What Will You Do With 10 Million Frozen Pensioners, Rachel?

Freya5

I've been thinking, I wonder how many pensioners just ,only, above the threshold for Pension Credit, would 68K, for a "personal photographer" help towards their WFA, a hell of a lot. Don't forget this is tax payers money.
They have their priorities, narcissm is up and running in the Labour party.

I worked it out.

There are approximately 13 million pensioners in the UK. If they all received an equal share of £68k, it would work out to half a penny, which would be difficult because we don't have halfpenny coins any more.

Freya5

I've been thinking, I wonder how many pensioners just ,only, above the threshold for Pension Credit, would 68K, for a "personal photographer" help towards their WFA, a hell of a lot. Don't forget this is tax payers money.
They have their priorities, narcissm is up and running in the Labour party.

Thing is, Westminster is a different world to the one pensioners inhabit. So you can't really make those kinds of comparisons sociologically.

However, its not a good 'look' is it when the harbinger of hard times, difficult-decisions, and pain, - who continually reminds us of such - happily accepts freebies that will make his life more comfortable.

He's not breaking any rules, and I do understand the principle of jam tomorrow but you'd think that, after 14 odd years of austerity for so many - he'd have a little more sensitivity?

- or at least stop the doom and gloom messaging, he must know that the media will highlight it - because I think it's already having an effect on the economy.

So back to the WFA.

Please don’t be offended Dickens, as my question about the thread meandering wasn’t addressed to you in particular, but I’d looked at this thread a couple of times during the day and it was about breakfast clubs in schools if I remember correctly, and then about buses and taxis and so on, and I know threads meander just like conversations do, but we seemed to be a million miles away from the topic, which is a really important topic at the moment.
Apologies if you were offended as I didn’t mean to offend anyone.

ronib

growstuff sometimes you need to see life in the round.
Okay - so has the chancellor budgeted for the increase in payments to allow newly assessed pensioners claiming pension credit for the first time? And which black hole just deepened?

I wondered about that, too.

Presumably government departments are given a budget so PC benefit will have been factored into it in the previous accounting year? If so many pensioners, as has been suggested, don't claim their entitlement, then there will be money left in the kitty so to speak. I had the idea, from somewhere, that departments had to spend their budget before the end of the accounting period - or lose it.

Not sure if that's how it works. But if it does - that previously unclaimed pension credit funding will be around somewhere, either still within the department, or back in the Treasury, so presumably one way or another will have been accounted for?

... sometimes you need to see life in the round

It's difficult to know when one has over-stepped the 'meander-mark' as it's not an exact science, and under most topics, one thing leads to another. However, the irritation of other posters will usually put a stop on it and let you know that it's a meander-too-far! I've been suitably chastised and asked for the post to be removed as being off-topic.

I've been thinking, I wonder how many pensioners just ,only, above the threshold for Pension Credit, would 68K, for a "personal photographer" help towards their WFA, a hell of a lot. Don't forget this is tax payers money.
They have their priorities, narcissm is up and running in the Labour party.

Ps pensioners used to ride on buses to stay warm.

growstuff sometimes you need to see life in the round.
Okay - so has the chancellor budgeted for the increase in payments to allow newly assessed pensioners claiming pension credit for the first time? And which black hole just deepened?

ronib

*growstuff*. I live in a good area but with two problematic senior schools . The problem is known to the Schools as teachers have been used in the past to ensure normal boarding of buses.

If that's the worst you have to worry about in your life, you're very fortunate.

How about discussing the Winter Fuel Allowance?

My (Labour) MP is running special surgeries with benefit checks for pensioners to ensure that they get everything to which they are entitled. They started immediately after the announcement of the WFP cut. I don’t know if they are open to all, but the push is getting everyone entitled to PC to claim it.

Back to the point, here’s an initiative happening in Neath Prt Talbot council area to track down and support through the application process people who they identify as being potentially eligible for pension credit. It’s a small start, but shows that where there is a will there’s a way.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c62dj8nk5x8o

Guys - it’s not off topic to point out what is happening at a basic level in the Uk. Bus use and adequate levels of subsistence matter to some pensioners. I think it’s important to consider where some parts of the Uk are headed. It’s a pretty nasty place here sometimes. It needs calling out.

maddyfour
MissAdventure

My post meandered.

I've asked GNHQ to remove it - as 'off topic'.

In a nutshell, sod all.

What’s this got to do with pensioners, whether they’re cold or not?
I know threads meander but……..

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

What a loathsome miserable thing to do. Pick on the pensioners, because we have no power.
I’m like lots of others, I’m just over the threshold.
But as long as they still get there heating allowance for their second property, we can all rest easy.
The hypocrisy of it makes me so angry.

The school can't dictate that pupils aren't allowed phones on their way to or from school.

That's the main reason children have phones, so that the family can keep in touch at relevant times.

growstuff I have no idea how children are stopped from bringing in mobiles - I know the new head isn’t very popular.

growstuff. I live in a good area but with two problematic senior schools . The problem is known to the Schools as teachers have been used in the past to ensure normal boarding of buses.

ronib

growstuff for some reason completely unknown to anyone, teenagers are unable to get onto a bus in quite the same way as using a train. If screaming is avoided on entering the bus, extremely loud conversations or just noise are quite common on buses but not trains.
It makes me wonder why? What on earth are State schools doing to their pupils? Private schools usually run their own coaches and so members of the public are protected!
It has to be experienced in order to be understood. I think it’s very worrying to think this is in any way acceptable.

I'd like to recommend trains into Cambridge at about 8am. They are full of private school children (often with their bikes). Some of them are incredibly inconsiderate, but hardly public enemies Number 1.

ronib

Cabbie21 One of the schools in question does not allow mobile phones on the school premises. Thanks for your post.

Ho ho ho! How do you reckon they stop them, if the children have them switched off at the bottom of their bags?

ronib

I know that car seats are not on buses growstuff but buses travel more slowly than taxis and I think offer a safer form of transport for young children. Plus of course it’s supposedly more environmentally friendly… do we save the planet or not?

What on earth has this got to do with feral schoolchildren?

I must admit it doesn't sound good, so if you'd be kind enough to let us all know where you live, we can all avoid it. The schoolchildren round here are more likely to be staring at their phones too.

Cabbie21 One of the schools in question does not allow mobile phones on the school premises. Thanks for your post.

How on earth did we get here?