Casdon
effalump
So if they're part of a couple, each earning around 45K, should they still get help? Is £90K p.a. not an mount that you can work around? Veggie and lentil stew costs the same whether you're a singleton or a family of 5. Same as a singleton most likely pays similar heating and lighting costs as that family. So, who is most in need of help? It's not rocket science. A family of 5's single take-out once a week would easily pay for my week's food shop, with treats. Just sayin'.
Yes they should, because the costs of administering a scheme to check total household income and differentiate between the ‘deserving’ and the ‘not deserving’ is likely to cost more than any savings, it’s much more straightforward to make one payment per household. If you have a home you get the payment - simple.
Also, two earners should have more income than a two-person house with one earner. The second earner isn't working for fun. Households with one earner (other than single person ones) are already subsidised, as there is only one taxpayer for two adults and both use the NHS, education, roads and everything else. The idea that they should be further subsidised seems wrong to me. Everyone should get the subsidy.
Single households (ie those with one income and one adult) are a different matter, but there is no easy way for them to be targeted for extra money. Maybe something could be added to the single person's Council Tax discount? There must be some sort of record of single household for that to work.