Disability news

Andi66
Andi66 Online Community Member Posts: 1,339 Championing
in PIP, DLA, ADP and AA

https://www.disabilitynewsservice.com/dwp-refuses-to-say-who-will-lose-out-in-2-billion-cuts-to-disability-benefits-six-weeks-after-budget/

More depressing news from dwp

Comments

  • MrHappy
    MrHappy Online Community Member Posts: 163 Empowering

    That's so worrying.

    Thanks for bringing it to everyone's attention @Andi66 (i wasn't aware they were planning more cuts to benefits).

  • MW123
    MW123 Scope Member Posts: 1,891 Championing
    edited January 10

    @Andi66 @MrHappy

    These aren’t extra cuts being added now. They’re the same measures that were set out last year when the Welfare Reform Bill was going through.

    The £2 billion in savings didn’t appear as a new announcement in the Budget speech because they were already part of the wider package and they’re listed in the Treasury tables rather than highlighted by the Chancellor.

    DNS is now asking the DWP for an impact assessment because the government still hasn’t said who will be affected. Without that, it’s impossible to see how the £2 billion in savings are made or which groups are affected.

    What we do know is that the new rules will apply to new claimants from April this year and their rates will be lower under the revised UC structure.

    Current claimants aren’t affected at this stage as the changes apply to new claims, but until an impact assessment is published we can’t see whether there will be any exceptions, transitional rules or knock on effects for existing awards.

    See link below and read section 1.1 “Fixing the failings of the welfare system to stop people being written off due to sickness and to lift 450,000 children out of poverty.” It sets out how the government is framing these reforms.

    https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/budget-2025-document/budget-2025-html

  • Andi66
    Andi66 Online Community Member Posts: 1,339 Championing

    Oh ok, I saw on tv and it's been highlighted on social media that Ed Milliband is being lined up as chancellor.

  • MW123
    MW123 Scope Member Posts: 1,891 Championing

    @Andi66

    I can’t really comment on Ed Miliband as I haven’t heard anything, and to be honest if I did I’d take it with a large pinch of salt.

    What I can say is that the changes in the DNS article you shared are definitely happening. They were passed in last year’s Welfare Reform Bill, so they’re already written into law and will go ahead regardless of any change in chancellor.

    I would also like to add that existing claimants are protected at the moment. From April this year the changes only apply to new claimants.

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