Gransnet forums

News & politics

Does the Government think that punching everyone in the face means no one will complain?

(124 Posts)
PippaZ Tue 07-Sep-21 08:41:57

Listening to "Today" it sounded like we will get:

*A rise in NI.
*The inclusion of older workers in NI.
*A break in the Triple Lock.
*No change in the cost to the individual re Social Care until after the next election.

There may even be others. It really does look as if the Government thinks we will be satisfied if everyone takes a hit and no one gets anything out of it. Of course, using the NHS helped soften people for Brexit; they are using it again and saying all this will go into the NHS - it won't any more than the money on the bus did!

theworriedwell Wed 08-Sep-21 07:56:28

No, not necessarily. If you stay in a hotel or B & B, you still have to pay accommodation costs, even if you're paying rent or mortgage or own a home outright. If other relatives are living in the house can't they pay the costs or if it is empty then they could let it out or sell it and invest the money. I think it is reasonable to pay something for accommodation costs if you are in care as if you were at home you'd pay gas, electric, food etc.

growstuff Wed 08-Sep-21 07:59:39

theworriedwell

*No, not necessarily. If you stay in a hotel or B & B, you still have to pay accommodation costs, even if you're paying rent or mortgage or own a home outright.* If other relatives are living in the house can't they pay the costs or if it is empty then they could let it out or sell it and invest the money. I think it is reasonable to pay something for accommodation costs if you are in care as if you were at home you'd pay gas, electric, food etc.

From what I've heard, I think that's what people do.

Doodledog Wed 08-Sep-21 10:42:58

How many people go to live in a hotel for three years or more?

Even if the person is living in a house that's paid for there will be costs - you can't just close a house down for three years. I'm pretty sure that for the vast majority of people the only way to fund that would be to see their house - the very thing that Johnson promised that nobody would have to do.

I hope Starmer can pin Johnson down in PMQs and get him to clarify whether that promise still holds. I will be watching with interest.

Hetty58 Wed 08-Sep-21 13:03:18

theworriedwell ' I think it is reasonable to pay something for accommodation costs' - and so do I, of course.

What is totally unreasonable, though, is paying 75 grand a year to live in a (supposedly) 'nice' comfortable BUPA home - where the manager receives a bonus for cutting costs, the allowance for food is £25 per week, there is woefully inadequate care - and the (overwhelmingly young, with poor spoken English) carers are paid the minimum wage.

Accommodation costs are mostly staff costs and upkeep of the building - not just utilities and food.

Whitewavemark2 Wed 08-Sep-21 13:10:07

So the new tax is going to raise £36bn in three years.

Remind me how much Dido Harding got for a test and trace scheme that never worked?

It is bloody outrageous!

GagaJo Wed 08-Sep-21 13:33:27

EXACTLY WWM2. They spaff money up the wall and claw some back from those that can't afford it.

Where is Robin Hood when you need him? Oh yes, he was a commie, anti semite who wanted to spaff tax payers money up the wall. Hang on...

Ilovecheese Wed 08-Sep-21 14:13:11

I am sorry but I still can't quite understand.
If someone does not have £80,000 of savings, but does have a house, how will they pay the care fees without selling their house?
Is this where an insurance policy comes in?
Is this what was meant by consultation with the financial service sector?
Sorry if I am being dense.

growstuff Wed 08-Sep-21 14:29:21

You're not being dense ilovecheese. You've seen through the smokescreen.

Callistemon Wed 08-Sep-21 14:41:00

So the new tax is going to raise £36bn in three years.

It's not going to go far, is it Whitewave

I hope we'll never need it but the odds are most people may well do at some point so that could work out at about 3s 6d each.

Doodledog Wed 08-Sep-21 14:51:30

The thing is, 'the financial sector' (and if there are no links between whatever that means and high profile Tories I'll be very surprised) is not going to be interested in over-60s with existing conditions - or at least not unless they can afford enormous premiums. So anyone in that position, during an 'interim' period of 20 years or so, will have to fund themselves anyway, whilst everyone else will be slowly but surely moved onto a private system of 'you get what you pay for'.

growstuff Wed 08-Sep-21 15:23:12

Callistemon

^So the new tax is going to raise £36bn in three years.^

It's not going to go far, is it Whitewave

I hope we'll never need it but the odds are most people may well do at some point so that could work out at about 3s 6d each.

Actually, the odds are that about half of people won't need social care, especially not residential care, but it's still not going to go very far.

Ilovecheese Wed 08-Sep-21 16:14:02

Further to the point that about half of people won't need social care, won't that mean a whopping great profit for the insurance companies.

growstuff Wed 08-Sep-21 16:16:10

Ilovecheese

Further to the point that about half of people won't need social care, won't that mean a whopping great profit for the insurance companies.

I don't suppose many insurance companies see themselves as charities! wink They're in it for the profit, so you're probably right.

Deedaa Wed 08-Sep-21 16:25:42

Hands up anyone who thinks the triple lock will only be dropped for a year? Me neither!

Still not sure how Levelling Up works if you are continuing to hit the low paid and pensioners. Anyone who can afford it will have their millions safely tucked away and untouchable.

No point even asking what happened to all the millions the NHS was going to get when we left the EU, or how refurbishing a department in a hospital counts as opening a new hospital, or where the extra nurses and care workers are going to come from.

Ilovecheese Wed 08-Sep-21 19:26:57

So is it fair to say that "no one will have to sell their house to pay for care as long as they have taken out an insurance policy to cover it"

Which is not quite the same as "no one will have to sell their house to pay for care"

growstuff Wed 08-Sep-21 19:35:21

Ilovecheese

So is it fair to say that "no one will have to sell their house to pay for care as long as they have taken out an insurance policy to cover it"

Which is not quite the same as "no one will have to sell their house to pay for care"

That's what Johnson was saying during PMQs today, so yes.

MayBee70 Wed 08-Sep-21 22:15:54

Why is he going on about minestrone and croutons confused.?

JaneJudge Wed 08-Sep-21 22:51:05

minestrone is pauper soup

Whitewavemark2 Thu 09-Sep-21 06:51:19

And delicious and nutritious it is too.

DiamondLily Sat 11-Sep-21 08:42:42

Looks like all our council tax charges will be going up as well. As the care charge changes only affect the actual nursing care, people will still have to sell their homes to fund the “board and lodging” charge, unless they have a lot of savings.

Smoke and mirrors as usual with this lot.?

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9979515/Now-council-tax-rise-year-double-whammy-British-households.html

varian Fri 17-Sep-21 14:38:01

Ministers just snuck out a serious, undemocratic change to our voting system in England and Wales

www.electoral-reform.org.uk/ministers-just-snuck-out-a-serious-undemocratic-change-to-our-voting-system-in-england-and-wales/?utm_medium=email&utm_source=ers-email&utm_campaign=electoral-reform&utm_content=Supplementary+Vote+Elections+Bill

growstuff Fri 17-Sep-21 15:02:54

DiamondLily Some of us were saying this as soon as we saw the plans. Meanwhile, the Daily Mail claimed in a headline that social care had been sorted for a fiver each. It didn't take long for it to change its tune hmm.

It's not only the "board and lodging" charge, but over 50% of care home fees go on staffing, even without nursing care. The minimum recommended ratio is one to eight, plus cleaning, catering and admin staff. Even staff on minimum wage cost more as a result of NICs, pension contributions, holiday and sick pay, training etc. - possibly £16 an hour. Therefore, everybody is probably paying about £2 an hour (£48 a week/£336 a week) on staff. Most of that will not be covered.

Most people will not reach the £86,000 cap for nursing care. Only the very rich will have available cash to pay their fees without having to sell their main asset, usually their home.

PippaZ Fri 17-Sep-21 18:42:10

This might have been one of the most interesting questions in PMQs yesterday.