Should the OAP discount be scrapped?

[SPEEDY69 1,260]

18 hours ago, BassoRacingFan said:

Today's announcement from the Government means people in receipt of the state pension will receive higher pay rises than working adults.

It seems unfair to offer OAPs discounted tickets.

Nonsense.  It's a percentage increase - so the actual amount is much less if what the percentage is based on is less.

[Mimmo 1,070]

16 hours ago, Hawk127 said:

The base income from the state pension would be around £800 per month or £9600 per annum if you receive the full benefit. This is less than an employee earning the basic minimum wage if they work forty hours per week. Why is it unfair if the state pension is your only income?Take your local rates of say £175 per month and the current fuel prices of say £300 per month that leaves £325 to live on for four weeks to cover food, house insurance etc. and other day to day expenses and if you rent who knows what that cost would be. Not everyone is in the privileged position of having a private pension and other income on top of the state pension. If you rent your accommodation try covering all your overheads on just the state pension. It is not unfair but it depends on your personal circumstances.

I agree. My total income is £7872 per annum as I'm on a reduce state pension. Just taking food alone, and I'm not exagerating (sorry not correct spelling), I have no other choice that to allow £115 per calendar month, so if it's a five week month, that works out at £23 a week, and that doesn't buy much. Sadly, there will be a great many people that are a lot worse off than me. Seriously worrying times.
I'm lucky in as much as I work at my local track, but I certainly won't be able to visit any other tracks in 2023, whatever the price, and that's very upsetting, particularly as I'm widowed with precious little else to fill my time with.   

[OveFundinFan 4,143]

1 hour ago, Mimmo said:

I agree. My total income is £7872 per annum as I'm on a reduce state pension. Just taking food alone, and I'm not exagerating (sorry not correct spelling), I have no other choice that to allow £115 per calendar month, so if it's a five week month, that works out at £23 a week, and that doesn't buy much. Sadly, there will be a great many people that are a lot worse off than me. Seriously worrying times.
I'm lucky in as much as I work at my local track, but I certainly won't be able to visit any other tracks in 2023, whatever the price, and that's very upsetting, particularly as I'm widowed with precious little else to fill my time with.   

 Y state pension is somewhat less than yours, circa £7200 pa, the wife’s is something less than that, approx £4500. Then I have a private pension, but totalled it is still less than a 40 hour week at minimum hourly rate.  I appreciate how much more difficult it is for you….. are you not entitled to other benefits?

[Mimmo 1,070]

2 hours ago, OveFundinFan said:

 Y state pension is somewhat less than yours, circa £7200 pa, the wife’s is something less than that, approx £4500. Then I have a private pension, but totalled it is still less than a 40 hour week at minimum hourly rate.  I appreciate how much more difficult it is for you….. are you not entitled to other benefits?

To answer your question: - When my wife was alive (she died in January), we were sensible enough to budget in the old fashioned way, of putting so much away each month for all the different utilities that we paid on an annual basis, plus so much for family birthday/Christmas presents, which was minimal compared to the other things. Now because the bills in the main, haven't started rolling in yet, when means tested, I was told I had to much money in the bank. I explained why it was there, but to them it's my money, which of course it is, until I have to hand it over to various people like British Gas, Anglian Water, Council Tax etc; etc:
I can see now why years ago, when a Post Office Savings Account was the main way of keeping your money safe, many people used to stuff their money under the mattress, to coin a phrase, my father-in-law being one of them. But then of course, the country wasn't in the mess it is today, and we weren't ripped off by all and sundry.     

[The White Knight 9,039]

16 hours ago, steve roberts said:

As a mattter of interest and as a comparison The National Trust doesn't do concessions/discounts either whereas English Heritage does.

As a member of The National Trust for Scotland - I get an OAP Price for my subscription.

[Beowulf 1,513]

10 hours ago, BassoRacingFan said:

Can you compare the expenses of a working adult with a pensioner?

One has to pay a mortgage/rent, childcare and commuting costs.

So you think that those that have reached pension age haven't had to pay these costs throughout their lives ? Back in the 70's, interest rates for mortgages were in the region of 11% to 15 %. We just got on with it. Commuting ? My dad used to walk 5 miles to work to start at 6:00 am because there were no buses. Growing up I lived in a house with an outside toilet and no central heating. Today's pensioners have gone through a lot more than cosseted people like you ever will. So shut up.

 

[steve roberts 9,246]

6 hours ago, Beowulf said:

So you think that those that have reached pension age haven't had to pay these costs throughout their lives ? Back in the 70's, interest rates for mortgages were in the region of 11% to 15 %. We just got on with it. Commuting ? My dad used to walk 5 miles to work to start at 6:00 am because there were no buses. Growing up I lived in a house with an outside toilet and no central heating. Today's pensioners have gone through a lot more than cosseted people like you ever will. So shut up.

 

...my mother, who is her late eighties, lived thru' the fifties when rationing was still in place and her generation helped get the country back on its feet again after the war.

[dontforgetthefueltapsbruv 10,706]

I think it's fair to say that the OP has achieved its intentions.......

[uk_martin 1,606]

I would guess that as the majority of speedway fans are of pensionable age, including those on BSF, that for that reason the majority of responses would be to preserve the discount because of nothing other than motivated self-interest. I for one don't understand why pensioners should get discounts on luxuries like speedway and yet have to pay full whack on bread, milk, eggs and other "essentials". And why in the UK only? I've not seen any pensioner discounts at any of the speedway tracks I've been to on the continent.

And then we have the matter of the clubs who are facing ever increasing running costs. And yet, over the course of a year, those who offer OAP discounts will be losing £xx,000's a year in revenue. That's a circle that has to be squared.  OK, some penny-pinching pensioners may take the hump and stop going. The up side of that the less the terraces look like a Derby & Joan Club evening out, the more likely you are to find younger people coming to watch speedway instead. Swings and roundabouts on that score.

[jenga 2,998]

On 11/17/2022 at 7:27 PM, BassoRacingFan said:

Today's announcement from the Government means people in receipt of the state pension will receive higher pay rises than working adults.

It seems unfair to offer OAPs discounted tickets.

you need to get out of Trump Tower . jump in your chopper (lol) and have a good look at the world as it is today . 

[Toady 231]

2 hours ago, uk_martin said:

I would guess that as the majority of speedway fans are of pensionable age, including those on BSF, that for that reason the majority of responses would be to preserve the discount because of nothing other than motivated self-interest. I for one don't understand why pensioners should get discounts on luxuries like speedway and yet have to pay full whack on bread, milk, eggs and other "essentials". And why in the UK only? I've not seen any pensioner discounts at any of the speedway tracks I've been to on the continent.

And then we have the matter of the clubs who are facing ever increasing running costs. And yet, over the course of a year, those who offer OAP discounts will be losing £xx,000's a year in revenue. That's a circle that has to be squared.  OK, some penny-pinching pensioners may take the hump and stop going. The up side of that the less the terraces look like a Derby & Joan Club evening out, the more likely you are to find younger people coming to watch speedway instead. Swings and roundabouts on that score.

I guess that promoters who offer discounts know their own business and as they are the ones stumping up the cash it’s their call.

Oxford offer no discounts or cash payments and appear to have had successful comeback plenty of young and old punters.

[OveFundinFan 4,143]

6 hours ago, uk_martin said:

I would guess that as the majority of speedway fans are of pensionable age, including those on BSF, that for that reason the majority of responses would be to preserve the discount because of nothing other than motivated self-interest. I for one don't understand why pensioners should get discounts on luxuries like speedway and yet have to pay full whack on bread, milk, eggs and other "essentials". And why in the UK only? I've not seen any pensioner discounts at any of the speedway tracks I've been to on the continent.

And then we have the matter of the clubs who are facing ever increasing running costs. And yet, over the course of a year, those who offer OAP discounts will be losing £xx,000's a year in revenue. That's a circle that has to be squared.  OK, some penny-pinching pensioners may take the hump and stop going. The up side of that the less the terraces look like a Derby & Joan Club evening out, the more likely you are to find younger people coming to watch speedway instead. Swings and roundabouts on that score.

I think its been agreed on here some time ago that if promotors gave the youngsters the type of entertainment they want then more youngsters may be attracted.

The fact is promotors cant give the audience they currently have what they want means there is not much chance of it being expanded to what the youngsters want.

[mikebv 10,292]

20 hours ago, Beowulf said:

So you think that those that have reached pension age haven't had to pay these costs throughout their lives ? Back in the 70's, interest rates for mortgages were in the region of 11% to 15 %. We just got on with it. Commuting ? My dad used to walk 5 miles to work to start at 6:00 am because there were no buses. Growing up I lived in a house with an outside toilet and no central heating. Today's pensioners have gone through a lot more than cosseted people like you ever will. So shut up.

 

There were 160 of us living in a shoebox in't middle ot road....

[Hawk127 1,359]

19 minutes ago, mikebv said:

There were 160 of us living in a shoebox in't middle ot road....

We were lucky we had a garden called the central reservation albeit the hgv drivers use to rain something on us as they passed by but my parents use to say be thankful that the government were not pissing on us. Not sure I followed the logic but when I got a job I went up market and had a round about which we share with chickens.

[Beowulf 1,513]

9 hours ago, uk_martin said:

I would guess that as the majority of speedway fans are of pensionable age, including those on BSF, that for that reason the majority of responses would be to preserve the discount because of nothing other than motivated self-interest. I for one don't understand why pensioners should get discounts on luxuries like speedway and yet have to pay full whack on bread, milk, eggs and other "essentials". And why in the UK only? I've not seen any pensioner discounts at any of the speedway tracks I've been to on the continent.

And then we have the matter of the clubs who are facing ever increasing running costs. And yet, over the course of a year, those who offer OAP discounts will be losing £xx,000's a year in revenue. That's a circle that has to be squared.  OK, some penny-pinching pensioners may take the hump and stop going. The up side of that the less the terraces look like a Derby & Joan Club evening out, the more likely you are to find younger people coming to watch speedway instead. Swings and roundabouts on that score.

So think that by getting rid of 'old people' stadiums will immediately be flooded with young people ? I assume you don't run a  business. If your first thought is to  decrease the customer base, you're not  going  to be very successful.Does this argument apply to football ? My local football club, WWFC, offers cheaper season tickets for over 65's, as I assume all other Premiership clubs do. Are you saying all Premiership clubs don't know what they are doing? After all football is a much bigger business than speedway.