Social security spending out of control?

[Wizeman]

The UK spends about £334 billion on social security. Around £177 billion of that goes on pensions, which as a young person I’d definitely want when I’m older — especially if I’ve worked all my life and paid into the system. What I don’t understand is why some younger people are against older people getting a pension, because one day they’ll want one too.

About £145 billion goes towards working-age benefits, which is a massive amount of money. Around £76 billion of that is for disabled people, which I think is fair and necessary. But you hear so many stories about people taking advantage of the system, and a lot of those stories turn out to be true.

They say about 1 in 3 people in Britain are on some kind of benefit. I’ve personally been in hospital with serious injuries and had operations that put me out of work for months, and it never crossed my mind to claim benefits. I’ve also been out of work for about a year before while working towards getting a new job, and I just lived off my savings.

That said, I’ll be honest — I’ve always had support from my parents, like being able to stay at their house. I know not everyone has that kind of support.

But it does feel like fewer people want to work and some would rather claim benefits.
I also don’t think removing the two-child benefit cap will really solve the problem.
In Poland, for example, people get tax breaks for having kids, which encourages people to work.

Either way, £334 billion just sounds like an insane amount of money to me.

We can solve birth rate easily on our own, without importing young people.

You are going to bring back work houses too? And work until death?

@Wizeman Even if we could it’s too late now but if it’s so easy to solve why has no country managed it? Many have tried financial incentives.

How?

And don’t forget as much of the west is suffering they will all be trying to attract our skilled young people.

These people still NEED clothing, toiletries, haircuts/help with grooming, they are unable to work yet still exist as their own person and require funds/ing.

Because there leaders are stupid and incompetent or controlled. I think you could very easily ensentivise having children. Tax cuts if you have 2 kids and are married and a uk citizen. Get rid of giving child benefits. Tax cuts makes people want to work hard.

This needs changing.

The UK has been in dire financial bother since 1939.

The issue is, the UK population expects a completely unrealistic standard of services and quality of living, and no government would ever be elected if they were fundamentally honest about this, so it's been a continual cycle of kicking the can down the road, borrowing, selling off public assets and natural wealth for injections of cash, and totally misguided "austerity" which has not achieved any of the intended outcomes and has only further hampered growth. All this for the purpose of trying to maintain the standard the public expects while also limiting tax burden, and pandering to business, landlordism, inherited wealth, and so on.

It isn't about the past 20 years, it's about a steadfast refusal to acknowledge the reality that the UK is no longer the world's foremost nation, and therefore people have no right to expect the sort of prevailing conditions that were taken for granted when it was. There is a degree of long-term intransigence on the part of successive governments, but fundamentally it begins with the fact that the public expects a level of service that it is not willing to underwrite, and isn't realistic given the financial reality of the UK.

Get rid of maternity leave and pay as well?

Or will you still offer them to married British women?

You can’t have it both ways. If people are expected to work full time to pay their taxes and bills, who can take on the full time care of a severely disabled child or adult? Most families really can’t afford to do the caring or pay for carers without claiming benefits.

Personally, I want to live in a country that looks after its most vulnerable citizens. I’d hate to regularly see children, elderly or disabled people living on the streets.

Edited for typo

You think every country has stupid & incompetent leaders? And tax cuts alone would result in a baby boom?

Ok…

Benefits would be for those who have contributed. You work when young no need for workhouses. This way opting out of the workforce yet expecting payment is not a legitimate option.

The pension age should not increase.

But you said you want to ger rid of all benefits.

And what will you do with people who haven't contributed, leave them on the streets begging?

The issue is, the UK population expects a completely unrealistic standard of services and quality of living, and no government would ever be elected if they were fundamentally honest about this, so it's been a continual cycle of kicking the can down the road, borrowing, selling off public assets and natural wealth for injections of cash, and totally misguided "austerity" which has not achieved any of the intended outcomes and has only further hampered growth. All this for the purpose of trying to maintain the standard the public expects while also limiting tax burden, and pandering to business, landlordism, inherited wealth, and so on

This is true, much of the electorate don’t want the facts.

Look at how many people want to avoid all inheritance tax (the majority of which is unearned wealth due to housing) & still expect free social care because X down the road gets it free.

It would need to be a gradual change and a run down period so the population know what to expect.

Numerous changes are needed not least to end speculation. Advance notice and clear communication is needed by all governments.

Our public services are to expensive. Yes I agree. Is it unrealistic to expect a good quality of life in the uk? Yes in the current situation. Can we have a good quality of life again? Yes and this is where I disagree. Our population has exploded over the past 20+ years meaning our infrastructure has been completely over run meaning spending goes up to try and make up for it. The problem is, our spending cant keep up. Here's some examples, bigger class sizes? Because of a bigger population and less schools being built, more expensive houses? Less supply + an extra 300k people meaning more demand, no hospital beds? Hospital is full because there is an extra 20k people living here now and no other Hospital has been built yet.

Imigration must come down.

We must give people a reason to work hard because we have millions at home not working.

We must give people a reason to have kids, e.g lower tax for 2 kids.

Just some of my thoughts

Yes everyone wants great, free services but nobody wants to pay for it.
I believe there needs to be a shake up of free services. We simply cannot afford to provide all the services we do at the present tax levels.
I think the benefits people receive should be reduced. That doesn’t necessarily mean benefit payments but access to other freebies which those who work or have worked don’t get.
Those on pension credit should never be better off than those would have worked until state retirement age and paid into the system. That’s just one example.
Other examples include non working families being better off than working families.

And what does 'contribution' mean in your context?

Why do we allow companies such as Amazon to pay no tax, yet they have employees claiming UC, so we subsidize Amazon? Why do we give out benefits to those who could and don't work - I worked in employment support so know the realities of this issue, including the government ignoring it regardless of the rhetoric! Why do we have a parliament that doesn't bring in rent controls and lets developers run riot? Why is so much in housing benefit payments needed, currrently running at £22 billionish?... Why do we build on green agricultural land and then wonder why the resident population struggle to find work, when there is no local labour market, or public transport? This whole issue is like a 1000 piece jigsaw, where a myriad of factors impact the final picture and yet our government, whatever the party, seem unable to roll up their sleeves and really address what ails us, or don't want to! We should all be able to have a good life, even pushing the pension age hits opportunities, but it seems like whoever the puppetmaster is, they want us at each other's throats, rather like they profit from it perhaps!!

Universal credit paid dependent on years worked not money paid. Same for state pension (as it is). Time dependent means the low paid would still be looked after.

Immigration must come down

Immigration is favoured because of the fact they are relatively “cheaper” than natives eg we don’t have the cost of educated them and often they retire to their home country in retirement which is another saving.

@Wizeman what level should immigration be?

Here's some examples, bigger class sizes? Because of a bigger population and less schools being built,

Class sizes grew because of funding cuts not just because of bulge years.

We don’t really need more schools now as we don’t have the children to fill them

“The birth rate has been in decline since 2012 and by the end of the decade it is expected that there will be 400,000 fewer pupils in schools in England. Primary school numbers are already down by 150,000 since 2019.”

300k people meaning more demand, no hospital beds? Hospital is full because there is an extra 20k people living here now and no other Hospital has been built yet.

An ageing population which isn’t healthier puts a huge strain on hospitals & social care.

And if people are unable to work? Or do not meet your minimum years worked requirement?

Why do we allow companies such as Amazon to pay no tax, yet they have employees claiming UC, so we subsidize Amazon?

Why do people shop there, it’s cheap at the point of sale but we pay in other ways.