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.

Since when are things in life ever completely fair? That's life for you.

Possibly not. I'm guessing that if everyone attending paid the full price, that price would go down.
Although those some of those on UC may then end up not going at all, do might not be any better off

I’d be interested to know what the statistic is if you included carers who can’t work due to caring responsibilities as well? If I was a single parent I physically couldn’t work due to caring for my disabled child. From what I’ve seen on the SEN groups I’m on, unfortunately a lot of single parents are in this exact position.

It depends on how much the partner earns. UC isn’t a hours based criteria it’s a pay based one. So if you could earn 12 hours at minimum wage in 3 hours well that’s all you need to work.

Id the partner earns 2x minimum wage then she will never have to work and can possibly be entitled to UC.

My son is also autistic. We both work and do not qualify for any benefits. We would be expected to pay full price to probably have to leave after an hour too (like we have many times). How is that fair? Like most people posting on here, I do not begrudge the discount for low income families. What I do begrudge is the inflated prices everyone else is expected to pay to subsidise them, ultimately meaning we miss out. There is no way we could afford £78 to visit, are my children not entitled to days out too?

No they are not funded by charitable grants
That is not what they are for

Chatsworth does not receive charitable grants specifically to cover their reduced Universal Credit (UC) tickets.

The estate’s UC and income support ticketing schemes are independently funded and heavily subsidised by the Chatsworth House Trust, a registered charity (no. 511149).

Key facts about how this operates:

Self-funded: The charity reinvests 100% of standard visitor admission income, memberships, and donations directly into the estate. This income makes access and outreach programs like the UC ticket scheme possible.

Accessibility funds: The Trust utilises an internal Access and Participation Fund to support community outreach and subsidise tickets for people receiving benefits.

Grants usage: When Chatsworth receives charitable grants—such as the £4.6 million from the National Lottery Heritage Fund—they are strictly used for physical preservation, heritage restoration, or specific educational programs rather than to offset ticket subsidies.

Who are the elderly that are getting £86.45 income per week?

I work with people with disabilities and think this rabble rousing about their being able to go out and afford to do something is lower than low.

These are people who often are abused, don't genuinely choose what they eat, where they live, aren't permitted to form friendships, stay out late, have sex..even open a window.. etc etc.. Yes there may have capacity but their lives are restricted like crazy and it's only getting worse.

You begrudge them a (once a year if lucky) long fought for day out at a price they can afford before they return to prison like lives.. really??

Absolutely sickening 1930s attitudes ..pathetic jealousy of people worse off than you 🤢😔

Someone on pension credit gets free tv licence, free NHS dental treatment, free eye tests, help with rent and/or council tax. That makes them better off than someone jusst on state pension doesn't it?

Do you not realise many UC claimants also work?!

I didn’t say they did. And to correct you, UC don’t ’top up’ carers allowance. It’s an overlapping benefit, so the full amount would be deducted from the claimants UC and replaced with carers element of approximately £52 per week, taking the hourly rate of care provided to £1.49. So making them even poorer.

The good thing about these threads is that there’s always someone who learns about these tickets that was unaware :)

Everyone over 60 gets free eye tests. Not all dental treatment is covered on pension credit and help with rent and council tax is dependent on personal circumstances and whether you qualify for the guarantee credit or the savings credit.

So why give anyone benefits then?

If they own property abroad then most likely they haven’t declared it to UC so benefit fraud

"Some" not "many".

Oh for goodness sake.
Read the thread. Literally nobody would have a problem with people as you describe receiving a free ticket.
There are approximatelt 8 million people in the UK on UC. Many many of these people also have jobs/work. However, as their income is being topped up with UC they are eligible for these discounts. Families who earn just above that level and can also not afford these days out don't receive the tickets.
This is NOT about bashing disabled people. The discrepancy in pricing is blatantly unfair and your hyperbole just stirs up trouble.

If your child receives pip or DLA you can usually get a carers ticket

Are the establishments themselves absorbing the costs....or those paying in full.

According to reports...pic attached..

You can have charitable status without offering lower priced tickets though. It is not a necessity

Under the Charity Commission, simply charging the public to view a property makes the activity a commercial business. To be recognised as a heritage or preservation charity, the organisation must meet strict criteria:
Advancement of Education: The primary purpose of opening the property must be to educate the public about its historical, architectural, or scientific importance.
Public Benefit Requirement: The charity must prove that the public benefits from the preservation of the building. This often involves providing educational programs, guided tours, outreach, or free public access to elements of the estate. This does not have to be a permanent feature
Exclusively Charitable Purpose: All income and assets must be legally locked into these charitable purposes, meaning every penny is reinvested into the upkeep of the building, conservation of collections, and educational programs rather than private profit.

This is how Chatsworth House operates. The physical ownership of the estate remains with the Duke of Devonshire and the Cavendish family. However, the management of the property, its collections, and the surrounding estate is leased to a registered charity.

This charitable status means that all visitor admission income, Gift Aid, and donations must legally be reinvested into the long-term preservation of the house and the delivery of community and learning programs

If people are savvy enough to save some of their UC for their jollies then so what? Maybe look at your money management and learn from them.

If they own property abroad and they are considered UK residents then UC would disregard the value of property itself. Any rental generated would be counted as income.

Google suggests that 3-4% of UC claimants qualify for the carers element.

I get the state pension plus a little extra because I did not opt out of SERPS. In total just over £14,000 a year. Because the tax allowance is £12,570 I have to pay tax on the difference and yet NO TAX is payable on universal credit no matter how much it is.

Probably because hardly anybody on MN are pensioners. And the only ones they know will be folk with a second home in Spain and go 4 cruises a year. So obviously the state pension is far too high.