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

I presume they have thought of that, seeing as they are the people in charge of it all. (Well, at least I'd like to think so)

MayBee70

Well, if the money I’m not going to get as a WFP is going to allow the government to give free breakfasts to all primary school children it’s fine by me. But heaven forbid that some people on here can bring themselves to praise anything that Reeves is doing .

It shouldn't be a case of either/or

A country which cannot care for its elderly and its children is ethically bankrupt.

Well, Rachel is looking extremely pleased with herself at the Labour Party Conference.
Like the cat that got the cream.

(And before the comments - that is in the Guardian)

Yeah, she did look rather thrilled with herself.😠

Allira

MayBee70

Well, if the money I’m not going to get as a WFP is going to allow the government to give free breakfasts to all primary school children it’s fine by me. But heaven forbid that some people on here can bring themselves to praise anything that Reeves is doing .

It shouldn't be a case of either/or

A country which cannot care for its elderly and its children is ethically bankrupt.

In your opinion.

MissAdventure

Yes, I'm all for the free breakfast clubs.

That doesn't mean I feel entitled to have a go at pensioners who will find it difficult to manage; although, of course, I could, by applying the same kind of judgements as are being put onto parents, who, as yet, are paying for a service which enables them to hold down jobs.

Some judgemental comments make me cringe. It really is no wonder that some struggling young families don't have much sympathy for the elderly.

M0nica

MissAdventure

It's the timing of having to be present at work, mostly.

Jobs don't tend to hold their day up until you've given your children breakfast.

Having worked part time and full time, I just planned everything so that I was able to ensure my children had breakfast before they went to school. It isn't rocket science.

I am all for breakfast clubs. Children should not suffer because their parents are shiftless. yes, I know some children live in difficult circumstances - disabled parents or the children of addicts and similar, but they are a minority among those going to breakfast clubs.

We spend too much time making excuses for people who are shiftless, instead of ensuring they do thei parenting job properly.

So how did you cope with the hour or so from when you left for work and the start of school? My children both went to a breakfast club and I bitterly resent being labelled as shiftless.

Breakfast clubs most certainly aren't providing help for shiftless parents.

My daughter sends her 3, due to the fact she has to travel to work and the breakfast club is a godsend.

Certainly not shiftless

Me too!!!

growstuff

Allira

MayBee70

Well, if the money I’m not going to get as a WFP is going to allow the government to give free breakfasts to all primary school children it’s fine by me. But heaven forbid that some people on here can bring themselves to praise anything that Reeves is doing .

It shouldn't be a case of either/or

A country which cannot care for its elderly and its children is ethically bankrupt.

In your opinion.

So you don't think a country should care for its elderly and its young?

I am surprised.

Rekarie

Breakfast clubs most certainly aren't providing help for shiftless parents.

My daughter sends her 3, due to the fact she has to travel to work and the breakfast club is a godsend.

Certainly not shiftless

DGD went to breakfast club at primary school (she didn't like it) for that precise reason.
Leaving a child of primary school age to lock up the house after parents have left for work and get to school on their own is not really responsible.

Breakfast clubs are a godsend for working parents.

Allira

growstuff

Allira

MayBee70

Well, if the money I’m not going to get as a WFP is going to allow the government to give free breakfasts to all primary school children it’s fine by me. But heaven forbid that some people on here can bring themselves to praise anything that Reeves is doing .

It shouldn't be a case of either/or

A country which cannot care for its elderly and its children is ethically bankrupt.

In your opinion.

So you don't think a country should care for its elderly and its young?

I am surprised.

I think it should care for all its citizens.

MissAdventure

The cost of a school breakfast club in the UK can vary depending on the length of the club, the food it offers, and other factors:

Average cost: The average cost of a breakfast club session is between £8 and £15.50.

Surrey County Council: The average cost in Surrey is between £2.50 and £6.50 per session.

Bounds Green Primary School: The breakfast club costs £3.50 per day and runs from 8 AM–9 AM, with breakfast served until 8:30 AM.

Woodhall Primary School & Nursery: The breakfast club costs £3 per session and runs until 8:45 AM. Children entitled to Free School Meals do not pay for the breakfast club, but they must still book a place in advance.

Whitefriars School: The breakfast club costs £3 per session.

In which case why are breakfast clubs being provided. The children who need it most will come from families that cannot afford the cost of them.

22/25% of pensioners can easily afford to pay all their bill, there will be further percentage in residential care, and a further percentage set to still receive it.

I cannot understand where the 10m figure came from?

They were provided to help working parents, as were after school clubs.

I totally agree with universal free breakfast clubs

Oreo

Unless the threshold is lifted for PC significantly then lots of pensioners will be worried about energy bills and not wanting to have heating on for long.Why oh why have Labour dug themselves into this hole?!

Absolutely Oreo.

The whole point is that the PC threshold is too low - its application lifts just above poverty level.

So there will be many, many pensioners who will not be able to heat their homes adequately. And, as I've said earlier - it's not just about putting on another layer of clothes to keep warm - air temperature is important. Too low a temperature is not good for those with certain medical conditions (this also obviously applies to any age group).

The energy price cap is increasing next month - then again, apparently, in January next year.

If Starmer has a long-term plan - then he could have waited to plug this alleged bloody 'black-hole' rather than take a piddling amount from pensioners so early in the day - I read somewhere on here it had been suggested that to do otherwise than he did would have spooked 'the markets'... really?

Why oh why have Labour dug themselves into this hole?!

I voted for Starmer's LP, and I am deeply disappointed - not just because of the (ill-judged and too early) WFA removal either... his rhetoric about 'difficult' and 'painful' decisions are too reminiscent of the Cameron / Osborne era - and later, Jeremy Hunt.

But equally bad - in fact worse in some way, though it won't affect anyone's pocket - was his willingness to accept donor cash to buy his clothes (and his wife's) and accessories.

I mean... clothes for goodness' sake. At a moment when he's preparing the nation for hard times, you'd think he would have the integrity to refuse the offer because it just doesn't look good. It's not as if the ability to be appropriately and decently dressed is beyond his means - as it is for so many ordinary people.

A piece of artwork for his office in No.10 or a painting - just a gift, would have been acceptable. But clothes? Maybe it's just me, but it seems grabbing and tawdry - rather like I'll take whatever's on offer. It's what I would expect from a celebrity, but not a serious politician.

dalrymple23

Totally agree Lisa A. But I am guessing that the current generation of "parents" have absolutely no idea how to boil an egg!

FGS, most parents are great parents, with two working parents logistically finding it difficult to juggle full time jobs and getting kids organised (sometimes)

They might have children like me! I just couldn’t eat breakfast first thing in the morning, so having it school would have been great for me!

I have many many friends who have young grandchildren, all their parents can cook!

They'll be free, M0nica as opposed to currently costing.

Cossy

22/25% of pensioners can easily afford to pay all their bill, there will be further percentage in residential care, and a further percentage set to still receive it.

I cannot understand where the 10m figure came from?

Here’s the average pensioner income information.
ifs.org.uk/publications/how-have-pensioner-incomes-and-poverty-changed-recent-years

Dickens 👏👏👏
Agree with every word.

growstuff

MissAdventure

Yes, I'm all for the free breakfast clubs.

That doesn't mean I feel entitled to have a go at pensioners who will find it difficult to manage; although, of course, I could, by applying the same kind of judgements as are being put onto parents, who, as yet, are paying for a service which enables them to hold down jobs.

Some judgemental comments make me cringe. It really is no wonder that some struggling young families don't have much sympathy for the elderly.

I read MissA's comment as pointing out that the people who are so disparaging about parents (to the point that they negate them by using speech marks around the word) who are unable to provide for their children - the people who object to infants getting cereal and toast unless they 'need' it are often the same ones saying that all pensioners should get the WFP just for reaching pension age. By their logic (as opposed to the logic MissA would use herself) pensioners who can't provide for themselves are 'shiftless' and probably spend money on getting their nails, hair and make-up done instead of nourishing meals they can batch-cook. Irony, in other words.

MissA can, of course, correct me if I am wrong. If I'm not, I appreciate her point of view. It's depressing, and it is that sort of attitude which reduces sympathy for the elderly.

M0nica

MissAdventure

The cost of a school breakfast club in the UK can vary depending on the length of the club, the food it offers, and other factors:

Average cost: The average cost of a breakfast club session is between £8 and £15.50.

Surrey County Council: The average cost in Surrey is between £2.50 and £6.50 per session.

Bounds Green Primary School: The breakfast club costs £3.50 per day and runs from 8 AM–9 AM, with breakfast served until 8:30 AM.

Woodhall Primary School & Nursery: The breakfast club costs £3 per session and runs until 8:45 AM. Children entitled to Free School Meals do not pay for the breakfast club, but they must still book a place in advance.

Whitefriars School: The breakfast club costs £3 per session.

In which case why are breakfast clubs being provided. The children who need it most will come from families that cannot afford the cost of them.

No, they won't. Children in receipt of free school meals won't pay. That's how it was when my children went to breakfast club. They went because I had to leave home before 8 to get to work on time. They did go to a childminder for a short time, but the breakfast club was cheaper and more reliable and provided a breakfast. My children liked it because they had the opportunity to chat with their friends before the beginning of the schoolday.

(And I wasn't being shiftless!)

Lisaangel10

Parents need educating that if they are making babies then they need to provide for them. It’s not other peoples jobs to give their kids breakfasts. Some cereal and milk, a boiled egg and toast, yoghurt and fruit, porridge, these are cheap and easy.

Seriously?!?!!???

Work hours, poverty, no suitable cooking/refrigeration space -- the list is long. Children deserve to be fed and learn better when fed.

Breakfast clubs are a great, safe choice for working parents, children looked after, food and warmth before being taken safely to school. Then after school club too. My grandchildren all went, no such thing when mine were small, but then again I was lucky enough to be able to stay at home with them. I really don't understand why there is some disparaging of parents taking children to one. Peace of mind where children are concerned is surely most important for working parents.

It also removes stigma from those who would feel embarrassed if only 'the poor' were allowed to go. When I was at school there were separate queues for children who got free school meals - I think there were even different coloured tickets. My friend's mother was a widow and my friend qualified for free meals as a result, but often skipped them because she hated having to stand in the 'free dinners queue'.