rebeccariots2 wrote:Just been reading UK Polling Report. A poster there suggests that a further term of Conservative government with the of support any other sell out servatives they can muster will mean the introduction of regional pay and benefits ... which they couldn't do in this term. I think they're right. And I'm betting some of the 12 billion savings in 'welfare' is predicated on that.
I suspect you are right - when you consider that the average rent for a 2-bed in London is now more than £1,500PCM, and its equivalent in Middlesborough is less than a third of that, there is massive scope to fiddle about with regional allowances. The Local Housing Allowance for Inner West London (from Hammersmith to Ealing) for a 2-bed is £1,310PCM; in Middlesborough it's just under £400PCM.
Wages for a newly-qualified nurse are £21,478PA everywhere; Inner London weighting is 15% of salary or thereabouts.
If you are working as a nurse in the North East, your rent will be about a quarter of your take-home pay; in London, it will be about four-fifths of your take-home pay even with the London Weighting included.
Some serious savings could be made if regional pay was brought in for public sector workers - and of course, if that happened, the private sector would allowed to follow. The result of that would be that progressively more people in some areas would need to apply for top-up benefits - and that would be Universal Credit.
I think the axe will fall, to start with, on the out-of work benefits. The Tories have already said they will freeze the basic rates.
Since 2011, the basic rates have risen by 1% PA - a total of 4%. That represents in cash terms £3PW or so for most claimants.
Bit they have lost that because they have to pay Council Tax (in England) and the average is £5PW; plus they have lost again by the increase in VAT, the rise in prices for essential goods, higher rents, and of course the bedroom tax for those subject to it.
Of the 2.5 Million claiming ESA, 1.8 Million are claiming longer than the 12 weeks of Assessment Phase. Of those, a third are in the Support Group. That leaves us with the majority, 1.2 Million, either in the WRAG or waiting for their first WCA.
We know that there are currently about 600,000 waiting for assessments, many of whom will end up in the WRAG.
Some of those will lose ESA if they have claimed ESA or IB a long time due to retrospective time-limiting.
I estimate that there would be at least 500,000 in the WRAG at any given time - the WRAG rate is £25PW more than basic.
That's £1,300PA x 500,000 - £650 Million.They will get rid of the WRAG, in my opinion.
There are all sorts of things they could do - but cut they will, whatever they're saying now.
