Starting this week

[Shabbychic]

Some changes Westminster are making, starting this week.....

April 1: TV Licence goes up to £147
April 1: Housing Benefit for 18-21-year olds is scrapped - but I believe the Scottish Government will be extending the Scottish Welfare Fund to cover this in Scotland. (just as they covered the Bedroom Tax)
April 3: Employment Support Allowance (Work Related Activity Group) is being chopped from £102 to £73 a week for new claimants.
April 3: Universal Credit conditionality changes will mean parents are now expected to look for work when their youngest child turns three, rather than five.
April 6: The tax credit family element is no longer available for people starting a family.
April 6: Bereavement support is being slashed, with financial help only available for just 18 months now - down from up to 20 years.
April 6: Money Purchase Annual Allowance for pension contributions chopped from £10,000 to £4,000.

Nice.

[golach]

Some changes Westminster are making, starting this week.....

April 1: TV Licence goes up to £147
April 1: Housing Benefit for 18-21-year olds is scrapped - but I believe the Scottish Government will be extending the Scottish Welfare Fund to cover this in Scotland. (just as they covered the Bedroom Tax)
April 3: Employment Support Allowance (Work Related Activity Group) is being chopped from £102 to £73 a week for new claimants.
April 3: Universal Credit conditionality changes will mean parents are now expected to look for work when their youngest child turns three, rather than five.
April 6: The tax credit family element is no longer available for people starting a family.
April 6: Bereavement support is being slashed, with financial help only available for just 18 months now - down from up to 20 years.
April 6: Money Purchase Annual Allowance for pension contributions chopped from £10,000 to £4,000.

Nice.

Whats happening at Holyrood?
fixing the police NO
fixing the NHS No
fixing schools No
fixing the railways NO

[Shabbychic]

Whats happening at Holyrood?

fixing the police NO
fixing the NHS No
fixing schools No
fixing the railways NO

Well....the Scottish Parliament Voted for a Second Independence Referendum

(https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/scotref?source=feed_text&story_id=10212694417981732)
The Parliament also voted Yes to an amendment from the Scottish Greens to allow all 16 & 17-year-olds and EU Nationals living in Scotland to be given the vote. Well done the Greens!:cool:


Sorry, but you did ask.:)


The rest wasn't really a question, was it? It was really just some of the usual unionist rhetoric. Anyway, you answered it all yourself with you own information to hand.

[Oddquine]

Well....the Scottish Parliament Voted for a Second Independence Referendum

(https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/scotref?source=feed_text&story_id=10212694417981732)
The Parliament also voted Yes to an amendment from the Scottish Greens to allow all 16 & 17-year-olds and EU Nationals living in Scotland to be given the vote. Well done the Greens!:cool:


Sorry, but you did ask.:)


The rest wasn't really a question, was it? It was really just some of the usual unionist rhetoric. Anyway, you answered it all yourself with you own information to hand.


Always think that people who say stuff isn't being fixed really mean that the stuff isn't being fixed in the way they think it should be done. If their preferred Government did exactly the same, they'd be happy enough....so it's just another version of SNPBAD

[The Horseman]

It seem the 'welfare state' in the UK 'runneth over'. One cannot expect all the benefits 'free'.
There are many jobs in the U.K. and in other Countries that cannot be filled, but no one wants them if they can make more on the Dole. Just a thought.

[mi16]

It seem the 'welfare state' in the UK 'runneth over'. One cannot expect all the benefits 'free'.
There are many jobs in the U.K. and in other Countries that cannot be filled, but no one wants them if they can make more on the Dole. Just a thought.

Aint that the truth.
I cant wait to get financially bent over and sodomised dry by the SNP when they get their independence and have to pay for all of the workshy and useless.
Obviously we need a benefit system for the genuine folk but we are way off the mark as is.

[Recycle it]

Aint that the truth.
I cant wait to get financially bent over and sodomised dry by the SNP when they get their independence and have to pay for all of the workshy and useless.
Obviously we need a benefit system for the genuine folk but we are way off the mark as is.

Words like workshy and useless are just the opener for some ,who think that way . What comes next the a Sick, Disabled, Abused and much more . The Terror of the Tories and the abuse that they spout is the real threat to all that see the "unity of people's as a whole in a caring society " and not as a propaganda rant to dazzle folk by using the " we stand together" mantra ,when it's a cloak of FEAR that more fits their plot . It's " England First and always , that's just the way they think and act " get used to it . Scotland has been second for far to long and the chains of unionist has rusted through with the tears of the last three hundred years and we say " freedom is my right and not yours to bestow or to stop " quoted from Nelson Mandela 1991 no doubt the Tories are just waiting for a new set of chains to be delivered to Hollyrood . Shame on them and all that use FEAR and abuse to keep the status quo .

[mi16]

Words like workshy and useless are just the opener for some ,who think that way . What comes next the a Sick, Disabled, Abused and much more . The Terror of the Tories and the abuse that they spout is the real threat to all that see the "unity of people's as a whole in a caring society " and not as a propaganda rant to dazzle folk by using the " we stand together" mantra ,when it's a cloak of FEAR that more fits their plot . It's " England First and always , that's just the way they think and act " get used to it . Scotland has been second for far to long and the chains of unionist has rusted through with the tears of the last three hundred years and we say " freedom is my right and not yours to bestow or to stop " quoted from Nelson Mandela 1991 no doubt the Tories are just waiting for a new set of chains to be delivered to Hollyrood . Shame on them and all that use FEAR and abuse to keep the status quo .

You will obviously note from my post that I said a benefits system is required for the genuine folks, by genuine I intended that as an all rounder for the genuinely sick, disabled etc.
The term workshy and useless were referring to the able bodied folk who would rather do nothing and receive handouts or the folk who are unable to hold down employment due to being worse than a man short.

I have been born and raised in Scotland and have never considered myself to be anything other than free, I dont see how the quote from Mandela is particularly relevant to this issue.

You would be better quoting Mel Gibson lines from Braveheart

[The Horseman]

Words like workshy and useless are just the opener for some ,who think that way . What comes next the a Sick, Disabled, Abused and much more . The Terror of the Tories and the abuse that they spout is the real threat to all that see the "unity of people's as a whole in a caring society " and not as a propaganda rant to dazzle folk by using the " we stand together" mantra ,when it's a cloak of FEAR that more fits their plot . It's " England First and always , that's just the way they think and act " get used to it . Scotland has been second for far to long and the chains of unionist has rusted through with the tears of the last three hundred years and we say " freedom is my right and not yours to bestow or to stop " quoted from Nelson Mandela 1991 no doubt the Tories are just waiting for a new set of chains to be delivered to Hollyrood . Shame on them and all that use FEAR and abuse to keep the status quo .

Cheeze whiz.......remember that Scotland is one tenth the size of England......and
In Canada I worked with a guy who was in the Union in Glasgow....it was brutal the way he thought! Take the Gov't down. They brought the ship building down all by themselves....yes the Scots. And Nelson Mandela....surely not......That was another World......

Britain has 550,O00 mobility vehicles out there....the system is totally abused. I know a man who ordered a luxury mobility veh and it didn't come with the Xenon(white) lites and the colour was not exactly right. He demanded another vehicle exactly the specs he ordered and he got it. He travels all over Europe....and there are many more. Somewhere someone has to stop that.

[Shabbychic]

Cheeze whiz.......remember that Scotland is one tenth the size of England......and
In Canada I worked with a guy who was in the Union in Glasgow....it was brutal the way he thought! Take the Gov't down. They brought the ship building down all by themselves....yes the Scots. And Nelson Mandela....surely not......That was another World......

Britain has 550,O00 mobility vehicles out there....the system is totally abused. I know a man who ordered a luxury mobility veh and it didn't come with the Xenon(white) lites and the colour was not exactly right. He demanded another vehicle exactly the specs he ordered and he got it. He travels all over Europe....and there are many more. Somewhere someone has to stop that.


Wow.....I'm having a wee touch of deja vu here. I remember a year or so ago, another Scot living in Canada, who visits now and again, with the exact same views as you. Someone, I think was called sandy something, who was obsessed with our welfare system, especially "Mobility Cars". Do you in Canada have an "Anti Uk Mobility Car & Welfare Club"?


So you know a wee man who ordered a luxury mobility car, and was a bit miffed when the wrong one arrived? That's probably due to the fact that he would have paid extra money upfront, from his own pocket, for said car. He had every right to demand the right car. This same wee man now uses his luxury car to travel all over Europe. He can't travel very far as there is a mileage limit on Mobility Cars.


Now, here is another thing you don't appear to know. (need to bring your above mentioned club up to date), the Mobility Scheme is open to everyone who is disabled, and passes the, almost impossible, PIP test. So everyone, rich or poor, is entitled to them if they qualify. It is not means tested. There is also more to the mobility scheme, but I'm sure you have a thing called Google.


Do tell btw, how the Scots brought down the shipbuilding industry. You could maybe start a new thread for this one?


Oh, and fyi, this thread was not about mobility cars anyway.;)

[The Horseman]

Firstly...Glesgae Ship Yards..
He worked there as a Union shop steward or whatever. He told the True Story.....methinks everyone knows about that.
I never said that 'The Scots' brought the ship building down. If you can read, I said that the Scots were the best people in the World, as were their achievements. Most troubles came from the Union.

Mobility vehs...the recipient was the story teller.. saw the 'wheels'.....he may have paid for over mileage but nutting for the car. Just sayin...if you provide something like that many vehs, someone must pay. All actions have a reaction! Or ...there is no such thing as a free lunch!
I am not obsessed with the Welfare system......my simple point is that when the Government is downsizing, 999 calls are going South, Police and other Emergencies are being cut back and there is a lack of Health Services to the public then......well you can use the appropriate words......I have been following this Board for years.
And I don't think it is feasible for Scotland to go on its own at this time. There is much to be done now. 'Better together' until the Exit is completed. I feel most people agree.

Just sayin....you cannot have it all ways, I think 550,000 vehicles says a lot.

I am the Horseman......that is what my name says.

Your Welcome.

[The Horseman]

Just read 650,000 Motability customers in the U.K.
£4.2 Billion expended.... Wikipedia.

I have no problem with the concept......it is an awful cost....Even people who cannot drive get them!
FYI...

[Oddquine]

Just read 650,000 Motability customers in the U.K.
£4.2 Billion expended.... Wikipedia.

I have no problem with the concept......it is an awful cost....Even people who cannot drive get them!
FYI...


That cost seems a bit high at £57.45 a week mobility allowance. Disabled people(like children), who can't drive, get a car in order that a named driver can use it to transport them around/do shopping for them etc. That tends to be where any misuse of the system occurs. The problem is that people nowadays expect to get a car for a disability which doesn't require a car to get them mobile...which is why there is such a furore when they lose the mobility part of their DLA/PIP on an assessment. As with everything else in the UK today, though, the people who can work the system keep their cars/other benefits and many who do need the help are refused. It was ever thus.

[The Horseman]

Yes, that is what I was saying......
And ....14,000 vehicles were recently taken back as the result of misuse. And no more BMW's and high end cars.
Apparently this is separate from any Social Assistance(Welfare) payments.
In several reported cases, unlicensed drivers were given free driving lessons, but as the person couldn't/ didn't want to drive, those monies were divided between the Manager of the leasing company and the 'customer'.
I know off a situation where a husband and wife had one car. They were quite well off. She was given a mobility vehicle but didn't drive, and the building where they lived, in the middle of Perth, only allowed one car parking, so they sold their own car and he used the mobility vehicle to go to work etc.
I have read about it before, and as I know a couple of people who were beneficiaries!!

I was quite surprised by the original posters list of 'freebies.. How do u you afford these things?

[Oddquine]

Yes, that is what I was saying......
And ....14,000 vehicles were recently taken back as the result of misuse. And no more BMW's and high end cars.
Apparently this is separate from any Social Assistance(Welfare) payments.
In several reported cases, unlicensed drivers were given free driving lessons, but as the person couldn't/ didn't want to drive, those monies were divided between the Manager of the leasing company and the 'customer'.
I know off a situation where a husband and wife had one car. They were quite well off. She was given a mobility vehicle but didn't drive, and the building where they lived, in the middle of Perth, only allowed one car parking, so they sold their own car and he used the mobility vehicle to go to work etc.
I have read about it before, and as I know a couple of people who were beneficiaries!!

I was quite surprised by the original posters list of 'freebies.. How do u you afford these things?

I meant the figure you quoted was somewhat high for mobility allowance at £57.45 a week. That's just under £3,000 a year or just under £2 billion in total.

It's part of disability payments if you have a mobility problem which "requires" a car(or a wheelchair/motorised wheelchair) to make you mobile. The new PIP payment will replace all the separate add-ons over the years with a single payment, I think. It is the system that's wrong...it has been added to piecemeal for as long as I can remember and nobody has ever sat down and rationalised it into a sensible less bitty system to be more cost-effective. I know some who have lost their car and shouldn't have, and some who haven't and should have, when transferring to PIP....but PIP was never an attempt to get it right....just to make it cheaper any way they could.

The list in the OP was what they are cutting......without sitting down and coming up with a better way of doing benefits so they didn't have to cut them...like give additional disability payments only to people who have extra expenses due to their disability.

We can't afford these things AND cut taxes (mostly for the rich), bail out banks, fork out for Trident and stuff like HS2 for London, reduce corporation tax (which big companies rarely pay anyway) and subsidise businesses to pay crap wages.........so it is the benefits system which takes the hit...because it is the easy option (and won't affect our lords and masters in Westminster). So we can't afford ALL these things....but our Government has many times more people looking for benefit cheats, for example, than they do looking for tax dodgers....which rather shows where their priorities lie..and it isn't with the disadvantaged. (and they aren't freebies....we all pay for them out of our taxes)

[The Horseman]

I totally agree with you.....
First the cost. It is on the Motability Website and on another Gov't Website. There is also a large administrative staff.
Yes, the people who deserve things are sometimes not the ones who get it.
And Trident etc are huge costs....but....

A tax credit to start a family?
Housing benefits for youth?
When I was growing up in Caithness I had to work and
Employment support allowance?".............What happened to living within one's Budget?

Perhaps you don't need to answer as it seems as soon as I mentioned this subject I am a bad guy!

And S/chic. The means Test cannot be very hard....there are 550,000 mobility vehicles out there. And no ' financial means test'.

Yes, I left Caithness as things were not as I wanted them, and have been away for many years. Mind you I regularly come back to Scotland..And my knowledge is from members of my family.

Just reading in the Groat about the extra Health Service being put on in the North. Patient transportation should not be done with ambulances. Ambulances with Paramedics, Nurses and Doctors are for Emergencies.

Dinna want to argue about it. Just some thoughts....be good!

[James]

Councilors do not need to have any qualifications to show that the person would be an asset to a community, some go on to become MP's, some MP's go on to become members of the government cabinet.
AND you are all surprised that Westminster is NOT fit for purpose.
Most Councillors do not have the expertise to deal with building specs, costings and are also not fit for purpose, the few that are knowledgeable are seldom listened to .