People on certain benefits will get a free £10 Christmas bonus from the Government

poppasmurf_bewdley

It was introduced in 1973 by the Ted Heath Government.  So hardly news.  

Alice_Holt

It was initially included in the Pensioners and Family Income Supplement Payments Act 1972 as a one-off payment, which was then repeated by the Heath government in 1973 and 1974.

Incidentally, £10 of purchasing power in 1972 would equate to c.£140 today.  

I wonder when the administration costs will eventually exceed the £10 payment.

calcotti

We get rises to benefit amounts (almost) every year but the christmas bonus is frozen along with capital limits, threshold at which pension payments are taken into account for contribution based ESA and earnings disregards for legacy benefits all of which erodes the amount of benefit people receive.

donnac2558

It's been going on for many years.   So what?   A friend's mother used it to pay a week's rent.   That's how long it has been around.

wakeupalarm

Obviously, the government will argue it is too difficult to change the software to alter the £10 payment just like the case waiting judgement for legacy benefits.

p00hsticks

wakeupalarm said:

Obviously, the government will argue it is too difficult to change the software to alter the £10 payment just like the case waiting judgement for legacy benefits.

I'm not sure about that - I suspect that it's a specific piece of software that's run every year, so would be quite simple to just not run it. I think it;s more to do with th efact that nmo one wants to be the government that takes a little Xmas treat away from the poor pensioners....

Muttleythefrog

Alice_Holt said:

It was initially included in the Pensioners and Family Income Supplement Payments Act 1972 as a one-off payment, which was then repeated by the Heath government in 1973 and 1974.

Incidentally, £10 of purchasing power in 1972 would equate to c.£140 today.  

I wonder when the administration costs will eventually exceed the £10 payment.

We can party like it was 1972.... at least we won't have to listen to Mistletoe and Wine by Cliff!