Budget 2015

[essexmat]

Good morning all. I have not been on here for ages, mainly because of a lot of personal stuff going on with family and also problems with INGEUS and the DWP which I won't go in to but needless to say I am winning (along withmy MP) and hope to have apositive outcome shortly.

 

So, the budget, I really am NOT looking forward to this - for me this budget will define the future direction of this country for decades. What do we all think will be in it? Not interested in things like booze and fags and petrol - I am interested in REAL things that could tip people over the edge or force them in to poverty/rent arrears.

 

Both I and my parents (me - ESA Assessment phase and HB) (parents - HB, DLA, Mobility, Carers, Pension Credit) are worried sick.

 

My guesses are:

 

• Child benefit frozen or reduced based on number of children
  
• Restructure of the tax credits system
  
• JSA/ESA frozen for 5 years
  
• ESA WRAG and SG payments reduced or scrapped entirely
  
• HB frozen and not available for under 25's unless there is a real need i.e. domestic problems at home etc
  
• DLA/PIP frozen for 5 years (care element)
  
• DLA mobility payments reduced
  
• Carers allowance scrapped or significantly reduced
  

Who knows - it will be pretty dire watching it though!

Still - we will find the money for more campaigns in Syria though!

[sadone]

Well see the thread I posted up this morning to get some sort of picture of what they intend to do.

[Lapsed Workaholic]

Good morning essexmat. Relief to learn that your absence was not due to your situation getting worse and of the good news that you are winning and that your positive attitude sustains you.

I share your dire predictions of the consequences for all but the affluent of next weeks' budget, especially if the rumours and the hints being dropped are to be believed. I remain optimistic that the rumoured changes will not be as bad as they are being advertised but I must admit hat my optimism is waning by the day.

It doesn't bear thinking about that in the near future we may be looking back on the past couple of years as 'the good times'.

I agree with Sadone's observation about the general apathy. I believe that more and more of our fellow citizens will be affected by the changes predicted but it may have the unintended consequence of adding weight and force to our own efforts hitherto to raise awareness and stem the tide of austerity, poverty, desolation and, dare I say, state sanctioned extirpation.

[estellyn]

You forgot time limiting of support group contribution based esa. They also need to be careful with disability benefits - pip/dla, but esa is considered fair came.

[sadone]

Housing benefit 'savings considered by ministers

 

Ministers are considering forcing all housing benefit recipients to contribute towards their rent as part of efforts to save £12bn from the welfare bill, government sources say.

Housing benefit currently can cover the full cost of rent.

 

The chancellor is also understood to be pushing for the cap on all benefits to be lowered from £26,000 to £20,000 outside London and south-east England.

 

It was previously announced the cap would be cut to £23,000 across the UK.

 

It is understood that other proposals to abolish or severely restrict the carer's allowance have been dropped after opposition from the prime minister.

 

A government spokesman said it would not comment on speculation about next Wednesday's Budget.

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-33353318

[Nystagmite]

Le sigh. So, if we contribute to our rent, (many already do) and council tax, what exactly do we live on? Thin air?

[sadone]

No you get evicted and go die in the gutter. Thats the Tory way sadly.

[MaxxPower]

Its already been confirmed that any plan on abolishing/severely restricting the carers allowance has been dropped after Cameron opposed doing so.

[sadone]

Lowering the benefit cap - Citizens Impact Assessment

 

The CAB take on the changes. I notice in their list they've ignored the changes to ESA though, which annoys me.

 

https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/about-us/policy/policy-research-topics/welfare-policy-research/welfare-reform-impact-assessments/lowering-the-benefit-cap/

[marcus6]

Good morning all. I have not been on here for ages, mainly because of a lot of personal stuff going on with family and also problems with INGEUS and the DWP which I won't go in to but needless to say I am winning (along withmy MP) and hope to have apositive outcome shortly.

 

So, the budget, I really am NOT looking forward to this - for me this budget will define the future direction of this country for decades. What do we all think will be in it? Not interested in things like booze and fags and petrol - I am interested in REAL things that could tip people over the edge or force them in to poverty/rent arrears.

 

Both I and my parents (me - ESA Assessment phase and HB) (parents - HB, DLA, Mobility, Carers, Pension Credit) are worried sick.

 

My guesses are:

 

• Child benefit frozen or reduced based on number of children
  
• Restructure of the tax credits system I know they are looking to cut this? but by how much no one knows
  
• JSA/ESA frozen for 5 years
  
• ESA WRAG and SG payments reduced or scrapped entirely SG will say i think, but the WRAG could well drop to the same as JSA
  
• HB frozen and not available for under 25's unless there is a real need i.e. domestic problems at home etc yea i know they are talking about droping HB for 18 to 25 yearolds
  
• DLA/PIP frozen for 5 years (care element)
  
• DLA mobility payments reduced Not sure how this can be put in place as a lot have MB/car
  
• Carers allowance scrapped or significantly reduced
  

Who knows - it will be pretty dire watching it though!

Still - we will find the money for more campaigns in Syria though!

 

 

 

my thinking in red!!

 

we will all find out come the 8th, i know the run up to it has been bad, and all the if's and but's of what they are looking at cutting, but it may not be as bad as its all made out to be, heres hoping

[essexmat]

http://news.sky.com/story/1514982/budget-to-slow-pace-of-welfare-cuts-sky-sources

[marcus6]

http://news.sky.com/story/1514982/budget-to-slow-pace-of-welfare-cuts-sky-sources

 

yea i see that on the new at 10 as well, so it looks like it will not be to bad, lets hope so anyway

[essexmat]

I am no Tory but all in all I didn't think that was that bad!

[telemark]

ESA WRAG allowance removed for new claims but not existing ones.

[marcus6]

well over all i don't think it was that bad,

[sadone]

Oh I'm sure there will be worse to come in the Autumn statement. Remember this government wants welfare dropped by a huge amount and all they're doing now is spreading it over a longer time span, so the rest is yet to come sadly.

[marcus6]

Oh I'm sure there will be worse to come in the Autumn statement. Remember this government wants welfare dropped by a huge amount and all they're doing now is spreading it over a longer time span, so the rest is yet to come sadly.

 

Hi.

 

Did you watch it?

 

with what he said, and is planing to do, he has got his 12b saving over the next 5 years, or have i missed something?

[sadone]

Yes, why do you ask?

 

What gets me is in one sentence Osborne says he won't attack sick and disabled then with the next removes the WRAG premium from those new claimants of ESA. Nice.

 

with what he said, and is planing to do, he has got his 12b saving over the next 5 years, or have i missed something?

 

Sorry I really don't believe a word that comes out of that mans mouth.

[marcus6]

Yes, why do you ask?

 

What gets me is in one sentence Osborne says he won't attack sick and disabled then with the next removes the WRAG premium from those new claimants of ESA. Nice.

 

I only ask! as i may have missed something,

 

I know WRAG will be dropped, or it will be cut down so they get the same as JSA, but over all it was not that bad for the rest of it?

[worried33]

given the rumours that budget was nowhere near as bad as feared. Probably rumours leaked so people grateful for what happened. Although I will feel sorry for new WRAG claimants.

 

Marcus6 WRAG isn't dropped but the premium is removed for new claimants.

[sadone]

Cuts in working tax credits, lowering of the earning allowance is going to effect a huge amount of people.

 

Read the rest here and make up your own mind...

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-33428335

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-33440315

[citizenB]

I am no Tory but all in all I didn't think that was that bad!

 

I thought it was an incredibly fair budget overall

[Nystagmite]

Actually, because there's no disability premium on ESA, many people in WRAG will be much worse off.

[sadone]

I thought it was an incredibly fair budget overall

 

Tell that to the new claimants of ESA though who will be loosing £30 a week.

 

Also having the Income threshold for tax credits reduced from £6,420 to £3,850 is one hell of a drop.

[worried33]

Actually, because there's no disability premium on ESA, many people in WRAG will be much worse off.

 

There never was disability premium for WRAG.

 

I was expecting them to remove WRAG altogether and time limit CB on ESA SG. This budget surprised me.