What do you hope for in the budget?

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...

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

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

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!

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

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.

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?

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.

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.

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.

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.

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?

Anyway.

Training for:
More police
More medical staff
More qualified science and mathematics teachers
Reintroduce the SEN or similar so that not all nurses are required to be qualified to degree level.

A ban on MPs' freebies
Laws to tax the wealthy but not so punitive that they leave the country.
Close loopholes about tax evasion.

Investigate care home charging.

Support farmers so that they can continue to produce food in a sustainable way whilst still making a profit. Too many are in despair right now.

Expand SureStart

Reading the posts there are going to be an awful lot of disappointed voters, they just don’t have the money for give aways beyond what they are already committed, means testing will also be expanded. On the revenue side taxes will increase, property and inheritance taxes are a likely target, indirect taxes also.
Personally I would like to see a surcharge on turnover of
overseas domiciled companies.

they just don’t have the money for give aways

That is just not true and not how the economy works.

I'd like to see more help with energy costs for people with a high level of disability who aren't able to work, perhaps in the form of a discount scheme or social tariff to make their heating bills more affordable. These people often have high energy needs, often because they run specialist equipment or their lack of mobility means they can't move to keep warm.

That’s a good idea too. There could be a different (lower) tariff for those in that position. I agree with a lot of the suggestions in Allira’s post of 20.05, too.

Steelygran

I'd like to see more help with energy costs for people with a high level of disability who aren't able to work, perhaps in the form of a discount scheme or social tariff to make their heating bills more affordable. These people often have high energy needs, often because they run specialist equipment or their lack of mobility means they can't move to keep warm.

Yes, those who are housebound and, as you say, are unable to move and/or need specialist equipment do need help.

Allira

^they just don’t have the money for give aways^

That is just not true and not how the economy works.

That is just not true and not how the economy works.

Do you think there's many people who understand how a national economy works?

There is no fixed stock of money.

If only this was understood.

I forgot to add supporting apprenticeships in vocational subjects.
Very necessary for the future.

Allira

I forgot to add supporting apprenticeships in vocational subjects.
Very necessary for the future.

Hear, hear to that.

- also -

I know there will be a new law which bans exploitative zero-hours contracts - but I'd like to know how this will be enforced.

According to a BBC report, it's mostly the under 25s who take up these zero hour contracts. They don't all live at home with mum, and have rent and bills to pay.

I wonder if the new Bill will result in more contracted hours being given?

OK! Admin and staff!

I mean cut the actual admin itself in roles like teaching/police/NHS!

Cut out unnecessary paperwork, cut down on red tape.

There will still be plenty of admin jobs for those who want them

I always thought that “national” debts were notional? That govts could instruct the Bank of England to print more money?

I don’t think the country is run on a household type budget?

Many businesses run with deficit budgets now and again and don’t go into liquidation.

National debt is real and when the bank prints more money, also known as 'quantative easing' it fuels inflation.

We have all heard stories of the german inflation of the 1920s,that led to Hitler winning control of the country and all that ensued. Although the trigger causes were complex, it was when the previous German government tried to print themselves out of trouble by producing more and more bank notes, that the flak really hit the fan. In the morning a loaf of bread would cost 100 marks, by evening it was 250 marks.

There is also a lot of nonsense talked about 'household' budgets. The days of Mr Micawber and Annual income 20 pounds, annual expenditure 19 [pounds] 19 [shillings] and six [pence], result happiness. Annual income 20 pounds, annual expenditure 20 pounds ought and six, result misery.

In fact nowadays household financial management is quite complex. Housebuyers have mortgages, others will borrow to fund education - student loans and similar. At the same time we are saving for pensions. Older people take out money on Equity release, money and debt racking up until they die.

These days it is not just the government that doesn't run on aa household type budget, neither do most households!

I’d like to see action which means students do not leave Uni with debts that take years to pay off.
Admin in school would be difficult to change.
Payroll and requisition are already carried out by the Bursar and ancillary staff.
NTAs are employed to print off and laminate resources.
The SENDCo is responsible for admin relating to communication and meetings with support agencies, though teachers are involved with observations, assessment and reports on the children.
Time to meet with SENDCo and parents to discuss the needs of these children is a problem.
Additional cover teachers to allow these meetings to happen without disrupting the class?
Other admin? Not sure what could change.
Record keeping is essential for ensuring children’s progress.
Marking, sometimes part of the lesson, often teachers’ homework informs that record keeping.
Both record keeping and marking become more onerous with each new fad - different colour pens, two stars and a wish, different signs, dot, cross, wiggly line, etc.

Re the NHS
Nurses are now required to be degree level.
More and more staff are not required to do that.
I’d like to see a table of essential qualifications held by the increasing number of people we are faced with when trying to get a doctor’s appointment.
Following a recent accident I’ve been seen by an assortment of staff,
Triage nurse
Nursing assistant
Assistant nurse
Practice nurse
Health Care Assistant
Some of them could take bloods.
Some of them can give you results.
Some of them can prescribe.

None of them could actually tell me what treatment I would get, but on reading my notes, I find I’m on a waiting list -no time limit given, and I mentioned concern about SE?
What is SE?
I’m really looking forward to the appearance of all the extra doctors, though given the length of training . . .