Do you think they will cut benefits?

[Fedupandpoor]

Now that many more people will be putting in claims and the government having to pay for private beds, ventilators, etc, do you think it's possible that UC payments could be reduced?

No

On what basis? Do you think a rise in claimants will mean a drop in the rates?

No.

@bemoreeverything yes, and just the pressure on the government's finances might make them cut the rates.

I have not seen this anywhere, I'm not scaremongering! Just wondering as I've lost my (meagre) income and now reliant totally on benefits and worried that could come to an end too.

I have not seen this anywhere, I'm not scaremongering!

Well you kind of are. Posting something suggesting the government will cut people's benefits to give it to others with absolutely no substance. In fact, this is the very definition of scaremongering.

I hope not. I can't afford to live as it is.

No they wont.

No.

No they won’t. People claiming UC need it to survive, to eat and keep warm. They are already surviving on the bare minimum. Don’t worry. I’m waiting to see what they will do for people with pre paid meters if they scrap utility bills for a couple of months.

No way

I'm on UC and it doesn't even cover my rent. If they cut it any more I wouldn't be able to eat. So I really hope they don't.

I’m waiting to see what they will do for people with pre paid meters if they scrap utility bills for a couple of months

Me too. I wonder if energy companies will help and if they will issue advice soon.

If you are in hospital, you get no benefits. Be that income support, universal credit etc.

They presume you don’t need to eat, or even run a fridge if you’re hospitalised.

@IStressheadI there is talk of rent breaks during the outbreak as well as utility bills/council tax breaks. The government won’t let people lose their homes. If they do they will have even more problems to deal with.

In the short term resources will be made available to keep the national and individual heads above water. But long term there will be consequences. Even if that is just a prolonged period of living with ours heads just out of the water. I think when CV exits the scene austerity will take its place.

@PeterPanGoesWrong yes you do.

@PeterPanGoesWrong to the best of my knowledge that is really not the case for most people, please fact check yourself before you post stuff like that. As you can imagine it's very alarming for people to hear stuff like that.

It is apparently true that payments will stop if you receive disability or PIP payments, but only after 28 days in hospital, and then they will resume again as soon as you come out. I'm sure I practice this is still difficult for people, but a lot of people do not meet these criteria

In practice*

@DitheringDoris @CloudyVanilla Dont get your hopes up. Take note of the posts ive bolded.

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/coronavirus/3849474-Issue-of-those-on-key-meters

I'm glad that they might do rent breaks. I have a little income from my maternity leave but it's not nearly enough to live on. I can just scrape by with that and UC. My biggest worry right now is being able to get food while everyone else is apparently hoarding all the pasta.

@HeIenaDove that doesn’t look promising does it. I know you can top up using an app with some suppliers but that probably wouldn’t help people who are very elderly.

No and theyve already scrapped face to face interviews for pip and some parts of UC. I should've had my appt Friday for my pip medical got a text thursday night saying not to come and gov announced this a couple days ago. 3 months minimum.

Yes and its funny how those on the over 70s thread are completely ignoring that fact while claiming to care that their motive for castigating over 70s is purely altruistic!

We are on a key meter and DH has been topping up an extra bit at a time but not all can afford to do this. We have had to budget to do it. Not all can

They cant keep coming out with soundbites like "we are all in this together" when it is obvs patantly untrue.

@ PeterPanGoesWrong that is not true ! Please don’t scare people unnecessarily.