This isn’t related to who I care for.
Sometimes I like to visit museums/galleries, many museums offer concession tickets however I often come across a brick wall where JSA/UC/IS is accepted but not CA.
to make matters worse the people on the front desk have often shrugged and said ‘if you are a carer you can get free discounted entry if you come with the person you carer for’ which sort of misses the point.
this is copy pasted from an email exchange with well known gallery in London:
“I would like to visit the gallery and purchase a concession ticket. However I do not receive Job Seekers Allowance, instead I receive a care based benefit from the Department of Work and Pensions, as I am a full time a carer, if I was to show some documentation at the reception would I be eligible for a concession ticket.”
their reply:
“Thank you for your email.
Unfortunately we do not offer concessionary tickets for care based benefit from the Department of Work and Pensions. If you were to visit the gallery with the person(s) you care for, their ticket would be offered at a concessionary rate whilst as their carer your ticket would be complimentary.
I hope this helps to clarify our policy. Please do not hesitate to contact me should you require any further information.”
my response…
Thank you for your reply.
but I really want to plead my case and that of other people who are stuck on benefits.
The person who I care for isn’t interested in art, nor would I ever take them to a gallery, they are irrelevant on this issue.
As someone on Carers Allowance I receive 64 pounds a week from the DWP its full time, while someone on Job Seekers Allowance receives 73 pounds a week.
On the rare occasion I am able to get a day off, I like to visit galleries.
All I ask is that you bring up this issue with your management as only selling concession tickets to people on job seekers allowance shows a lot of ignorance of your gallery regarding people reliant on state benefits.
yours sincerely
they didnt reply.
also the Ashmolean gallery in Oxford recently refused to accept my CA award letter as proof of benefit to meet their requirements, which was pretty embarrassing.
Yep … concessions for carers ( Try an Internet search using those three words ) are very much hit and miss
… miss being more common than hit.
Numerous threads over the years ( Again , use the search facility on the forum ) on the conception of a
" Carers Card " … the idea being such a card being used like a Swiss army knife across both goods and services.
There are some out there ( Internet search … CARERS CONCESSIONARY CARD … will reveal them.)
Even proof of receiving Carers Allowance does not guaranteee anything … not being means tested doesn’t help
our case for automatic qualification … even someone earning in excess of £ 100k per annum could claim it.
Classic being public transport.
A guide dog travels free when accompanying a blind person … a human carer does NOT !
https://www.carersuk.org/forum/news-and-campaigns/campaigns-petitions/carers-pay-to-travel-in-london-28026?hilit=free%20travel
Swop TRAVEL for CARER ???
( Perhaps a bigger question … Why are family / kinship carers in the benefits scheme ? … a question asked by
CarerWatch over a decade ago … our position is rather unique to state the bleeding obvious ? )
I think you’ve missed my point
i’m not asking about generic discounts, im asking why so few places recognize the benefit I receive while someone on the dole can blag super cheap rail fares on national rail, and lots of other concessions?
im literally poorer than someone on the dole.
meanwhile you assume that cause im a new user I have no idea how to use the internet, or I’m one of those LMGTFY type people, I can assure you, I’ve searched carefully this topic before I posted here.
All I wanted to know if Carers UK were highlighting this issue with the large businesses/organizations which proudly state they offer concession entry, as its pretty demoralizing, the disabled person gets a discount, the dole claimant gets a discount, but this person on a state benefit.
CA is not means tested, and not even available to pension age carers like me, then as we are not paid by a company we don’t even have a name badge. The whole issue of money, caring, and recognition is a real mess with or without our caree. No answers I’m afraid.
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Even proof of receiving Carers Allowance does not guaranteee anything … not being means tested doesn’t help
our case for automatic qualification … even someone earning in excess of £ 100k per annum could claim it.
Precisely , BB … no point missed ?
( Quite a bit in the old CarerWatch archives supporting the argument for carers to be removed from the ( Then ) benefits
system over a decade ago. )
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im literally poorer than someone on the dole.
No real surprise for any family / kinship carer on a standard range of benefits / allowances.
HALF the carer army … some 3.8 or so MILLION are in the same boat … the SS Titantic when it comes to finances.
Threads and postings galore on this forum going back to 2007 on this issue … and prior to date on now defunct forums.
If you want to ask the question … WHY ? … look no further :
https://www.carersuk.org/forum/support-and-advice/all-about-caring/select-committee-on-work-and-pensions-fourth-report-2008-our-bible-also-our-jailer-time-for-a-jailbreak-36397
On the actual level of Carers Allowance , CUK’s latest endeavour … their own idea in the very recent past :
Fairer For Carers : https://www.carersuk.org/forum/social-area/members-corner/fairer-for-carers-34307?hilit=fairer%20for%20carers
Makes a very interesting read ???
If you want to open the debate again on this , try this one from more than a decade ago :
" If you chose to care , why should I , as a tax payer , have to pay you for it ? Your choice , not mine ! "
Always a good one … a theme running throughout the GREEN PAPER SOCIAL CARE thread as I type.