Have goverment decided yet Bout the extra 20 pounds

bevvy40

Just need an update really on what they are doing for people on uc credit.. I'm classed has vulnerable and had goverment letter advising me to stay at home, I'm also on pip, I dont have any family to rely on,  and it's been hard during this pandemic.. just bed to know what the goverment are doing, because that extra 20 a week comes in handy, especially because I'm unable to work at the moment and havent for a long time because of.my mental health

mikehughescq

Unlikely to get any decision on this until late March as that’s largely the way they’ve operated for 11 months now. 

bevvy40

Thank you, I dont even watch the news no more, because it's all doom and gloom 

MarkN88

There was a mention in a news article last week that they could announce it slightly earlier ahead of the budget if a decision was available. 

However that was a news article so might not be best to rely on that. 

MarkN88

basket123 said:

@bevvy40
When checking on new rates for new tax year, no it isnt uplifted.
But there is talk of them going either £500 or £1000 one off payment to those on UC 

I’ve heard that too. 

I think there will be uproar off everyone on legacy benefits. 

bevvy40

I think that should give ut to everyone especially ppl who are disabled 

mikehughescq

MarkN88 said:

basket123 said:

@bevvy40
When checking on new rates for new tax year, no it isnt uplifted.
But there is talk of them going either £500 or £1000 one off payment to those on UC 

I’ve heard that too. 

I think there will be uproar off everyone on legacy benefits. 

One disadvantage of not keeping up with the news. This was floated and then widely ridiculed. 

woodbine

For what it's worth the latest I have seen is that a decision will be made and announced during the budget on March 3rd, there has been some talk of a helicopter payment of either £500 or even £1000 but the DWP secetary of state seemed to dismiss the idea last week when questioned by the parliamentary committee saying she thought it would discourage people from seeking work....as if !
Personally I don't buy the idea that people on legacy benefits would be annoyed after all so far we have missed out on around £800.

MarkN88

mikehughescq said:

MarkN88 said:

basket123 said:

@bevvy40
When checking on new rates for new tax year, no it isnt uplifted.
But there is talk of them going either £500 or £1000 one off payment to those on UC 

I’ve heard that too. 

I think there will be uproar off everyone on legacy benefits. 

One disadvantage of not keeping up with the news. This was floated and then widely ridiculed. 

Who said I don't keep up with the news?

Just because I said I heard something been said and quoted online, doesn't mean I don't know what's going on. 

MarkN88

woodbine said:

For what it's worth the latest I have seen is that a decision will be made and announced during the budget on March 3rd, there has been some talk of a helicopter payment of either £500 or even £1000 but the DWP secetary of state seemed to dismiss the idea last week when questioned by the parliamentary committee saying she thought it would discourage people from seeking work....as if !
Personally I don't buy the idea that people on legacy benefits would be annoyed after all so far we have missed out on around £800.

Quite a few people kicked up a stink when it was first announced, various people online, on forums, through the news, charities, MPs and more. Nothing they can actually do though unless they want to move across the UC. 

woodbine

@MarkN88 most disabled people fully accepted that they already get financial help, the £20 uplift in UC  was to help people who were badly affected by the pandemic, I for one don't feel discriminated against for my money they could double the £20 and leave me out.

MarkN88

woodbine said:

@MarkN88 most disabled people fully accepted that they already get financial help, the £20 uplift in UC  was to help people who were badly affected by the pandemic, I for one don't feel discriminated against for my money they could double the £20 and leave me out.

Who mentioned disabled people? Who mentioned discrimination? You don't have to be disabled to be claiming legacy benefits.  All I said was, in my experience, at the time when it was announced, there was a lot of people that had plenty to say regarding what they had done in terms of the uplift, including many people that expressed their frustration online, via forums, via charities, via newspapers and through their MPs who tried to get involved. End of. Therefore, in my opinion there will again be people that are annoyed if an extension is announced. 

cupcake88

Would this be for pip as well or just uc

MarkN88

cupcake88 said:

Would this be for pip as well or just uc

Universal credit. 

mikehughescq

@MarkN88 you seem to think we’re having a go at you. My point was a general one that the idea of a lump sum was one touted by Tory MPs who abhor the idea of extending the £20 to any extent. The response to that has been to counter it with the suggestion that a lump sum would disincentivize work search for the period after it was paid. Essentially, as ever, they’re at war with themselves and have decided to play it out in public.

The consequence is that people read these stories and believe something is about to happen when literally nothing will. I would be genuinely amazed if there was any decision on this until after mid March.

chiarieds

Perhaps as Scope is an online community for disabled people (or those who have a disabled relative), it should also be safe to say that 'disabled people' might be mentioned.

MarkN88

mikehughescq said:

@MarkN88 you seem to think we’re having a go at you. My point was a general one that the idea of a lump sum was one touted by Tory MPs who abhor the idea of extending the £20 to any extent. The response to that has been to counter it with the suggestion that a lump sum would disincentivize work search for the period after it was paid. Essentially, as ever, they’re at war with themselves and have decided to play it out in public.

The consequence is that people read these stories and believe something is about to happen when literally nothing will. I would be genuinely amazed if there was any decision on this until after mid March.

I didn't think you were having ago, it just came across that you were saying I don't keep up with developments or with the news, when I do, so was just pointing this out. 

chiarieds said:

Perhaps as Scope is an online community for disabled people (or those who have a disabled relative), it should also be safe to say that 'disabled people' might be mentioned.

Agreed, however the points WE ALL were making, was generally, no specifics to disabled individuals. 

woodbine

MarkN88 said:

woodbine said:

@MarkN88 most disabled people fully accepted that they already get financial help, the £20 uplift in UC  was to help people who were badly affected by the pandemic, I for one don't feel discriminated against for my money they could double the £20 and leave me out.

Who mentioned disabled people? Who mentioned discrimination? You don't have to be disabled to be claiming legacy benefits.  All I said was, in my experience, at the time when it was announced, there was a lot of people that had plenty to say regarding what they had done in terms of the uplift, including many people that expressed their frustration online, via forums, via charities, via newspapers and through their MPs who tried to get involved. End of. Therefore, in my opinion there will again be people that are annoyed if an extension is announced. 

Excuse me Mark but keep your shirt on, it was widely debated here and in other places usually thats USUALLY  but not exclusively in regard to benefits for the disabled who were the biggest losers, most benefits are now cont.based and yes some are still on legacy benefits but thats a number that has been reducing in recent years. I won't benefit if the uplift remains as I have lost most of my legacy benefits this year, but thats just how it is and PERSONALLY i hope the extra £20 a week is kept in place because for MANY of those who have received it, it has been a godsend during the pandemic. I hope that's a little easier to understand for you?

thatsmyname

bevvy40 i saw a news report yesterday saying they have dropped the idea of giving a lump sum to claimants...but as already stated by another member news stories are not reliable at all....
So i agree that we wont know until we know! This is frustrating because if they take the £20 away i will struggle even more as most will.

They really should not float ideas around that would get peoples hopes up unless they are going honour those ideas! I knew they would muck around with it then crush peoples hopes.we shall see i guess

MarkN88

woodbine said:

MarkN88 said:

woodbine said:

@MarkN88 most disabled people fully accepted that they already get financial help, the £20 uplift in UC  was to help people who were badly affected by the pandemic, I for one don't feel discriminated against for my money they could double the £20 and leave me out.

Who mentioned disabled people? Who mentioned discrimination? You don't have to be disabled to be claiming legacy benefits.  All I said was, in my experience, at the time when it was announced, there was a lot of people that had plenty to say regarding what they had done in terms of the uplift, including many people that expressed their frustration online, via forums, via charities, via newspapers and through their MPs who tried to get involved. End of. Therefore, in my opinion there will again be people that are annoyed if an extension is announced. 

Excuse me Mark but keep your shirt on, it was widely debated here and in other places usually thats USUALLY  but not exclusively in regard to benefits for the disabled who were the biggest losers, most benefits are now cont.based and yes some are still on legacy benefits but thats a number that has been reducing in recent years. I won't benefit if the uplift remains as I have lost most of my legacy benefits this year, but thats just how it is and PERSONALLY i hope the extra £20 a week is kept in place because for MANY of those who have received it, it has been a godsend during the pandemic. I hope that's a little easier to understand for you?

Don’t talk to me like that! I was sharing my experience, and what I had come across. It was a general opinion across the country that was shared across many platforms, not just between disabled people like your trying to insist. 

Adrian_Scope

Hello all,
I'm not going to comment on the subject matter as it seems like it's already been covered. However I will touch on the tone of some of the posts in this discussion. As ever, when reading and writing posts please remember that tone on a forum is very subjective and it is easy to misinterpret or misconvey meaning.

It's rare that someone is meaning to cause offence and I think it's wise for us all to take a step back from time to time and let cooler heads prevail.

mikehughescq

Conformation that one off payments are not the DWPs preferred approach (although they are for several MPs who literally cannot stand the idea of this payment being extended). Needs to be read in the context that the Work and Pensions Committee ought to be one of the loudest most respected voices in this discussion but the opposite is largely the case. So, I don't think it can be assumed that because they've added their voice to this discussion it will necessarily be a tipping point.

https://www.rightsnet.org.uk/welfare-rights/news/item/20-benefit-uplift-must-be-maintained-for-another-year-at-the-very-least-say-mps

I also think it's worth adding that sometimes people get bogged down in these discussions to the extent that we focus on essentially completely the wrong thing. Keeping the £20 UC increase is obviously important but the wider issue is that so many people struggled for years without it until last year anyway i.e. the basic amounts of UC are not sufficient anyway and yet the campaigning on that more fundamental issue is near silent. There are literally people who will see it as a huge triumph if the £20 is retained for a further 12 months. In the wider context it's hard to see it as anything but a failure of ambition. 

UC does not provide enough to meet basic needs with or without the £20. The poverty line has long since been abolished in the UK and the advent of benefit freezes; the benefit cap and sanctions have only made the overall position worse than any £20 rise can possibly fix. 

lisathomas50

The total payment with both my pip and uc a month is 1200.00  how  is this poverty  line  I live on my own  thats what goes in my bank  once a month  my job I was doing to get thst much money in my bank a month  I was wotking 12 hrs a day 5 days a week 

Yet I am still happy to find another job and work because I like working   but I don't feel like I am on the poverty line  not as a person with dissbility I feel very lucky I am aware that people eithout disability do get less money 

But at least we are better off than  some countries who don't get benefits  or help with housing  and have to pay medical bills 

In my own opinion I think the UK do pretty well ☺

calcotti

lisathomas50 said:

The total payment with both my pip and uc a month is 1200.00 

Equivalent to a regular salary of about £15,800 per year after tax and NI is taken into account. Additionally you presumably get some or all of your Council tax paid for you. As you say that isn't bad and it's good that the support is there for you. Of course your income is boosted significantly by the level of PIP you receive and most benefit claimants will not be getting that.

However the impact of benefits on different people varies so you can't draw a general conclusion from one case. I am more inclined to Mike's view. Third party studies generally highlight how difficult it is to live on benefits and how much stress is caused struggling to balance needs and finances.

woodbine

The bottom line is that £20 extra or not, that too many people in the UK live in realtive poverty, whish is around 2/3rds of the average pay which is around £25,000 and more to the point around 4 million children live in families where their income levels fall into the catagory of relative poverty.
Put even more simply it really isn't good enough that this is happening in the worlds 5th richest nation.
This isn't something new its been going on for decades now.

lisathomas50

@calcotti yes I I agree I do get all my council tax paid and I only pay a very small amount towards my  rent as I am a private tenant  I consider myself very lucky 

If I was earning  I would have to pay council tax and most of my rent  I belive that has been said that alot of people in benefits do struggle  after my bills have gone out what they call disposable income  I have 300.00 when I worked and paid rent and council tax  and my bills my disposable income was 50.00  both figures monthly 

In my case  even though I do want to work and I am on scope job support I am better off than my last paid job

I just wanted to put another view on the situation 

But over all if you are on just a normal single person benefit I think those are the ones that suffer the post 

lisathomas50

Most 

Adrian_Scope

lisathomas50 said:

The total payment with both my pip and uc a month is 1200.00  how  is this poverty  line  I live on my own  thats what goes in my bank  once a month  my job I was doing to get thst much money in my bank a month  I was wotking 12 hrs a day 5 days a week 

Yet I am still happy to find another job and work because I like working   but I don't feel like I am on the poverty line  not as a person with dissbility I feel very lucky I am aware that people eithout disability do get less money 

But at least we are better off than  some countries who don't get benefits  or help with housing  and have to pay medical bills 

In my own opinion I think the UK do pretty well ☺

I think that's @Mikehughescq point - not everyone on UC is receiving PIP and LCWRA. The standard allowance is difficult for many people to live off.
For example, someone under 25 on UC waiting for their assessment will be living off just £256.05 a month and likely won't be getting full rent paid. Add a 1-year-old to their household and their income is just £491.88 a month for them both to live off, while often having to top up rent, etc.

£256 for all bills, food, clothes and potentially a rent top-up is pretty low - and lots of disabled people find they are awarded LCW (so no extra money), so that is the reality for many of them too.

lisathomas50

@Adrian_Scope yes as I put in my last comment  I do agree I was just putting a different view  that not every  person  is on the poverty line due to being on benefits 

There was a good programme on called living on benefits  about two years ago  there were a family of 8 livring on benefits  and with all their benefits and their rent being paid and monthly money they were getting was nearly  three thousand a month 

They were going on holiday  had the best of everything  

Poverty  shouldn't be happening in this day age  but people value you money in different ways and have different ideas about what is essential 

When I was younger I lived on the streets  for two years  people say sorry it hapend to me but I am not sorry  I learnt alot  I still had food  sometimes  had good shelter sometimes bad but there were akways people to talk to people to help  still had the bit of money back then you would queue  for your daily giro  outside the job center  so you could go abd fet your bit of food 

They were actually probably what I would call the better days if my life  where I learnt to value life 

mikehughescq

The evidence continues to show that most people on disability benefits don’t use it for the so-called “extra costs of disability” but instead are using it to pay their everyday bills. 

thatsmyname

Even people in full time work sometimes struggle to make ends meet..so benefit payouts matching a working wage still doesnt make many  people better off.what i mean is basically standard rates of wage nowadays are not as good as what they should be! And people on benefits mostly dont get that amount straight away either, so by the time you have been assessed and awarded and backdated most have got into debt struggling and borrowing until awards are put in place.the stress involved in doing all this is almost as brain draining as actually working full time! You mostly have to chase things up and argue and appeal etc...then the fact that you are instantly forced into debt when first claiming universal credit with the advance payment you generally need to apply for whilst first payment arrives! All that on top of trying to deal with health issues is really tiring on the mind body and soul.

Adrian_Scope

Really disappointed to see how far off-topic this thread has gone.

I've edited out some personal information shared on screenshots and the thread will remain closed pending review.

- Adrian

Ross_Scope

This discussion is now back open.

Please be mindful to stay on topic, and remain respectful of others. Remember that your written words online may not come across as intended, so it is vital to be considerate about what you write. 

As a reminder, here is the opening post of the discussion, by @bevvy40

"Just need an update really on what they are doing for people on uc credit.. I'm classed has vulnerable and had goverment letter advising me to stay at home, I'm also on pip, I dont have any family to rely on,  and it's been hard during this pandemic.. just bed to know what the goverment are doing, because that extra 20 a week comes in handy, especially because I'm unable to work at the moment and havent for a long time because of.my mental health

Have goverment decided yet Bout the extra 20 pound"

All the best

calcotti

Debated yesterday
https://hansard.parliament.uk/commons/2021-02-09/debates/50814D06-6F47-44D9-954B-EA5D4171C2B1/SocialSecurity
“discussions remain ongoing with Her Majesty’s Treasury and a decision on the future of the £20 universal credit uplift will be taken by the Chancellor of the Exchequer in due course.”

mikehughescq

mikehughescq said:

I would be genuinely amazed if there was any decision on this until after mid March.

I stand by my original statement. 

Was it “debated” or postured about? Love the assertion that Labour are being emotive by calling it a cut and this will upset claimant behaviour. Say what. 

Anyways, come back in min-March at the earliest is still my guess. Other things on their mind until then.

calcotti

mikehughescq said: Was it “debated” or postured about? 

Definitely the latter. 

woodbine

There is a photo doing the social media rounds of 220 people queuing in the snow on Monday in Glasgow outside a soup kitchen !
And people say there is no poverty in the UK ?

I'm going to e mail my tory MP and demand he votes for retaining the £20, his name is Richard Head !

link to story:
https://www.glasgowlive.co.uk/news/glasgow-news/homeless-teams-photo-huge-soup-19811740

lisathomas50

@woodbine homeless people are another thing altogether  they get benefits and they get help but as you said in a previous post will 20.00 be enough to help someone who is homeless 

The government need to put more money into the homeless campaign  when corona virus first started the  government got them off the streets so corona virus didn't spread  

Why can't they do it now ??

bevvy40

It's terrible I've just seen in the papers, that a 21 year homeless lad was found dead on our streets in manchester, 

woodbine

Before the pandemic we often travelled through Manchester when going to see our daughter and grandson the number of homeless people walking down from Piccadilly station to Piccadilly gardens was truly heart breaking, even more so that many of them were young women, we always took a pocket full of £ coins but we would make sure we would also spent a minute asking them how they were, I'm not ashamed to say that often I had tears running down my cheeks. It annoys me beyond belief that there are so many rough sleepers in the 2020's.

lisathomas50

@bevvy40 there is a homeless death memorial page on Facebook I am a member of you can also donate to the rough sleepers charity and also join the campaign to get more homes and support for rough sleepers if they can do it in a pandemic they can do it after as well 

People can also volunteer in homeless  shelters and going out on the streets to make sure rough sleepers are ok the government  need to do more 

Cher_Scope

@woodbine I saw that photo too.  It's heart-breaking to think this is modern day Britain.  So many are going through so much.  

@lisathomas50 They are some good ideas for how to help but I'm inclined to agree, the government have a responsibility to do more.

lisathomas50

@Cher_Scope the government have a responsibility to do alot of things but they don't  its mostly thorough campaigning and volunteering  and the public that bring the awareness to the government before they even think of doing anything 

mikehughescq

woodbine said:

Before the pandemic we often travelled through Manchester when going to see our daughter and grandson the number of homeless people walking down from Piccadilly station to Piccadilly gardens was truly heart breaking, even more so that many of them were young women, we always took a pocket full of £ coins but we would make sure we would also spent a minute asking them how they were, I'm not ashamed to say that often I had tears running down my cheeks. It annoys me beyond belief that there are so many rough sleepers in the 2020's.

That’s interesting but not quite the full picture. There are a few street homeless people in that area but many of the people you’re seeing are known scamsters shipped in by gangs. 

woodbine

Thats very difficult to prove either way Mike, but I would rather take my chances on a £1 going to a "scammer" then not give and risk not trying to help. A friend of mine has the attitude that if you give them money they will only spend it on drink or drugs, well tbh I would be walking round off my head on drink and drugs if I was homeless in all weathers.

lisathomas50

There are thousands of homeless people in wales there are so many some are women with children that hide deep to stop social services tskeing their child when found they are the first to be rehoused 

Its not always a choice to live on the streets its situations  safer on the street  than at home  mental health there are many reasons  as @woodbine said its better to give a pound than miss someone who is realy in need 

mikehughescq

woodbine said:

Thats very difficult to prove either way Mike, but I would rather take my chances on a £1 going to a "scammer" then not give and risk not trying to help. A friend of mine has the attitude that if you give them money they will only spend it on drink or drugs, well tbh I would be walking round off my head on drink and drugs if I was homeless in all weathers.

Actually it’s not. So, instead of talking about it in the abstract they’ve got out there and collected data. Who is on the street? What are they doing? Where do they come from each day and where do they go? It’s impressive, detailed stuff and so I think it can be said with absolute confidence that the area to which you refer has a criminal gang issue rather than a street homelessness issue. There are really bad pockets in the surrounding areas but not in the area to which you refer. 

I’ve passed through it weekly for the best part of 30 years and have also seen how it has changed over time.