What Would You Do about the Benefits Bill?
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If you were PM, how would you handle the £266 billion benefits bill?
Would you cut spending or invest more? Share your thoughts!
suevernon1968 No one is bashing the disabled its about controlling costs when we are a bankrupt country with huge debts. It doesn't help the disabled if the country's finances are reckless and we get to a point where there is a default on our interest payments and the economy goes into freefall and then we are forced to stop completely a whole range of benefits as we have to significantly cut spending as part of the IMF bailout. Some of the benefits to the disabled I believe are too generous or could be achieved at a much lower cost. Some benefits are setup in such a way to be more damaging to the UK economy.
BonzoBanana its exactly comments like this that i find offensive- ‘some of the benefits to the disabled are too generous’.
Being disabled can bring extra costs just to survive - special diets for one. I was not allowed a wheelchair on the NHS as I can take 5 or 6 steps as i have walls, chairs, tables etc to hold onto - therefore I was classed as mobile in my home. I ended up having to save to buy a second hand wheelchair to use around the house. But it is low so I cant reach my work surfaces properly. I dont have a downstairs toilet therefore I spend most days in my bedroom as I am very slow at doing the stairs. I cannot stand up long enough to have a shower so have a bath chair - but then I dont have the strength to stand up - so I have to have someone there to help me - which is not just humiliating- it costs me money.
I would love to swap a month with you. Not just with money - but with my disabilities too. Quite often in the winter all I will eat in one day is a bowl of soup. It really is a question of to heat or to eat that is the question. I think some people see the benefits received and presume that is all our money to play with as all our bills are paid for.
suevernon1968 You are writing about your personal circumstances which admittedly sound terrible but you shouldn't use those circumstances to assume such benefits are not generous in other situations. No one needs to have a new car every 3 years. A review of disabled benefits may find in some situations more benefits need to be paid but in others they shouldn't be paid at all. It's a very difficult and sensitive situation but because of the country's horrific financial position it should not be off the table to be looked at. We have become a much poorer indebted country so there is no point pretending we can pay out the benefits we used to unfortunately. We have to be realistic rather than idealistic about what we can afford.
BonzoBanana i actually asked why its a new car every three years and it’s cheaper for them. Rather than pay extra repair costs or call out charges for breakdown etc. during COVID I kept my car happily for 7 years as new cars just weren’t being ordered. They can also sell the cars on at a good price as motability cars tend to have lower mileage.
I despise benefit cheats - and people who have never worked to pay into the system for no real excuse. There are plenty of jobs out there for people who are able to work. I have seen many people almost crawling on crutches on their way into the hospital and when they come out and think they are out of sight will carry their crutches and almost skip to their car - that makes me incredibly angry. The benefits system needs overhauling big time. The huge bonuses given to the fat cats at the top. One size certainly does not fit all - I do think it has been streamlined too much.
suevernon1968 We are sorry about your health, and we are not bashing disabled as you said in previous comment although as you already mentioned , some faking disability which is easy like for example mental health, agoraphobia, anxiety or even a back pain.
What I and probably some others think is that the new car in many cases is unnecessary as many disabled people cannot drive a car themselves and need a named driver to chauffeur them around, plus who pays for that person's time? You also mentioned a car with low mileage as you really need it for shopping or to go to doctor or visit someone, technically only a short drive and then car is unused for 90% of the time I guess. In reality deal with a mini cabs could be made by local council and it would work out cheaper I think.
suevernon1968 ''Quite often in the winter all I will eat in one day is a bowl of soup. It really is a question of to heat or to eat that is the question."
In my opinion you would be better off using disability allowance on something other than a brand new car.
Please do not take it as a personal attack on your person I just wonder why would you make that decision.
SebK84 no - independence is about all i have left. Motability cars are restricted to 20,000 miles a year which is plenty if you dont work. Part of my disability is back pain- but the 12 inch scar down my spine shows its real. I like to be able to visit my grandkids. Get a cab to go to the local shop to get a pint of milk. Some of my hospital visits are at a hospital which is 45 minutes away - the NHS would not pay for a cab for that sort of distance so I would have to use the NHS transport which gets you to the hospital for 9 am and picks you up at 5pm as they pick up a lot of patients there and back. With the way you obviously feel about disabled people having motability cars i hope you are never in the position to need one as then it would really hit home about how much that independence means to you. I drive myself around and I use my car probably 6 days out of 7. The only time someone else will drive me is if I am having a procedure done that involves sedation.
As you have no personal experience you cannot understand what having a motability car means to someone who is truly disabled like I am. When I got my motability car I sobbed like a child - finally getting a little bit of independence back.
Until you have walked a mile in my shoes please do not pass opinion on what you believe would be better/cheaper/easier for everyone apart from the disabled person themselves.
suevernon1968 good for you, I’m pleased to hear you really benefit from the motorbility scheme. I don’t know how much you have to give to fund this vehicle from your PIP allowance although I do know only higher rate people can apply.
Pjran i have to give up the mobility part of my pip. I never own the car. But I’m living now rather than just existing. It is the only silver lining around the cloud that is my life.
suevernon1968 that’s wonderful news. Hope the remainder of your PIP is enough to live on because a friend of a friend says it’s inadequate and she might have to sell her home and downsize.
Pjran I’m looking into that now - one of those sell your house if you are over 50.
SebK84 because I can. I don’t let it get me down- quite a high percentage of people in this country are obese enough that it stops them from working. They are likely to get a car as the obesity will stop or slow down their walking ability- would you take their vehicles away too ?
suevernon1968 I've had my car from new and have done pretty much nothing to it for 11 years, it's had new wiper blades, servicing, the last MOT had an emission issue that had to be re-calibrated which was £50 and that is it. Cars that need constant repair should not be available on the motability scheme. Kia's come with a 7 year warranty and many Japanese brands are extremely reliable. The motability scheme should not be buying junk German and French cars which become uneconomic to repair after their warranty. German cars typically have the highest level of engine and transmission failures. There is absolutely no reason why a simple car made by a reliable manufacturer can't last 15 years with very low costs.
suevernon1968 I'm overweight myself and walk as much as possible sometimes for many miles. It's great exercise and is ideal for the obese to stop them getting more obese. I would of thought obesity was the one area you wouldn't give people access to the motability scheme I also find walking good for mental health too especially countryside walks. I think for many providing an ebike would be much better than providing a car.
suevernon1968 Mr. President Putin claims Russian scientists are close to developing a vaccine to cure cancer, but the West is always bashing Russia (even before the Ukraine problem) so if people want a shot at that, they'll possibly have to travel to Moscow.
BonzoBanana if you walk sometimes many miles a day it cant do you that much good can it if you are still obese ?
BonzoBanana See this is what is offensive. Saying you are not bashing disabled people but then going on by saying - but we have to control costs. Cutting costs by removing disabled benefits or reducing them will just cause injustice to disabled people who suffer enough already.
The argument there is to cut the rich persons fiddling out of paying their taxes and bringing government out of wasting funds on projects that bring no benefit to the nation. Billions of ££ wasted every year on starting a project then halting it because costs are getting out of hand. MP's and ministers fiddling expenses. The waste in funds helping illegal immigrants over to the UK and what is spent on them when they arrive here. Homes being built, hotels, Border Patrol, etc. You get the drift. There is a huge argument for injustice against vulnerable UK people. It is only getting worse under whatever government is in control and all you can think of is to cut disability benefits.
tmcelligott Everyone has different priorities and opinions on how money should be spent but the issue is we are becoming a much poorer country so there will be less and less money everywhere, not many will be excluded from cost cutting. Labour has only just got in and they have settle public sector wage claims with generous increases and then taken winter heating allowances from many elderly people just as energy costs are increasing by 10 percent. Politicians are utterly clueless nowadays how to run an economy and so it's just about managing the country as it becomes poorer.
suevernon1968 i find it hilarious that some on here think that benefit claiments are the reason the country is going bankrupt lol , it's pretty clear that the benefits systems has let you down when you need it, I'm sorry you are going through what you are going through, the benefits system is supposed to help people like you
martinlufc5637 The reasons the UK are bankrupt and at debt levels that are very hard to manage is 40 years of mismanagement, running a huge trade deficit, joining a single market we couldn't compete in, making huge financial contributions to the EU of about 7 billion net a year, having a huge level of immigration that puts resources under pressure especially dated infrastructure like our water and sewage systems etc. Yes I think benefits have been far too generous in many areas but its only one part of a huge number of reasons why the UK is in such a financial mess. In comparison the brilliant management of the UK economy after the second world war where the UK built up industry and farming brilliantly and restored the economy very well. It was absolute madness to join the EU and something that at the time many in the labour party and unions warned against and they were right to say so as their warnings came true. It is madness to spend money you haven't got on benefits when you have to borrow to do so which just means debt interest and your actual money doesn't go as far.
Not one party is being honest about the economy and focusing on returning to a trade surplus and paying off debts, Labour are as clueless as the tories really and the other parties are even worse. It seems no party is facing the reality of the situation. It just feels like we are heading towards a default on our interest payments which will force the international monetary fund to step in and set a framework for recovering the UK economy which will mean a absolutely huge reduction in the benefit bill, possibly trade tariffs to protect our economy. However if sterling devalues hugely this could have the effect of improving exports, reducing imports but also make our debt payments even more painful. Ultimately we would be much wiser to tackle such problems now with a long term economic plan rather than let the sh*t hit the fan.
BonzoBanana sorry just re-read about you suggesting an e-bike. I’m physically disabled with metal work supporting my spine. If I’m not in a wheelchair then I am on crutches. I’m actually chuckling about the mental image of me on any sort of bike !
martinlufc5637 you know that which ever power that be wants everyone on universal credit- cant remember the year. But it clearly shows that i will be much worse off. How much more diseases and illnesses must I have. You would think that having incurable cancer (one illness that doesn’t make me as ill as my other problems) that unless they have suddenly discovered a complete cure for cancer that they would leave me alone. Even just so i can choose to eat or to heat in the winter time !
suevernon1968 That wasn't aimed at you but those that struggle with obesity who have some physical strength but not much so could be assisted by an ebike to strengthen muscles and lose weight. You can get twist and go ebikes in the UK although its complicated because of very unfair and ridiculous EU legislation that restricts the use of throttles but those ebikes can be ridden like very slow mopeds with the rider only assisting the motor when they can. Most of the world uses throttles on ebikes but we are moving towards much better legislation more in line with the US and the rest of the world rather than EU which will be much better for the weak and partially disabled people.
BonzoBanana it sounds ok - on paper but it will be so open to abuse. ‘Oh mum - I’m just borrowing your bike’. I think it would also a rise in the thefts of them. Motability are really strict about useage of whatever vehicle you have too. It has to be used for the good of the disabled person. It cant be lent out cos your mates car has broken down. Or to take your mate to do her shopping etc etc.
suevernon1968 How would they ever police it to prevent you from taking your mates to the shops or even loaning it to a friend if it can be controlled like a normal car? The state has lost control in many areas, people commit a huge number of minor crimes without fear of arrest. We will be facing wave after wave of cuts to public spending in the next few years. Scotland has just announced 500m in public sector cuts and the government has an incoming emergency budget with no doubt huge cuts there. I personally think the Motability Scheme as its stands is on borrowed time it is unaffordable and deeply unfair to others in society. It is a scheme only affordable to a well off prosperous nation not a debt ridden nation where it has lost control in many areas like crime. Ebikes are only an option in certain circumstances for many disabled people a basic car loaned by the state which is manufactured in the UK and has a useful life of 15 years minimum would be my option in order to provide a mobility option to the disabled but at a fraction of the cost of the current scheme.
In the old days when we were much richer and had a decent trading surplus, huge assets and real overall wealth the state only provided these very basic single person vehicles for the disabled which I believe were loaned. They were unsafe and horrible. It's just madness how the government has wasted money in recent years. The solution is somewhere in the middle.
BonzoBanana i tend to find that a lot of abled people are so desperate for a brand new car that they get into awful debt. Like I said earlier I kept my first motability car for 7 years and would happily have kept it longer. I have had a couple of spot checks in my car - why are you sitting in your car and not in the shop etc. well cos my mate was returning the shopping scooter thing back to the store.
Same as disabled badges
suevernon1968 I realised how broken the system was when a family friend who had cancer was sent for a medical assesment and failed and basically told to go back to work
Trouble is when we have a benefits system that is abused this ultimately robs those that really need the help as there’s less money in the pot for them. (Mobility scheme has been scammed too)
I would have benefits paid direct to say utility providers and for example child benefit be paid in vouchers which are strict and can only be used for food, toiletries and clothing.
I know people disagree with this idea although if you’re receiving benefits funded by tax payers why should you have the choice to spend it on cigarettes and booze instead and until the abuse of the system is stopped there really needs to be a shake up on how benefits are received. The benefit cap on a couple household is £22K there needs to be more government control over how those monies are spent. I think once there is confidence in the system then attitudes will change and those really in need will get what they really need, once those that are taking when they shouldn’t have gone.
jam45 yes the election result is bad news, ironically labour won’t help people who work hard and want to save whatever they have left they. Apparently they want to pay child benefit for child number 4 & 5 etc. if you can’t afford to have children use contraception. I really don’t see why any self respecting person would expect taxpayers to pay for their choices. It does make me angry when there will be people caring for disabled people and disabled people themselves not getting the financial support they need when you seem to pop out children and monies handed to you (housing prioritised) I wish we had politicians that had a the guts to say it and wake up to it.
Gromit22 There is much more abuse going on elsewhere in this country.
Of course it's impossible to stop those set on coming here to defraud the system we have if nothing will be done about it by authorities. The most defraudment is by organised criminals which are non nationals. If government clamped down on that it could save a lot but individual people relying on benefits to survive are not the problem, so reducing what they receive will only hurt them. This and the previous government are happy for us plebs to be quarrelling as it takes the heat of the other bigger issues away from them.
Gromit22 I worked for over 30 years then because I got cancer you want to treat me like a child with pocket money. Thanks for the compassion!
Those that are disabled and carers need more support. Same as those working and then going to food banks. Its not OK. Thank god the tories are out . Horrendous judgmental lot who don't care about the working class/lower class but only their rich mates
Jerseydrew What about those whose mortgage rates went up by 500-1k and they will get f.a. Typical benefit claimants which only care about themselves, get some extra work and stop relying only on benefits.
Some people can work from home so why they won't do it. We all know why.
Additionally stories from food banks very often are about people in expensive cars, myths or not 
SebK84 as you obviously have a crystal ball - why do i turn up to the food bank in a relatively new Vauxhall grandland yet do no work from home
SebK84 my issue is the fact the tories are only interested in their rich mates. Not average Joe and that includes anyone accessing food banks. I've a nice car that I worked hard for. Like those you are on about I'm not minted. Like those you are on about not likely to be middle class. It's wrong that decent hard working people are accessing food banks because they can't afford to eat. What's frustrating for me is yes I've nice car but if I have a car I can't get to work easily. Because public transport where I am is so rubbish. I'd be adding 4 hours onto my day which is nothing but it's less then 5 miles from one place to another.
SebK84 agreed. When I hear about young doctors having to use food banks on £35K ish salaries I’m like are you having a laugh. When I earned £14K after tax & NI, I took home approx £800, my rent was £450, I then had to pay council tax, water etc etc. essentially it’s all about priorities. I had a freeview box, I had a pay as you go phone, I didn’t go out on nights out or buy new clothes. I cooked from scratch- I ate a lot of potatoes (you can buy a big bag more cheaply)
I shopped around a lot for food and other household items
Those needing a food bank on these types salaries need to assess their priorities and learn how to budget etc.
There’s a lot of very self-entitled individuals in our country nowadays who all need a very big wake up call
Gromit22 as far as I'm concerned these aren't the rich tory mates I'm on about these are average Joe trying to make a living
The British govt went from a government that was leaning very much to the left (and they were "Conservative" in name only) to another lefty one.
It's gonna get from bad to worse. You know, it's like asking: Do you want to get shot or stabbed? Neither are any good.
PhilipMarc Larry the cat would make a far better PM than any of the others.
PhilipMarc it has always puzzled why the left want to destroy things, you've only got to look at American with bidens open border policy, it's pretty clear how left wing labour are, especially with their 2 tier justice system
Certain fields need more help than others, I'm a live-in carer and my boss use to get benefits as soon as he reached 65 years old they have all stopped bar one he now has to pay everything himself with hes small pension, although he is bedbound, when he has an hospital appointment he can arrange for free ambulance transport as they have to take him on a stretcher as he has spinal problems.
I see a lot of top of the range cars parked in disabled spaces, especially in supermarket car parks
Unfortunately they don't have a disability badge and shouldn't be parked there 
telmel i have stickers that i put on those. You dont want to park close to me as i have to open the door completely to get out using my crutches Makes me so angry when I see that.
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