Campaign Team
The Government announced on Tuesday its proposals for the future of disability benefits.
Ministers say they want to get more Disabled people into work. If so, this is totally undermined by linking the proposals to severe benefit cuts – totalling over £5 billion by 2029-30. You do not improve employment prospects by increasing poverty.
We are strongly in favour of getting more Disabled people into work, where this is a realistic option for an individual: but this needs to be achieved through improved, locally-based employment support, provided wherever possible by Disabled People’s Organisations – and crucially through employers stepping up and providing accessible employment.
Instead, the Government’s proposals rely heavily on cutting essential benefits, which will undermine the financial stability and independence of Disabled people.
Disabled People’s Organisations would like to talk to Government about creating employment opportunities – but the threat of cuts must be removed, so that we can have a constructive discussion in good faith. Making people poorer will do nothing but harm, increasing hardship and making people more ill, physically and mentally.
Greater compulsory “engagement” of Disabled people with work coaches – presumably backed up by sanctions – will step up the “fear factor” and send more people down the already well-worn path to the food bank.
Among the cuts contained in the announcement:
- Higher rate of Universal Credit to be harder to get and greatly reduced in amount
- Higher rate of Universal Credit not payable to people under age 22
- Daily Living element of Personal Independence Payment to be harder to get
- More compulsory interviews with work coaches, backed up with the threat of sanctions.
- Where Employment and Support Allowance is based on National Insurance contributions, it will be time-limited, even for the most Disabled claimants.
The Campaign for Disability Justice says the Government should reconsider these proposals and that the threat of cuts should be taken off the table. Only then can we engage in a constructive discussion about work opportunities without the threat of poverty and hardship.
