2 weeks Ago By Adam-t-forrest
Labour’s plan to cut benefits to boost employment levels will backfire by pushing disabled people out of work, ministers have been warned.Disabled people in work who also depend on personal independence payments (PIP) told The i Paper they were being unfairly targeted for “soul-destroying” welfare cuts.Last month the Government announced big changes to PIP and the incapacity element of universal credit aimed at saving almost £5 billion a year by the end of the decade.
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addToArray({"pos": "inread-hb-ros-inews"}); }Keir Starmer has said health-related benefits system was actively incentivising people to stay out of work – calling it an “affront to the values of our country”.But PIP claimants have accused the PM of “muddying the waters” by conflating his employment push with cuts to a benefit supporting people who are already in full-time and part-time jobs.PIP is not an out of work benefit.
Just over 3.7 million people receive the payments of up to £737 a month to support their daily needs and help them get around independently.And around one-sixth of PIP claimants, just over 600,000 disabled people, already have jobs, according to official estimates.
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addToArray({"pos": "mpu_tablet_l1"}); }#color-context-related-article-3617774 {--inews-color-primary: #E33A11;--inews-color-secondary: #F7F3EF;--inews-color-tertiary: #E33A11;} Read Next square BENEFITS I'm a Waspi woman on PIP – benefits cuts could push people like me into care homesRead MoreLaurence Perks, a 34-year-old supply teacher from Cardiff, has diplegia cerebral palsy, which primarily affects his legs.He also has congenital hydrocephalus, a brain condition which causes severe migraines, nausea and physical co-ordination.Perks gets around £600 a month in PIP, around £300 of which goes towards the lease for his Motability Scheme car.
He uses the rest of his PIP money for petrol, home adaptations and other devices he needs to support his independence and keep him working.“I’m doing what the Government wants – working,” said Perks. “So it’s very frustrating to be caught up in this effort to cut money from the system.
It’s soul-destroying.”“If I didn’t have PIP it would certainly make it more difficult to work. It would make me more dependent on family.
I may need more support from the NHS, from local authority social care. If PIP were removed it would ruin my life.”Under the PIP scoring system used to assesses how much help someone needs, eight points are needed for the lower rate payment and 12 points are needed for the higher rate.
Labour’s planned changes means PIP applicants will have to score four points in at least one activity category to get the daily living payment. Mobility payments will not be affected.if(window.
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adverts) { window.adverts.addToArray({"pos": "mpu_tablet_l2"}); }It means less severe difficulties in completing tasks, which can typically score one, two or three points across a range of questions, will no longer be enough.
Perks did not score four points in any category in his last assessment. “I’m worried I may lose money because the Government is changing the goalposts, not because my needs have changed,” said the teacher.“I’m trying to avoid panicking over the changes.
But I do think the changes will backfire in pushing some people out of work and making them more dependent.”Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall and Keir Starmer say the benefits system is incentivising staying out of work (Photo: Stefan Rousseau/PA Wire)The Government’s own impact assessment shows 370,000 current PIP recipients will no longer qualify under planned changes. Another 430,000 future PIP claimants will get less money, with an average estimate loss of £4,500 a year.
Jamie Cole, 47, works full-time for Up for Yorkshire, a charity supporting disabled people, unemployed people and other groups.Cole also suffers from bipolar disorder, serious back pain and a series of other physical conditions. He gets just over £700 a month in PIP, using it for transport, osteopathy and other treatments.
He said a lot of PIP claimants were “terrified” about Labour’s changes. “They have muddied the waters by mixing-up the push to get people into work with PIP. if(window.
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adverts) { window.adverts.addToArray({"pos": "mpu_tablet_l3"}); }“It’s lead to this rhetoric around PIP claimants being scroungers, which is completely unfair,” said Cole.
“The cuts could push people out of work or force them to cut their hours, if they can’t afford to get therapies, can’t afford help with their care.”“My employer is very understanding, but I might have to consider going part-time if I lost PIP, because I might not be able to get the healthcare I need to do full-time work.”Cole also pointed out that some employers may not be as flexible with a disabled employee if they cannot get PIP under tighter eligibility.
“They may be less concerned about making adjustments. They may be less concerned about following the [2010 Equality Act] rules in place, which aren’t always followed.”Carol Vickers, 47-years-old from Leeds, works full-time as operations manager in the education sector.
She gets the standard rate of PIP to help manage multiple conditions including severe osteoarthristis and ADHD, receiving a little over £400 a month.if(window.adverts) { window.
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adverts.addToArray({"pos": "mpu_tablet_l4"}); }“PIP is one of the big things that keeps me and so many others in work, and they’re threatening to cut that or take it away. It may force some people out of work,” she said.
Vickers added: “The rhetoric about getting disabled people into work is infuriating. I’m working and so are millions of other disabled people.”Labour promised £240m for new employment schemes for disabled people and the long-term sick when launching its Get Britain Working White Paper in November.
But last month, ministers pledged £1bn for such employment schemes.The Government has also launched a review on how to better support people with disabilities into sustainable work, led by former John Lewis Partnership chairman Sir Charlie Mayfield.But Disability Rights UK has warned said there was still “not enough” funding going into support programmes or to incentivise employers.
The charity has warned that benefit cuts could drive “the poorest disabled people into even deeper poverty”.A DWP spokesperson said the benefit system “will always be there for those with severe health conditions, and we will introduce a new premium for those who will never be able to work”.They added: “Our reforms will unlock work for sick and disabled people who can do so – backed by a £1 billion support offer to guarantee tailored help into work – while protecting those who cannot.
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