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The tax burden is high. They could certainly do with reducing it in my personal opinion. A leaflet comes through the door every year or so telling me how much

The tax burden is high. They could certainly do with reducing it in my personal opinion. A leaflet comes through the door every year or so telling me how much they spend in the local council. Usually the highest amount is not on schools, not on libraries, not on health, not on sweeping the streets or maintaining parks and playgrounds etc, but on "adult social care" (1) which as far as I know is a euphemism for benefits handouts for the baby-boomer generation. It feels to me like an unrealistic burden is being placed on the current working generation to gold-plate the retirements of the current pensioners (because they tend to vote a lot), who frankly have got it pretty fucking good (not just free university education, but they got grants (i.e. free money), were able to purchase cheap and decent quality housing at relatively low salary multiples (e.g. detached 4 bed in nice areas for 3x average salary in the 60s & 70s), excellent pensions (often from the public sector), free travel, free tv licenses, jumping to the front of the queue in the NHS, free money for heating their homes etc etc, the pension triple-lock of a guaranteed 2.5% increase at a minimum etc, when working age people are lucky to get anything in their gig/zero-hours contract etc). There has been talk of inter-generationalfairness a bit (at least before brexit took over). I hope something is done. </bitter> 1 - https://engage.barnet.gov.uk/1730/documents/1919 https://engage.barnet.gov.uk/1730/documents/1919

vertex-four 7y ago
Adult social care covers a few things, but most of it is literally paying care workers to look after old and vulnerable people. This isn’t what most people would consider a benefit, but a basic dignity.
- fyfy18 7y ago
  My father's cousin has been living in social care for the last few years. He was put into a home associated with the council, but as he owned a home (that he'd lived in his whole life) he was forced to sell it to pay for his care. He is able to do most things by himself, but just needs someone to provide a bit of mental support - basically a friend. My father is his closest relative, but lives on the other side of the country. Currently he pays ~£800 per week, which when the house was sold was backdated to pay for all the care he received. The thing is though that is just the care, the private landlord of the home has now decided he needs to pay another £700 per week for rent. The home is rather run down and he only has a tiny bedroom for himself (the bathroom is shared). As I understand the company providing the care is a private for-profit company too. I'm not really surprised most council taxes is spent on social care if this is how much private companies are charging them.
  - PunchTornado 7y ago
    £700 per week for rent? that is a luxurious apartment in london. why doesn't he move from that place?
    - vertex-four 7y ago
      This will be an "assisted living" home, not a regular apartment.
  - stronglikedan 7y ago
    Was he forced into the home?

vertex-four 7y ago

Adult social care covers a few things, but most of it is literally paying care workers to look after old and vulnerable people. This isn’t what most people would consider a benefit, but a basic dignity.

fyfy18 7y ago
My father's cousin has been living in social care for the last few years. He was put into a home associated with the council, but as he owned a home (that he'd lived in his whole life) he was forced to sell it to pay for his care. He is able to do most things by himself, but just needs someone to provide a bit of mental support - basically a friend. My father is his closest relative, but lives on the other side of the country. Currently he pays ~£800 per week, which when the house was sold was backdated to pay for all the care he received. The thing is though that is just the care, the private landlord of the home has now decided he needs to pay another £700 per week for rent. The home is rather run down and he only has a tiny bedroom for himself (the bathroom is shared). As I understand the company providing the care is a private for-profit company too. I'm not really surprised most council taxes is spent on social care if this is how much private companies are charging them.
- PunchTornado 7y ago
  £700 per week for rent? that is a luxurious apartment in london. why doesn't he move from that place?
  - vertex-four 7y ago
    This will be an "assisted living" home, not a regular apartment.
- stronglikedan 7y ago
  Was he forced into the home?