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How Would A 12 Billion Reduction In The Social Security Budget Impact The Lives...
...of people already struggling to make ends meet?
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£3000 seems a surprisingly high figure barry- what's the source for the figure please? I know that pension credit is a gateway to extra things like council tax help and winter fuel allowance, but £3000 seems a lot. I agree that there's an issue though. At the moment there's a huge disincentive to drawing a private pension or do part time work for those near the limit.
The difference includes to the top up in weekly pension to current rate; council tax discount (free if savings less than £6k); housing benefit or mortgage help (rent paid in full if savings less than £6k); free dental treatment, glasses and hospital transport costs; help with heating costs with the Warm House Discount Scheme plus cold weather payments; free tv licence if you are over 75.
Rent and council tax can easily exceed £3k a year. I believe that some cost of living payments were only payable to those on certain benefits including pension credit.
This is one source which states "Pension credit is worth around £3,300 a year on average for claimants, but around a third of people who are eligible fail to claim it, according to the government."
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It's a real bone of contention for me. If somebody gets 50p a week below the limit they get all the bells and whistles of pension credit and are in a much better position that then chap who lives next door with the same amount of savings, or none, but get 50p a week more than his neighbour. If the government says that that extra 50p means he has sufficient to live on, top up the neighbour's pension by 50p and leave it at that.
Sorry, I misunderstood you barry- I know pension credit on its own can be close to £3000 a year. I thought you were saying the additional benefits (council tax support, fuel allowance etc) were worth another £3000pa. Having said that, council tax/housing befit can be a huge amount.
Personally I think the system has mushroomed into a mess that is a disincentive to saving/earning, but it's too late to do much about it as you can't take money away - all you can do is scale it back/simplify things for future pensioners but you'd have to give several years notice
The main problem with the benefits system as I see it is that people are penalised for taking responsibility for themselves. Those who have worked and paid their fair share into the system very often end up worse off than those who haven't. The system needs more than an overhaul - it needs a complete rethink.
Exactly so, naomi. I can understand people who refuse to work because they are better off on benefits - it's a ridiculous situation.
If I were a single parent and had the choice of working full time and paying nursery fees/child minders or being unemployed with more money in my pocket it would be hard to muster up the incentive to work.
Things were much the same in the 70s and 80s. I remember the broughah over the unemployed holidaying abroad
//The system needs more than an overhaul - it needs a complete rethink.//
Couldnt agree more but any talk of that leads to hystrionics and outrageous claims as we saw above.
In my view it MUST pay to work, benefits should be for a minimum to survive (no iPhones, fags or booze etc) thos that work must be rewarded.
But dont expect things to change, Labour now seek the benefit vote and are no longer for the working man.
“Someone pointed out that the Swiss had a mantra to reduce unemployment and giving people such menial tasks both gave them a job, thus taking away the stigma of them being unemployed and kept them occupied, thus reducing crime.”
So let’s consider this: take an example of somebody currently unemployed and who has been probably since he was old enough to work. He gets money transferred into his bank each month. He gets reductions (often to zero) on his travel, Council Tax, rent, dental treatment, opticians, prescriptions, and a whole host more. He gets up each day when he feel like it; he toddles down to the pub or the bookies during the afternoon; he goes where he likes, does what he likes when he likes.
Somebody from the DSS gets in touch and says “in order to take away the stigma of you being unemployed, we’re going to give you a job operating a stop/go board at some local roadworks. You’ll get the minimum wage, you’re to start at 7:30am and work until 5pm. Oh and by the way, it’s going to rain all day tomorrow and be 5 degrees.”
Do you think he’d be likely to turn up? Tick your best guess:
No
Definitely Not
Are you having a laugh?
*** off, I’m watching the racing on Sky Sports. I've got a Yankee all going on to a 5/1 shot in the 3:20 at Uttoxeter.
"blog' before. It was rubbish then and it's rubbish now. If there was any substance to it, it would be headline news - not a second rate blog."
if you bothered to actually read it then you would know that it links to a paper published under peer review which has all of its references and methods laid out. neither you nor newmodarmy can actually dispute its findings because you have not bothered to read it. it was reported extensively in the guardian when it came out and also i believe by the bbc. the daily mail, telegraph and express ignored it which may be why you didn't catch it.
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