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Hello, it is Rachelle Abbott, welcome again to The Commonplace podcast.
When you’re new right here, hit observe and provides us a ranking.
Developing, The London Commonplace’s Josh Barrie visits the Novelty Automation Museum in Holborn.
Most likely my favorite is the Petal Dinner recreation, the place you place in a coin and it decides randomly whether or not the little lamb on the high of the sport turns into a household pet or is served as a delicious-looking Sunday lunch.
However first, Sir Keir Starmer faces mounting strain from his personal MPs because the UK authorities prepares sweeping modifications to the welfare system this week.
On Tuesday, the Work and Pension Secretary, Liz Kendall, is predicted to set out plans for reform in what they are saying is an effort to get extra folks again to work and reduce Britain’s advantages invoice.
It has been described by ministers as unsustainable, however studies that this might embody cuts to the private independence fee, the principle incapacity profit, also referred to as PIP, have sparked outcry from backbench Labour MPs.
The information comes as we strategy the UK Chancellor’s spring assertion on the twenty sixth of March, the place Rachel Reeves is predicted to announce cuts to the welfare funds.
Becoming a member of us now’s The London Commonplace’s chief political correspondent, Rachael Burford.
Rachael, why is welfare being focused?
Why do the federal government imagine these prices have to be reined in?
So we have heard a variety of ministers out in the previous few days speaking about the price of Britain’s profit invoice, basically.
They’re all of the frontbenchers, Labour frontbenchers, are all saying that reform is basically obligatory as a result of the variety of folks claiming illness and incapacity profit has actually soared over the previous few years.
It is gone from 2.8 million in 2019 to about 4 million folks as we speak.
And which means the advantages invoice has risen considerably.
In 2023, 2024, it reached 48 billion kilos and it is forecast to proceed rising.
It will attain about 67 billion kilos in 2029, 2030.
And simply to place that into context, that’s an quantity that might exceed the present faculties funds, for instance.
So, what the Prime Minister and the Chancellor are saying is that that is unsustainable and one thing wants to alter.
And what about private independence fee then?
It has been type of speculated that non-public independence funds or PIP will probably be firmly within the authorities’s goal on the subject of decreasing the advantages invoice.
PIP is an attention-grabbing one.
Principally, it is for folks with long-term bodily or psychological well being circumstances or disabilities.
It is a fee that helps these folks which will battle to do sure on a regular basis duties due to their situation.
It is not means examined, and it’s a fee that many individuals in work do get as properly.
So it’s one which the federal government are actually taking a look at.
There’s been hypothesis that it will not rise with inflation and that the eligibility standards will actually be tightened and so fewer folks can declare this profit.
And what has the response been wish to this information?
There has clearly, there’s been a variety of discontent from individuals who declare PIP, and in addition from a variety of labour MPs who say it is probably not very labour to be chopping the cash from disabled folks.
Nevertheless, what the federal government is arguing is that there are simply so many individuals now claiming PIP and the nation cannot afford it.
However whereas some individuals are arguing that it is not truly that straightforward to say, it’s a must to slot in plenty of types, there’s a very strict eligibility standards already.
As of October 2024, there have been 3.6 million folks in England and Wales with entitlement to PIP, and that is a 3% improve from July.
So the variety of folks claiming it’s going up steadily, and subsequently so is the fee.
As you say, the expansion in claims has gone up.
I seen that there had been an increase in psychological well being help.
May this be resulting from there being much less stigma round psychological well being circumstances?
Yeah, I believe there was over the previous few years, significantly since COVID, much less stigma in folks looking for help for his or her psychological well being, but in addition the NHS has already stretched with big waking lists for all types of circumstances, and psychological well being is actually a type of.
There was a variety of strain on the NHS over the rise in psychological well being issues and other people looking for psychological well being help.
Some MPs have been out as we speak speaking concerning the improve in folks looking for psychological well being help, and significantly youthful folks.
Diane Abbott, the MP for Hackney North and Stoke Newington, was on the radio this morning saying that beforehand, they was once a direct route from faculty to employment, and that does not exist in the identical approach anymore.
So if you do not get a level, you do not go to school, and even some folks that do, discover themselves with out jobs or with out jobs that they maybe wish to do, and that has led to a rise in folks affected by melancholy, from psychological sickness, as a result of they discover themselves caught in a system the place they can not work and don’t have any alternative however to say advantages.
Now, what the federal government is saying is, properly, should you can work, you must work, but in addition what’s being argued is that there must be these jobs obtainable for folks on the similar time.
On Sunday, the Well being Secretary, Wes Streeting, was unable to say whether or not the federal government would truly freeze PIP.
Do you assume the backlash will have an effect on what occurs subsequent?
There’s this concept that it could be scaled again.
The financial secretary to the Treasury, Emma Reynolds, was on the radio this morning, saying that some colleagues are leaping to conclusions concerning the plans earlier than they’ve truly heard them.
We are going to discover out the small print tomorrow, however what the federal government is insisting is severely disabled and essentially the most weak will all the time get the help they want, and there’ll all the time be a security internet.
So, whereas we do anticipate some profit funds to be scaled again, there positively is more likely to be a tightening of eligibility, however I believe the federal government is insisting that there’ll nonetheless be a security internet, and we’ll discover out all these particulars tomorrow.
And at last, would you be capable to clarify the suggestion that the reforms embody a “proper to attempt” assure?
That might imply that disabled folks might enter employment with out the danger of shedding their advantages if it did not work out.
The suggestion is that there are some folks, significantly with psychological well being wants, which have been dominated that they can not work, would truly be happier in the event that they have been in work.
So in the event that they went out and received a job that was proper for them, and it was understanding, they’d truly be happier, and that they’d finally come off their incapacity advantages.
However what stops lots of people doing that, is that if they do exit and get a job and it does not work out for them, they lose their proper to the advantages they usually should undergo the entire rigmarole and system once more.
So there’s a suggestion that that will probably be reformed and there will probably be this concept that you may exit, attempt a job, and hopefully that can work out for you, after which they’re going to regularly take you off your advantages moderately than simply having it reduce and having to restart the method once more if it does not work out.
Let’s go to the advertisements developing partially two, the most recent instalment of London’s hidden gems at Holborn’s Automation Museum.
We’ll see you again right here in only a second.
Please do drop us a observe and a ranking within the meantime.
For The London Commonplace’s Hidden Gems, foods and drinks author Josh Barrie popped all the way down to the Novelty Automation Museum in Holborn.
Tucked away simply 5 minutes from the underground, the museum holds a choice of satirical arcade video games to play.
To inform us every part, Josh joins us now.
Josh, inform us concerning the Novelty Automation Museum.
What is the historical past behind it?
Novelty Automation, it is somewhat museum in Holborn, opened by an inventor referred to as Tim Hunken.
Opened in February 2015 and adopted the same place in Suffolk, in Southwold, and that is the place Hunken comes from.
You say in your article, some might discover it on the darkish aspect. Why?
It is type of taking out the fashionable commercialization and large tech, you understand, and the way we’re all type of slaves to the housing ladder
Nicely, not everybody’s a slave to the housing letter, however, you understand, that type of factor and simply countless tube rides, telephones, AI and the web.
It digs at fashionable life after which the form of darkness comes round in that sense fairly broadly, but in addition a few of the video games, a few of the automated machines or no matter, which themselves type of depend on know-how that is perhaps 30 or 40 years outdated.
So all fairly type of fundamental or easy as, you understand, in comparison with what we see now.
However the themes are additionally generally of a darkish aspect.
So for instance, certainly one of them is named The Divorce.
It’s a must to crank and spin a wheel and also you watch towards your respective different or a good friend or no matter.
And then you definitely see a husband and spouse cut up up of their home is reduce into two and the winner is the one who retains extra of the objects inside that home.
So are these the kind of machines we would see by the seaside then?
Trying within the footage in your piece, they do appear like a variety of enjoyable.
A whole lot of cranks, a variety of wheels.
I believe they’re form of fairly just like machines you see by the ocean, however most of the time nowadays, I see machines which might be, you place a two-pence coin in or no matter, identical to the place run by Nessa on Gavin and Stacey.
These are somewhat bit easier.
There aren’t that many flashing lights, they don’t seem to be as new, however they have, mainly you go as much as, there is a man in novelty automation, at the least there was after I’ve been, and also you give him a fiver after which he provides you a couple of tokens they usually function that approach.
The form of mechanics of the machines is cranks, pulleys, levers, buttons, very fundamental.
I am certain the know-how utilized in these machines have been, was round, you understand, perhaps 100 years in the past, perhaps longer.
And why was it picked for this week’s Hidden Gems?
I believe it is as a result of it is one thing somewhat bit completely different.
I believe lots of people in all probability would not have heard of it.
It is small, it is tucked away down the again avenue in Holborn, which is kind of a transitory space of a part of London.
You recognize, most individuals skim by way of it, you understand, on their approach between perhaps the Soho and the town.
Clearly, there’s the Friers Delight close by, which is kind of a well-known, however mainly, you would not stroll previous Automation.
Out of Happenstance, you’d must know it is there.
You talked about the Divorcing Couple recreation, however what’s a few of your highlights?
My least favorite of all of them.
I did not attempt all of the video games, clearly, there are masses, however I attempted Barry’s Love Line, which I did not like in any respect.
I discovered that fairly upsetting as a result of it is a cellphone and you place a token in and it is supposed to offer you romantic recommendation, however truly simply type of shakes and flashes reds and it is not for me.
However I preferred the Tube recreation, which is all about eye contact and the tube, clearly probably the most repulsive issues you possibly can expertise on public transport.
After which there’s in all probability my favorite is the Petal Dinner recreation, the place you place in a coin and it decides randomly whether or not the little lamb on the high of the sport turns into a household pet or is served as a scrumptious trying Sunday lunch.
Have they got a gentle viewers?
Nicely, it has been going for a decade now, which is spectacular for something.
After I went in, it was form of in the direction of the top of the day, and there are a couple of different folks about.
I do not assume it is ever going to turn into probably the most common hotspots in London, however I actually assume it is received the legs to hold on into the longer term.
And maybe, as one know-how continues to broaden and turn into much more essential to how we dwell as we speak, perhaps trying again with some cynicism will probably be extra pertinent than ever.
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