I am disgusted and feel sick to my stomach but I am not surprised that this so-called Labour government have turned their back on Labour values and targeted ill and disabled people in order to be seen to be 'saving' money.
I have a lot of thoughts and feelings about their proposals but I am just too appalled right now to put it into words.
Hi everyone. I hope everyone is doing good regardless of our daily challenges. Keep going.
I feel like is really not fair. People are already struggling and to cut the benefits it's going to affect a lot of people in a very bad stage. I feel like they have to reconsider their decision.
How do I feel about the announcement of the disability benefit cuts? I am horrified. One of my children is 16 (almost 17) and she's autistic and she's got severe trauma which was caused by being in the wrong school environment and she's been denied education for the last three years. I've been fighting CAMHS and school.
I know, because she's out of compulsory school age, I've also lost Universal Credit for her because she's not in school or education of any thought. Now, the DWP get picky for her, because we haven't been able to access the mental health support that she desperately needs and a therapeutic understanding education.
We're looking at starting with a tutor so she can gradually work up to hopefully going to college. She's a wonderfully bright kid.
Now it is the education system and the healthcare system's direct fault that she's in the situation she's in. And yet, the government thinks the solution is to cut her money or deny her access to being able to claim PIP. It's horrific.
And it's not just that - it's the fact that now we have to see in the media and on programs and everywhere people discuss us as people who scam the system and are ripping people off, and it's just disgusting. I'd say it's a disability hate crime that we're experiencing.
It just needs to stop.
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has issued a second misleading press release in consecutive weeks as it tries to trick the mainstream media into supporting its controversial cuts to disability benefits.
This time, work and pensions secretary Liz Kendall included at least four misleading statements in her short press release, which was headed “Almost two million people on Universal Credit not supported to look for work”.
The press release was published five days before Kendall launched her reforms of the disability benefits system (see separate stories).
DWP stated that the number of disabled people on universal credit who were “too sick to look for work” had risen by 383 per cent since the start of the pandemic, from 363,000 to 1.8 million.
But it only managed to reach that striking calculation by ignoring those who had been found not fit for work and were still receiving employment and support allowance (ESA) in 2019-20 (of which there were nearly two million).
The only reference to ESA was in a “further information” note at the bottom of the press release, which admitted that an increase “was anticipated for reasons including people moving from legacy benefits [which include ESA] onto Universal Credit”.
The press release also claimed there were only two choices in the current “dysfunctional” system: “fit for work” or “not fit for work”.
This is not true. There is a third group for those said to have limited capability for work, who have to take part in work-related activity because they are expected to be capable of work in the future.
A third misleading statement in the press release was that disabled people found not fit for work on universal credit “get locked out of help and support”.
Again, this is not true, as they can ask DWP to provide support, including through the Access to Work scheme.
The department’s fourth misleading statement came as it claimed – again in a footnote – that 70 per cent of the increase in the number of disabled people receiving the health element of universal credit and ESA in the past five years “was not expected by the Department”.
But it failed to mention the impact of the pandemic, with research by the respected Institute of Fiscal Studies (IFS) – published the previous day – finding that “mental health has worsened since the pandemic”, which was “consistent with rising disability benefit claims for mental health”.
The IFS report found that “deaths of despair” – those attributed to alcohol, drugs and suicide – rose by 24 per cent in England and Wales in 2023, compared with the 2015-19 pre-pandemic average.
DWP refused to answer questions about the press release this week, including why Kendall believed she needed to send out misleading press releases to defend her case for the cuts, and whether she would apologise for the misleading statements and untruths.
DWP had also refused to comment last week when it was criticised for an earlier misleading release.
DWP claimed in that press release that there had been a “staggering 319 per cent increase” in the number of working-age people on the health and disability element of universal credit or receiving employment and support allowance.
The department said this showed the “alarming rate at which young and working aged people are increasingly falling out of work and claiming incapacity benefits”.
But although there had been an increase – most likely caused by the impact of growing NHS waiting-lists and the Covid pandemic, among other factors – it was likely to be about 30 to 35 per cent, if comparing 2019-20 with 2023-24.
The 319 per cent figure was quietly removed from the press release last week after DNS questioned its accuracy, but DWP failed to add a note to the website to show that the press release had been corrected, and it refused three times to respond to requests to comment on its use of the exaggerated figure.
I think cash first provides a layer of dignity to the recipient, but the danger is that the money could become easily mis-spent if in the wrong hands. People who are on low incomes are facing a layer of desperation and giving cash, although it would more than likely go to where its needed; would also carry with it a risk. I think providing the actual physical item which is needed (for example white goods) is beneficial- but I would alter it to say that the recipient should be given a choice as to which item they require, out of for example, 3 models. Too often than not, the body in charge of issuing the goods will only have 1 to offer and it may not be suitable. Once we were offered a fridge freezer when ours had broken down - which we were very grateful for, but it didn't fit in the space in the kitchen and no alternative was offered. I think support needs to be tailored wherever possible.
There's definitely something to be said for credit unions or charities acting as credit unions or even credit unions underpinned by government guarantees as an alternative to people seeking horrendously high interest short term loans. I think the flexibility to be able to have a no-strings emergency cash loan that's repayable on sensible, non-punitive terms is the way forward. However currently credit unions are not always easily accessible requiring users to sign up as members, the loans process can seem daunting and, more often than not, these are limited to sums of say £200+ whereas people often need say £50 just to cover an unexpected shortfall (for example being off sick for a day having affected your earnings that month or energy payments higher because its been colder than expected that month or even just an unexpected cost like a school trip to pay for or kid's damaging their uniform/something breaking in the home like a hoover or a kettle).
I stay away from the news and social media but today I've seen so many reports of benefits cuts which will make pip applications a million times harder to do. The government think cutting disability benefit to balance their books is better than looking at the mass migration of illegal immigration and the billions of pounds they are spending on accommodating illegal migrants?
And on that I am absolutely for legal immigration and helping those in need that come through the correct channels.
They spend hundreds of thousands of pounds on food and drink expenses and extra homes and pay themselves hundreds of thousand pounds in wages while cutting the help from those disabled people who need it the most? The world's gone mad.
Honestly I feel like currently there is no hope. I was so anxious and scared about my pip tribunal but after seeing the things going on in the cuts I feel like giving up completely.
I feel like Hidden disabilities will be the first to be cut because it all relies on the option of others about your capabilities. Opposed to you being able to open your head and show them the daily struggles and difficulties you face to simply survive.
This government have failed us over and over again. Making empty promises of a better way of living only to plunge us further and further into poverty. I have no hope at this point regarding the future of us under this government
The reality behind the welfare reforms - the key points below:
1. PIP payments are going up, but they will be means-tested
2. People with severe conditions will NOT be subjected to re-assessments.
3. The Work Capability Assessment is to be scrapped in 2028 - it will be replaced with a new “Right To Try Work’ - with no risk of losing benefits
4. Universal credit payments to be frozen
5. Under 22 year olds can no longer claim the incapacity benefit top up to universal credit
Britain currently has 1 in 8 young people not currently in work, education or training and 2.8 million people economically inactive due to long term sickness – one of the highest rates in the G7.
The UK government has to address this problem.
On top of that, the number of young people (16-24) receiving PIP payments per month has gone through the roof since COVID, from 2,967 to 7,857 a month.
Over the next 5 years, if no action is taken, the number of working age people claiming PIP is expected to increase from 2 million in 2021 to 4.3 million, costing £34.1 billion annually.
Tough choices need to be made in government sometimes, especially when public finances are still fragile.
Something to think about🤔🤔🇬🇧🇬🇧🇪🇺🇪🇺
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Today's statement from the government has left me feeling uncertain about the future face by so many, how much more difficult is this government going to make things for people already struggling to survive. when my PIP claim comes up for reassessment I don't think I would get the amount of points that are going to be needed in order to continue receiving payments which will be a huge gap in the money I have coming in and the living expences that are needed in order to survive.
Today I resigned my Labour Party membership after being a member for over 20 years. I am outraged at the cuts to disability benefits.
My family are disabled. It’s rough having to beg and plead your case to prove you are disabled enough. Now they think they can make it harder to apply??? I’d like to know how that’s even possible.
Instead of looking at why disabled people are having to degrade themselves to beg for the pittance they are given and addressing how schools fail disabled children, health services have huge waiting lists and don’t even cater to ND people like myself. Then there’s the rampant discrimination in employment. They think the solution is to cut the money we get to stay alive!
When will the rich start to pay their fair share?
It’s can’t be right that most people claiming benefits are in employment. Why aren’t big business having to foot the bill? After all, they are the ones who lavishly benefit from the toil of those in their employment.
🚨| BREAKING: Labour will announce it will remove ALL disability benefits from 1 MILLION disabled people on Tuesday.
The changes will be announced tomorrow in a speech by the Work and Pensions secretary Liz Kendall. It is said the changes will not come into effect until 2026
Key points:
➡️ PIP denied for many mental health conditions
➡️ Benefits slashed for those who cannot work
➡️ PIP freeze idea “not serious”, was “a tactic”
➡️ Changes require MP vote
Plans aiming to save £5bn a year from the UK’s rising benefits bill to be unveiled on Tuesday by work and pensions secretary Liz Kendall will include a scaling back of “personal independence payments”, or PIP, that are made to cover extra costs for people who cannot work because of disability or ill health.
Under the reforms, PIP would be denied to many people with mental health conditions, while others with some physical and psychiatric conditions would see their benefits reduced to a lower level, according to people briefed on the plans.
These changes will require a vote in the House of Commons, the people said, pitting Starmer and his ministers against a rising chorus of backbench MPs who object to the measures and raising the possibility of the largest rebellion to date.
Dozens of Labour MPs have expressed serious concerns about withdrawing or cutting support for those in need, and several ministers raised objections with Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer at last week’s
cabinet meeting.
Yet Starmer and Kendall - who will present her green paper on Tuesday - are determined to curb the UK’s benefits spending, which they claim is sapping the economy and undermining growth.
Source: Financial Times