My main concern will be the tax rise from this new government's budget. It means we can keep less money in our hand than before whereas government should find out the other way that how can low income family keep more money in their hand to live up with decency. Low income family used as a scapegoat to fund for the NHS and others.

I though the budget was very bad it shows everybody is going to be effected in a negative way. And the labour government are not going to deliver in the plan for economic growth and being the fastest growing economy. As the costs on businesses and people are 2 high. And people are going to struggle. They are not telling us what they are going to invest in other then the NHS, schools and HS2 we need the government to invest in more things like reforming job Centres, and making it more attractive for businesses to do business in this country and bring the work we need but they did the exact opposite. if the created a summit today to attract organization's to invest in the country nobody would come and invest.

I honestly think that keeping in some of the measures that the Tory government were trying to bring in around trying to get more of those who have already been found unfit for work and placed in the limited capability for work and work related activity group on UC and ESA back into work will cause further poverty, and deaths. It's caused me a sleepless night and directly affects me - I would love to be able to work but I know that my health issues don't give me that opportunity and working and stress makes them so much worse.

Today's budget won't make any difference to me

Unpaid Carers were ignored again.

Saddened but not surprised there's no removing the 2 child benefit cap .

The rise in bus fare makes no difference as live in Scotland and have a free bus pass from the Scottish Government.

I'm sure the higher paid who will be taxed at a higher rate , will find a tax loophole to exploit.

The offshore oil and gas workers are infamous for doing this.

Wonderful news. My 19 yo gets PIP - in his review recently, he dropped from Enhanced Mobility to Standard Mobility. We asked for Mandatory Reconsideration - but they wouldn't change the decision. He had to give back his Motability car. which was devastating for him. I know it was only 2 points, but we lodged an appeal anyway. Today, they rang to say that he can have enhanced mobility again without having to go to tribunal! Me: 5 - 0 :DWP Over the moon! xxx

PS. If you manage to get to tribunal stage - because they will always try to knock you back. success rates are currently 68% My message is - never give up - appeal, appeal, appeal. x

I really welcomed the news that benefits and pensions will be increased, but at the same time, I was saddened about the fact that taxes are having to be increased also.

There are general positives to this particular budget for us. My wage is about to increase because of the rise in minimum wage and there’s also an increase on child benefit. However, I expect we will lose 55% of this on the Universal Credit taper rate unless the earnings allowance before the taper rate changes too. So we await further news.

The budget was not brilliant, but there are some nice things in there for our children such as more money for breakfast clubs, I like the idea that people who claims carers allowance are allowed to earn more, up to 16hrs a week protected. I like that their is support for disabled people via health and employment services. I am also pleased that the Household support fund is being given 1bn more to help people who are struggling with the cost of living costs. I understand people will be upset that there was nothing in the budget regarding the 2 child limit but this may be looked at again in the future. For my family I see this as a positive budget. I like that the government is supporting the NHS as well.

It was a long budget today and also a bit confusing when they talk in billions of pounds.

There was no help or good news announced for someone like myself living on Universal Credit. still struggling with the cost of living. The increase of the 50% increase is a huge blow to all living on a low income.

The reduction in the amount that can be deducted from benefits from 25% - 15% is still an unacceptable amount to be taken from benefit payments which is already not enough to live on, especially when is is due to overpayments that were the fault of the system itself.

Overall I was not surprised by what was said, but it is going to increase the gap between rich and poor pushing even more families into poverty.

I am absolutely disgusted. That after all the hard work and campaigning that changing realities, the Joseph Rowntree truck, Joseph, Rowntree foundation and the trust will trust have done. And the framework that has been presented to the government around ending poverty and the need for food banks. Etc, has been completely ignored and dismissed but I wouldn't have expected anything less.

From the labor government, anyway, because the Communists and that you have to do what you're told. I noticed that they mentioned that if you have a debt in Universal Credit, for example, they will minimize the amount that you have to pay back so that you're better off. What about the families that don't have a debt and that are struggling to buy Basic Essentials like bread, milk, toothpaste, shower, gel just having a wash. I mean, really what on Earth are they thinking? I just lost for words.

Dignity & Respect within the Social Security System

I realise I’m rather late to this BQotW, but really wanted to express my views.

In order to answer, I first Googled the terms ‘Dignity’ & ‘Respect’. Here’s what I found:

Dignity - “the state or quality of being worthy of honour or respect”

Respect - “due regard for the feelings, wishes, or rights of others”.

Living in the United Kingdom (UK) we, as a nation, are very fortunate, compared to other countries because we have been supported by the relative security of the Welfare State, the origin of which was implemented in the 1900s & further strengthened after World War II.

Furthermore, the UK is signatory to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights since its inception in 1948 of which Articles 22 & 25 - the right to Social Security & Right to Adequate Living Standards respectively which, one would hope, offers UK citizens additional protections.

But 14 years of austerity under the leadership of the Conservative party, over 14 million people now live in poverty - 4 million of whom are in paid employment; their wages topped up by Universal Credit (UC). Their failure to uphold Articles 22 & 25 is a human rights violation.

As noted by the United Nations Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights in 2018, Philip Alston, austerity in the UK was a political choice, not economic necessity. Millions of ordinary citizens suffered increasing ill health, insecurity, destitution & death, so much so that life expectancy ages for men & women stalled. The ramifications of the Covid19 pandemic - the loss of quality of life & increased suffering of people with Long Covid & poor mental health continues unabated. You cannot have a healthy, functioning economy if your citizens are too unwell or poor to avail themselves to it.

The Labour victory in the General Election in July 2024 has failed to reassure me. An opportunity to halt the decimation of citizens’ quality of life, especially those most in need due to chronic illness &/or D/disability presents itself. However, Labour’s insistence on first rebuilding the UK economy will be to the detriment of poorer citizens’ wellbeing & economic security.

Certainly the rhetoric against D/disabled folk like me, who comprise approximately 20% of the nation, was ramped up in the months preceding the General Election, particularly by the Conservative Party & has continued thereafter - such as hyping up the level of benefit fraud, which compared to tax avoidance is less than 1% of of the total DWP budget. Not to mention the amount of so-called “crony” contracts that have directly benefited those in power, but have proved to be an extortionate waste of public funds; funds that could have been prioritised for health & social care initiatives, the NHS, education & UK infrastructure.

The suggestion that the benefits system be shaken up to provide more value for money for the public purse via voucher schemes or post purchase reimbursement have shocked the Disabled community to the core, whom according to Scope, the disability charity, are subjected to a #DisabilityPriceTag of over £1000 per month, plunging them into further poverty.

I was dismayed by the Labour Party’s manifesto with its focus purely on “hardworking” people & their families, not the working classes as a whole. They have failed to quell the rising tide of concerns of the D/disabled community, many of whom would have worked all their lives until chronic ill health &/or disability stopped them in their tracks. The same people who would have contributed to the wealth & status of the companies & organisations that employed them.

Whether disabled people can work or not, viewing citizens merely as economic units is highly reductionist. We are so much more than our earning potential. We all bring something to the diversity of our country, which for the most part disables us by lack of consideration for our access needs & reasonable adjustments - evident in the dominant biopsychosocial model of disability that pervades the DWP’s assessment processes.

Furthermore, the Assisted Dying Bill is gaining traction in Parliament. This bill fills me with dread. As a former Registered General Nurse qualified in Oncology nursing, I have experience of working with patients & their families within a palliative care framework. Effective palliative/end of life care is possible so those undertaking the work of dying can live with their disease/illness to their fullest. I fear people the disabled & those with chronic ill health will be increasingly coerced into ending their lives before their time, convinced they are a burden to their families & to society.

To conclude: The D/disabled & chronically ill community have been & continue to be failed by successive governments & the DWP. There is no dignity, nor respect evident, when our fundamental human rights are breached time & again; structurally constrained by non-disabled institutional power.

We deserve to be believed when we struggle with our mental or physical health conditions, we deserve to be believed when our health conditions prevent us from working. Even if we cannot work. we deserve to be treated with kindness & compassion by policymakers, we deserve to have access to reasonable adaptations in our home &/or work life. We are worthy of financial support if we can no longer work. We are worthy of a fully functioning NHS, primary care & social care service

A more equitable arrangement is required - one that gives due respect to our fundamental human rights.

So assessment of needs should be co-designed with lived experience at the core of the process. Those with lived experience could work alongside the DWP to ensure reliability & validity of decision-makers’ processes, mandatory reconsiderations & tribunals to provide the required insight to proceedings, ensuring everyone in need is awarded sufficient income to ensure the cost of essentials can be met and the decisions made are right first time. This should be the norm. This in turn would help reverse the £22 billion budget deficit that Labour have inherited from the Conservatives.

Tomorrow is the first Labour Budget since 2010. Poverty can be resolved given the right political will. I’m crossing my very arthritic fingers that the Chancellor Of the Exchequer, Rachel Reeves will do the right thing to ensure those in most need are supported not sanctioned & those with the broadest shoulders are made to pay their fair share.

I think the things that I would like to see changed the minimum wage, it's certainly not a living wage and I don't even know what to suggest. It needs to be raised to but you cannot live on 11 pounds 40 for an hour. I'm actually paid 12 pounds an hour and even then it just goes nowhere. So I think we need a whole review.

Over that amount and people need to be paid a living wage. And it needs to be raised in line with the cost of living.

I also think the

Father of my child, only contributes, 7 pounds a week to his upkeep. Now he I have no idea but he has probably on benefits, but then I'm living on benefits as well. So, why is it down to me? Who is the sole carer of the child to meet his needs financially and everything else? And I just don't think it's fair morally, right? The he can get away with only contributing seven pounds a week.

I think that needs to be looked into, so those are two areas which I would like to see addressed.

Thank you for everything that you do to support us all.