Upcoming changes to benefits
There has been a lot of speculation over the last few months about potential changes to the benefits system and earlier this week ITV released an article summarising what is expected to be announced by the Government:
- More than £6bn of welfare savings will come from changes to disability benefits. The aim is to save £6bn a year by the end of the decade.
- £5bn of these savings will come from restricting eligibility for PIP.
- PIP rates will be frozen so they don't rise with inflation.
- Cutting UC for those assessed as "unfit for work"
- £1bn of these savings will be used for major investment in employment support.
Nothing more is known at the moment and currently there has been no official announcement on the matter.
As reported by the Independent, 16 major charities – including ourselves (Scope), the Trussell Trust, and Mind, have penned a letter to the government warning that benefit cuts would have a “catastrophic impact on disabled people up and down the country”.
Read more about our Cost of Cuts campaign and add your signature.
You can also Get your MP to act against cuts by emailing them.
Please note: There are a lot of discussions across the community on this topic and we’d like to try and keep them in one place so members can continue to have a safe space away from the topic, so where possible, please keep any discussion about these reforms and potential changes to this one discussion.
Comments
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Thanks for clarifying where the cuts will fall Albus. It is obviously an extremely worrying time for millions of disabled people who are reliant on benefits not just for aids and adaptations but to cover the cost of living increases. We have all seen staggering hikes in water, gas, electric prices and also council tax. If there are any charities that can help with utilities it may be a good idea to post a link so people can see if they can qualify for help. In Sheffield where I live I am classed as a priority customer for gas, electric and also water which saves me money on my bills. I don't know if this scheme is available across the whole of the UK but it may be worthwhile contacting your water company and asking if you qualify as a priority customer due to disability.
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Sorry Adrian not Albus I need a cup of coffee and my glasses obviously.
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This thread fails to take in reputable reports since last Friday, including Kier Starmer’s meeting with members of the parliamentary Labour Party last night. This was reported and analysed in depth in today’s issue of “The Financial Times”, which has added to my own fears. There was a good deal more about PIP than simply freezing the benefit.
In addition, a key thread has been closed and another to do with taking peaceful action and making our voices heard appears to have been deleted. Hence, I’ll post the thoughts I intended to float there here instead.
Yes. We need to lobby Members of both Houses of parliament but there’s soft power out there too and we need to get those people on side.
Some time ago, there was a thread on the neuro-diversity forum to do with autism and churches. It has been closed. However, it highlighted than many Scope members have a religious faith.
The current government’s proposals are well beyond the teaching of Christianity and Judaism. In Psalm 140, you’ll find the words, “I know that the Lord secures justice for the poor and upholds the cause of the needy.” Proverbs 31 instructs us: “Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy.” These texts are common to Christianity and Judaism. I’m sure similar could be found in the teaching of Islam and other faiths.
It’s time we heard more not just from politicians but from faith leaders. I’m urging Scope users to contact every diocesan bishop and assistant/suffrage bishop in the country. Twenty-six Anglican diocesan bishops sit in the House of Lords. Jewish and Islamic faith leaders are also represented.
I’m urging Scope users to contact, say, three faith leaders or as many as they can manage.
Thank you, Zipz
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Hi , do you have any idea if this is for new claimants or all of us ? Can they legally lower amounts to existing claimants such as the idea or reducing LCWRA to give it to people able to work.
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SO what's was the bloody point moving people from ESA to UC? and then in 50% of cases given them more money???
This whole situation is barmy, within a month were now getting told that the extra money shouldn't have happened and they going to cut it?
If I'm honest it's the governments own faults, you can't keep moving people and introducing new scheme and then shafting people down the line. It was them who brought in the premiums, then hid them and then had to pay out.. once again its happen.
When they changed DLA to Pip they got rid of the middle rates but that just seems to have pushed some people on to the higher rates..
I bet there is no way in hell there will ever make that £5bn in cuts unless they really go for it, IE no one gets it. PIP will never got up again…
And another freeze: Remember when IB/ESA never went up for 9 years???
If they had buggered off and left everyone alone, with the new ESA in 2012 none of this would have happened and everyone would know were they were.
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They’re basically taking money from people who are unable to work so have no financial mobility to give to those who can or are in work. What I don’t understand is they give extra to those who can’t work for sickness but then allow them to work. You’re either sick or you’re not . It’s all so confusing and now they’re changing it again.
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I’m in the SW and we utility reductions too .
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I'm also in the S.W
how do you qualify for that?
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I came across it by chance with SSW as called them last year when my husband was in hospital asking for a payment hold I had to give up my job to care for him when he was to be discharged and was told they would also put us on a lower payment for a year and since found out they are doing it for a second year but it has gone up slightly . It’s worth calling them
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Thank you.
Our bills are set to rise again in April.
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I had a lifetime award of DLA for nearly 25 years, much of that time of the high rate for both components. As a PIP claimant, I have the equivalent rates for an indefinite period (10 years). You are right to say that many DLA claimants went from middle to high rates without a change in their conditions/s when applying for PIP. I wish they'd left DLA alone for those with lifelong awards even if they'd made it taxable income. It was very, very hard to get but it was security.
I suspect that once PIP is frozen it will never "thaw".
Billions have been wasted mucking about.
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Surely cutting the LCWRA is not something that can be rushed through?
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It is worth contacting water and also gas and electric suppliers if you have a disability which requires you to use more water or utilities then they will usually be sympathetic and help with bills. My daughter has a rare form of leukaemia she has zero immune system so we have to wash everything most days such as bedding and towels and clothes she also needs the house kept warm it is costing us a fortune to look after her properly and we also need lots of antioxidant fruit and vegetables and very lean meat, vitamins, shower chair, we have installed rails to help her around the house as she is very weak and in her early 20's so she wants to be as independent as possible. It has been a very worrying time for myself my husband and her three sisters she has to go inpatient in hospital the minute her temp goes above 38 degrees her PIP was stopped as she has been inpatient for at least four months ourt of the last year but it doesn't stop the extra travel expenses for us to visit her daily and these cuts are going to seriously impact us. The term throwing the baby out with the bathwater seems apt here they are going to hurt seriously ill people and cause extreme poverty for millions of disabled people. I have contacted my MP and she hasn't even bothered to reply to me. The Tories were intending to cut 1.5 -2 billion and Labour who called them cruel ect are intending to cut 6 billion it is unbelievable to think that Labour are the ones doing this to disabled people and the elderly it really does seem as if they just don't care what the financial impact is going to be on vulnerable people.
I also have to wonder if the charities have been told their funding will be cut or access to ministers will be stopped if they kick up too much fuss or encourage people to protest. This is just me own personal opinion and not an attack on Scope or other charities I understand they may be put in a very difficult situation and may feel the greater good will be achieved by keeping lines of comminucation open but it feels as if we have very few people to advocate for us properly.
I don't think the Government will change their minds either no matter what we do, I am not saying to just accept it but look for other ways you may be able to get help to cover essential bills, we have to try to find a way to keep our essential bills covered and also still be able to eat and pay housing costs. We have a community food shop here which you can take 20 items once a week for the cost of three pounds, see if there is one in your area as it can help with food costs. I will post more if I can come up with any other helpful ideas. I am going to spend today scouring different charities and people who give grants to see what help is available.
Above all try and take breaks from the doom and gloom of social media as it is going to cause serious mental health issues and also physical as the more stressed we get, the more the fight or flight response kicks in which releases adrenaline and cortisol which can make us have flare ups and make us even worse.
Love and peace to everybody.
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Soft Power:
Last year, I was shattered to read of the small number of charities that responded to the Tory government’s Green Paper to do with PIP reform. I think many disability/health charities take a rather optimistic view of how “well” a person with a crippling physical or psychological condition can live. However, I should think that most disabling conditions are associated with a medical body with global experts among their membership. I list a few below:
British Medical Association
Royal College of Nursing
Royal College of General Practitioners
Royal College of Ophthalmologists
Association of British Neurologists
Royal College of Psychiatrists
Royal College of Radiologists
Royal College of Surgeons
Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists
British Society for Haematology
Royal College of Physicians
Royal Society of Medicine
We need these people on side. I think letters/ emails might be worth it.
Thanks, Zipz
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LCWRA is being cut next month!?
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Government's are changing their mind every 5 minutes, the DWP is in almost constant reform for the working age. The next reform will always be the fix for the country's problems.
This is ESA part 2 for Labour, as the ESA introduction never ended up as they intended. It was intended to have reassessments every 3-36 months and cut a million from the work load.
Pip also didnt go as predicted for the Tories, although you can argue that was at least partial reform as they did introduce new areas which qualified for daily living which were not covered under DLA and reduced the reliance on diagnosis.The money thing is because there is an obsession with the ideal that people are choosing to not work as a career choice rather than it being down to severe health problems.
On @Loulou82xx point, severn trent have a social tariff which is heavily discounted.
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This is the most accurate assessment of what might happen I’ve read. It’s from the ‘Joseph Rowntree foundation’ and shows where cuts to the Low capacity for work/ PIP might fall. The eligibility criteria is also discussed but you have to scroll down. I’m not sure the bulk of these changes can happen quickly.. green paper to white paper etc. Plus disabled people are being targeted first ( easy victims)because they plan to tax everyone eventually. They are softening the blow to universal taxing, layoffs of civil servants and pensions amendments IMO. The ITV leak was planned.. again Starmer / Reeves paving the way.. pen a letter to your MP.
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Hi Maggie, no link appeared sadly. My assumption at this point descriptors mentioned in the PIP consultation will be candidates. Since that consultation was already done, they could perhaps do it without a new one.
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Hi what is "candidates"? Please.
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