PIP Spending.

TerryG

What do we make of Labour potentially asking PIP recipients what they actually spend there money on.For years it says you can spend it on what you like,now a large amount goes on daily living expenses,food,gas,electricity,water,phone, Internet,tv pacage,most people with disabilities more so muskeloskeletal issues dont venture out as much so are bills are likely to be alot higher.

Again to me it shows Labours total ignorance to people with disabilities or pensioners.They need to educate themselves on the varied way each individual is affected by there certain medical issues.They also need to understand that everyone deserves a little bit of comfort,relaxation,wether that be a holiday,a weekend break,new decor,new carpet,anything that will make day to day living that little bit better.

We all need to unite,everyone needs to be singing from the same hymn sheet and sign any petition you're asked to.

Santosha12

I agree @TerryG I didn't have my heating on at all before Christmas even when it snowed. I don't know for sure if that's why I got pnuemonia admitted to hospital Boxing Day early hours. Took 7 weeks to recover as it ended up becoming double pnuemonia, I've had two lots of antibiotics since and c 7 GP appointments (some on phone), 3 Nurse Practioner appointments and c 5 blood tests and lost 30% of kidney function.

So now my heating on. Goodness only knows how I'll pay it when my bill comes.

The cost of all the above shows to me just how very, very short-sighted they are. And as I've got long covid and 26 additional diagnoses subsequently, my mind just boggles at it all. My sister a couple of years ago said to me 'they probably just want you to die' .... (couldn't get the referrals I needed for two years). I obviously dont know if that's true but it is not a nice thought at all.

SM9346

Is that from Birmingham Live information.

Santosha12

It's popped up on my news feed from various news outlets (Liverpool Echo/Cambridge News etc) but each cite Birmingham Live.

Not sure why the DWP would look when the London School of Economics researched this ? a couple of years ago. Their results showed claimants were not feckless or spendthrift. Maybe the DWP just didn't like the answer.

Oh, to be feckless for a day 😅

JONFISHER

I know it's not a nice thought & your sister didn't mean it like that. But "BACK IN THE DAYS" when the young I don't thinkuns wanted a council house the "JOKE" was, "you'll have to wait until someone dies" & it's a phrase I heard often. Before COVID it was reported that PEOPLE WERE living LONGER, now I don't know if it's right BUT,to me COVID WAS CONVENIENT FOR THE GOVERNMENT. PEOPLE were living longer, so more pension payments to be made etc, the LOCKDOWN ( IF THAT'S WHAT YOU CALL IT) WAS A CONVENIENT CULL of PENSIONERS, SICK / I'LL PEOPLE. THAT WAS A POOR EXCUSE OF A LOCKDOWN! IF SOMEONE TOLD ME IT WAS A DUMMY RUN I WOULD HAVE BELEIVED IT! BUT even through that, the GOVERNMENT & THEIR DESCIPLES were still able to line their own pockets through other people's MISERY.i don't think this GOVERNMENT could be bothered if people took their own lives because of the PIP/BENEFIT CUTS!

JONFISHER

About, what do people on PIP SPEND THEIR MONEY ON? BACK IN THE DAYS my father was an ALCOHOLIC & couldn't work due to the fact that he usually had a plaster cast on one or more parts of his body. One day he had to go to our local benefits office for an Emergency payment which was paid in cash through a little window, as soon as he got his money & left, he went & spent the whole lot, every penny in the nearest PUBLIC HOUSE, so my Mother phoned the SOCIAL SECURITY ( AS IT WAS CALLED BACK THEN) & TOLD THEM he hasn't brought the money home but spent it all on beer in the nearest PUBLIC HOUSE, their reply was " ONCE THEY'VE GOT THEIR MONEY IT'S NOTHING TO DO WITH US WHAT THEY SPEND IT ON!! I never thought I'd HAVE to explain what I SPENT MY MONEY ON, after all once we've got our money it has nothing to do with them!! You couldn't make it up!

Amaya_Ringo

Personally I think it's natural to be wary of any agency asking questions about something they're wielding a giant axe over in another policy/consultation.

They can't possibly expect us to trust their intentions given what's happened so far :/

Yadnad

This subject interests me quite a lot.

For a start I have always believed that various benefit monies should be spent on the necessities of life - food, heat & light, clothing etc. If you are disabled DLA/PIP is said to be paid for the extra costs arising due to the disabilities. It certainly should not and never has been a 'top up' towards general income due to the cost of living in general.

If the DWP were to ever ask me what I used my PIP for I would have no issue telling them that the mobility element all goes on the lease of the Motability car.

But when it comes to the care element the only extra cost I can think of would be petrol - 2 gallons a week, for the car which is not a lot anyway as the car does on average 86 miles a week mainly for two shopping trips and a couple of journeys to get some more cigarettes and a daily newspaper.

The car has travelled just under 9000 in two years!

So apart from that I honestly cannot think of anything else (extra costs arising due to a disability). In fact we 'waste' money on buying more expensive food etc when trying to spend what we get every 4 weeks.

Obviously not all disabled people have no extra costs - some I would imagine have considerable extra costs due entirely to their disability that their benefit monies does not fully cover.

So I do think that the details of these 'extra costs' should be regularly reviewed by the DWP with some claimants getting more to cover the shortfall and those like myself should be getting less as we have very limited extra costs.

What really annoys me is that I read and hear that some claimants just lump all of their monies together as one pot so that they can have a better standard of living, go on expensive continental holidays etc.