the attraction). Others need to demonstrate X footfall from the relevant categories as part of their own charitable status. Its usually footfall that is judged by the charity, not ticket sales which could easily be cheated and defeats the purpose of increasing access.

At some attractions the differential will be more or less but if the tickets are not pretty low they don’t sell because the target audience generally cannot afford the day out otherwise.

For all the whining, if all these schemes were scrapped tomorrow then regular prices would not go down and there is a good chance they would go up due to the loss of business.

So you have no idea how many concession tickets are available but you are assuming that it could save you money if they were scrapped?

I think you may be barking up the wrong tree here!
I haven't assumed/mentioned anything of the sort.

Please look at poster user names carefully before lecturing!

I think there should be a pushback on entry fees more generally.

I saw a thing the other day about a Peppa Pig themed thing at the NEC aimed at pre schoolers. £26 per child, plus £26 per adult. £52 to take a toddler to a thing that last 90 minutes.

There’s a small animal park near here that charges more than all of the big zoos and wildlife parks. Their cafe is then absolutely eye watering (£12.50 for a baked potato, £14 if you want a topping) and the owner is always whinging on social media that local people don’t support them enough.

For me this is more of a cost of living issue that a benefit issue.

I only go to the UK in the summer, and it's been shocking to see the post covid rises in prices for days out.. everything that I feel should be 12-15 quid.. is now 25-30... And everything that I would have expected to pay up to 20 now seems to be 30-40...

If it was 12.50 a ticket for full price and 2-3 discounted. I don't think anyone would have any problem with the discount.

But you raise the price so much, that people start to resent those who can afford, both the rich, and in this case, the poor

Labour is the scapegoat for everything now. They have only been in power less than 2 years but somehow the state of the economy is all their fault

Check before you go @TheFairyCaravan Many of these concessions don’t apply to PIP because it’s not a means tested benefit. The majority of concessions for disability benefit claimants call for the claimant themselves to pay full price and there will be free/discounted entry for an essential carer.

That must have been for some sort of special event as London zoo’s UC/benefit discount tickets are £10 for adults and £5 for kids.

They did do them for £7 and £3 at one point, but their UC tickets have never been £1.

This concession is available to PIP recipients.

We don’t have any days out anymore due to cost.we are two adults.

are there any promotions on or local discounts?

Chatsworth have included PIP and DLA on their list for this one

These venues have to pay lots of wages and minimum wage is up significantly along with National Insurance.

National Trust and English Heritage memberships are looking good value this year, along with free national museums and galleries.

The only way the OP could do go to Chatsworth is via that scheme too. Why do you deserve days out more than she does?