What do you hope for in the budget?

Norah

Allira

ronib

I think 16 ? theworriedwell

It's 12 now ronib

And as I mentioned previously, NI contributions are not paid by the State.

I see nothing wrong at all with a parent staying at home to care for their own child(ren) until they are settled in school.

That does not necessarily mean five years as children do not always arrive evenly spaced on demand.

Nor do all couples have only one or two children.

😁
Some couples manage to be so efficient and organised!
How do they do it?

ronib

Wrong - I am sure that NI contributions were linked to child care benefits and that I received both until my youngest child was 18 - back in the day when mothers were encouraged to stay at home that is.

Yes, they were linked BUT that does not mean your NI contributions were paid.
What it means is that those years (after 1978) were deducted from the number of years required for a State Pension, as I explained in a post above.

They were applicable until 2010.

As soon as someone returned to work and paid a NI contribution, those credits, ie deductions from years required, ceased.

Allira

ronib

I think 16 ? theworriedwell

It's 12 now ronib

And as I mentioned previously, NI contributions are not paid by the State.

I see nothing wrong at all with a parent staying at home to care for their own child(ren) until they are settled in school.

That does not necessarily mean five years as children do not always arrive evenly spaced on demand.

Nor do all couples have only one or two children.

Maggiemaybe

^Would it be better if police officers, teachers and doctors were spending their time doing admin? There has to be admin, who sorts out payroll, who answers the phones, who orders the stationery, who negotiates the electricity/gas deal for the year? I'd much rather someone good at admin was doing it and the reality is they will be doing it cheaper than using the police officer/teacher/doctor.^

Well said, theworriedwell. The thing about admin is that if it’s done well it just rattles on in the background, and the people doing it aren’t appreciated by the public in general, sometimes not even by the people they’re supporting. The fact is that the frontline staff couldn’t do their jobs without the admin team.

Well said.

At least in most schools the administrative staff are considered to be part of The Team.
An essential part.

Just because they prefer not to teach they may well be qualified to degree level. Jobs with school hours are sought after, although admin staff do have to do some work during the school holidays too.

Would it be better if police officers, teachers and doctors were spending their time doing admin? There has to be admin, who sorts out payroll, who answers the phones, who orders the stationery, who negotiates the electricity/gas deal for the year? I'd much rather someone good at admin was doing it and the reality is they will be doing it cheaper than using the police officer/teacher/doctor.

Well said, theworriedwell. The thing about admin is that if it’s done well it just rattles on in the background, and the people doing it aren’t appreciated by the public in general, sometimes not even by the people they’re supporting. The fact is that the frontline staff couldn’t do their jobs without the admin team.

Cossy

Yes, NI paid until youngest child is 12.

I simply want to cut down on Admin and have less admin staff, not have the teachers etc doing it themselves.

I kind of get Doodlebugs point

I'm not following the logic.

If you don't want teachers dealing with all the administrative bureaucracy involved these days, surely more non-teaching staff would be needed?

ronib

I think 16 ? theworriedwell

It's 12 now ronib

And as I mentioned previously, NI contributions are not paid by the State.

I see nothing wrong at all with a parent staying at home to care for their own child(ren) until they are settled in school.

That does not necessarily mean five years as children do not always arrive evenly spaced on demand.

I think we're being primed into thinking it will be our worst nightmare and when it turns out to be slightly 'gentler' we'll accept without complaint. Hope I'm wrong but trust them not one iota.

ronib

Cossy it wasn’t meant to be insulting but I am exasperated by the fact that small children don’t miraculously morph into tax payers. Some care needs to be given by someone along the line and yet it does cost.

Well, we've got the grandchildren out working already, but Saturday jobs don't usually entail paying NI!

Cossy

ronib

Well if forcing mothers to go to work when they would rather be at home isn’t what you want, why are you suggesting it in essence? Doodledog

Doesn’t this very much depend on their partners (if there is one) income?

If the state has to fund, then mum’s should be in paid work!

What are they funding exactly?

ronib

Doodledog maybe you were unable to nurture and be a stay at home mother? Have you costed extra child care provision into your aim to stop families from organising a home life which is affordable to them?

There is plenty of nursery provision and government vouchers now whereas there was absolutely none at all when many of us on here were young mothers.
Nor was it the norm for grandparents to care for grandchildren as seems to happen now, which many of us do or did happily and willingly to allow our DC and CinL to resume their careers.

Cossy

Yes, NI paid until youngest child is 12.

I simply want to cut down on Admin and have less admin staff, not have the teachers etc doing it themselves.

I kind of get Doodlebugs point

AS DD seems to want every able bodied adult working I'm not sure that cutting down on admin is going to be a good idea. as it will reduce the number of jobs available for all these apparent freeloaders who are to be forced back into employment...

Wrong - I am sure that NI contributions were linked to child care benefits and that I received both until my youngest child was 18 - back in the day when mothers were encouraged to stay at home that is.

ronib

Visgirl1 interesting as the age limit was 18. So some savings there for any government.
Wouldn’t it be great if mothers hoping to return to work could be given guidance and free training to re-enter the workforce? Or does this happen at the moment?

The government in power at the time does not pay a NI contribution.
They just credit the years.

Thus, it's a future government paying the pension.

Yes, NI paid until youngest child is 12.

I simply want to cut down on Admin and have less admin staff, not have the teachers etc doing it themselves.

I kind of get Doodlebugs point

ronib

Doidledog The State pays NI contributions for stay at home mothers until a child is 18 years old? Or do you want to stop that?

No, they didn't.

What they did was reduce the number of years required for a State Pension eg if the number of years required to receive a full State Pension was 39 and a mother stayed at home to care for pre-school age children for eg 7 years and was in receipt of Child Benefit, then the number of years required for a State Pension would be reduced to 32.

This only applied from 1978 to 2010.
Those who had no choice but to stay at home to care for their own children before 1978 lost out on those years of pension.
Carers who looked after a sick or disabled person also were entitled to HRP.

The system changed in 2010 to Carers Credit.
The State does not pay NI contributions to parents until a child is 18 years old.
It never did.

Doodledog, NI contributions should absolutely NOT be stopped for mothers who choose to stay at home for the early years of their children! You do come across as rather harsh.

Doodledog

theworriedwell

ronib

Doidledog The State pays NI contributions for stay at home mothers until a child is 18 years old? Or do you want to stop that?

I think that changed a few years ago, it is something like 12 now I think.

Yes, I pointed that out upthread.

For the millionth time, I am not saying that anyone is not valuable. We all are. What I am saying is that at a time when working people are using foodbanks and services are being cut it makes no sense to pay people to stay at home when their children are at school. Those who can afford to do so should not be supported by those who work (and who may also volunteer in various ways).

I repeat, this is just a small part of what I would like to see in the budget. I don't think it will happen, and there are things I'd prioritise.

Locally lots of the people running the foodbanks aren't in paid employment. Volunteers are working, they just aren't paid.

ronib

I think 16 ? theworriedwell

I'm not sure but I remember it changing, if I google it it comes up as 12. Maybe it varies if a child has special needs?

Cossy

Here goes!

Deferral of WFA til next year.

Unfreezing of personal allowance and and increase.

More and still more social housing.

Less “admin” staff and less admin per say in schools/NHS/Police.

Bigger budgets for state schools.

Restrictions on benefits for those who CAN work but choose not to, and a raise in benefits for those unable to work.

Alcohol, vape and cigarette duty raised.

Fuel duty frozen.

Proper investigation/assessment of those “home schooling”

Keep 25% single person discount.

Fund more youth workers and youth services.

Ditto Probation.

Sensible living wages so those working for large companies are no longer subsidised by the govt (UC/ Working Tax Credits)

Review of SEN provision.

Social care and residential care overhaul.

Would it be better if police officers, teachers and doctors were spending their time doing admin? There has to be admin, who sorts out payroll, who answers the phones, who orders the stationery, who negotiates the electricity/gas deal for the year? I'd much rather someone good at admin was doing it and the reality is they will be doing it cheaper than using the police officer/teacher/doctor.

theworriedwell

ronib

Doidledog The State pays NI contributions for stay at home mothers until a child is 18 years old? Or do you want to stop that?

I think that changed a few years ago, it is something like 12 now I think.

Yes, I pointed that out upthread.

For the millionth time, I am not saying that anyone is not valuable. We all are. What I am saying is that at a time when working people are using foodbanks and services are being cut it makes no sense to pay people to stay at home when their children are at school. Those who can afford to do so should not be supported by those who work (and who may also volunteer in various ways).

I repeat, this is just a small part of what I would like to see in the budget. I don't think it will happen, and there are things I'd prioritise.

I think 16 ? theworriedwell

ronib

Doidledog The State pays NI contributions for stay at home mothers until a child is 18 years old? Or do you want to stop that?

I think that changed a few years ago, it is something like 12 now I think.

Doodledog

ronib

Doodledog you have a fixed idea that non working parents are funded by those who don’t work. In a partnership, the family budget is arranged to the benefit of the family unit. One partner may earn even more than Keir Starmer for example and the other partner may choose to stay at home and support the family that way, or combine with part time work. Stay at home mothers are usually supported by working husbands.

No, husbands pay tax and NI based on their own earnings, not the potential earnings of their wives (and vice versa). There is no mechanism whereby one person can pay the contributions of another. Also, working people produce goods or provide services to society which those who stay at home do not. Those who have to work are forced to pay for those who choose not to, which is something I would like to see changed, so that more people can make genuine choices as opposed to some lifestyles being prioritised over others.

But as I say, that’s a small part of what I would like to see the budget address, and I am keen to hear positive ideas from others rather than complaints about what might happen.

You can pay voluntary NI contributions, your husband would be quite at liberty to give you the money to do it.

Lots of people who aren't in paid employment do voluntary work that is of value to society. When I retired I used to go into GSs school and help the children who were struggling to learn to read. I did it for 4 years and then being a carer to disabled husband meant I didn't have the spare time.

I worked from 15 to 65 so paid lots of NI contributions but I don't dismiss couples who decide that one of them will stay at home and if the other earns enough to pay the NI contributions for the non working partner then good for them. Similarly I value the voluntary work that many do.

It wouldn’t make any difference to the gaping black hole, but I do wish road tax would be increased by quite a lot for the bloody enormous cars like tanks that have proliferated lately - there are a lot around here. And our pothole situation is dire - the extra weight of these monsters can’t help.