Reforms to disability living allowance risk widespread poverty

Campaigning against benefits cuts

Cuts to the disability living allowance (DLA) will leave disabled people, their carers and their children in poverty, says the TUC today (Friday) in its submission to the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) consultation on the benefit which closes today. Disabled people – and those living with and caring for them – are more likely than non-disabled people to face poverty and restricted chances in life, says the TUC.
Its submission argues that the current failing of the allowance is not that it is paying too much, as the government believes, more that it is not generous enough to provide disabled people with a decent standard of living.
The TUC believes that limiting the different rates of the allowance will mean many claimants could lose the benefit. The new allowance due to replace the DLA – the personal independence payment – is much less generous and will be available to far fewer people, and seems to have been designed primarily to cut government spending.
DLA claimants are all too often portrayed as malingering benefit dependants, but fraud is rare. Recipients of the current benefit rely on it to pay for basic food and accommodation. Any cut in the allowance would reduce the living standards of disabled people, and risk leaving them and their children in permanent poverty, says the TUC.
In addition, the TUC is concerned about changes to the mobility component of DLA, which could see older disabled people particularly hit by the loss of vital income, and left isolated in care homes and hospitals.
Many younger people who rely on this money to access the community and live a fulfilled life will also be adversely affected, says the TUC submission.
TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber said: “These proposals clearly show that the government is targeting some of society’s most vulnerable people to pick up the cost of the recession.
“We are very definitely not all in this together – while the champagne corks pop in the City as yet another round of mega bonuses is announced, disabled people are facing harsh cuts to their already meagre support allowance.
“Taking away this vital financial aid will consign thousands of disabled people and their families to a life of poverty.
“As government slashes local authority budgets, councils will be forced to fall back to providing only the services they are bound to do by law, axing discretionary spending on support schemes and assistance for disabled people.”
The TUC is calling on the DWP to carry out an urgent investigation into the impact of the proposed reforms to the DLA on carers.
The submission says that not only will carers be affected by the whole family’s lower income if the person they care for loses entitlement to benefit, but these changes could also affect their eligibility for carer’s allowance, carer’s premium and other vital benefits.

Benefits claimants protest at 38% cut

Protest outside the Jobcentre Plus offices in Chesterfield

Chesterfield benefits claimants protested against huge cuts to allowances today as the government continues its' unprecedented attack on welfare reciepients. Midlands TUC  Regional Secretary said, "These cuts of £25 a week constitute a 38% cut from £90 to just £65 a week. How can the government expect the poorest in society to cope with such cuts to the family income? Benefits are cut as bankers continue to award themselves obscenly huge bonusus - so much for all being in it together."

Cheryl Pidgeon and Colin Hampton address
 the claimants outside JobCentre Plus

Derbyshire Unemployed Workers Centre Coordinater Colin Hampton said, "We know that direct appeals to this government will fall on deaf ears but we shall not go away. We will continue to protest at these savage cuts to ensure people are aware of the damage being done to family incomes."

Nil Points

Colin Hampton

Claimants with disabilities will be staging a demonstration outside Chesterfield Jobcentre on Monday January 24th at 2pm. They will be joining in on a National Day of Protest Against Benefit Cuts. The demonstration, organised by the Derbyshire Unemployed Workers’ Centres, will see 30 claimants and supporters holding cards awarding nil points to the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) for the cuts they have received in benefits since the introduction of the new Employment and Support Allowance. Many of the protestors had received nil points from Atos Healthcare, the company that carries out disability analysis for the DWP. Only if they reach 15 points are people able to claim the new benefit. If not they lose at least £25 per week and have to join the growing queue looking for work. ‘Many people continue to receive benefit cuts’ said Tim Wilkinson adviser at the Derbyshire Unemployed Workers’ Centres. ‘These are people who have heath conditions which mean that employers are highly unlikely to give them a job. With more and more people looking for work with the Governments cut back’s those with physical and mental health problems will fall further to the back of the queue for jobs. Losing benefits and having to live on £65 per week does not help anyone’s health or chances of moving back into work.’
Derbyshire Unemployed Workers’ Centres are waiting to represent 700 people across Derbyshire at Appeals Tribunals many of which are challenging decisions to award nil points to people seeking ESA. Nationally 2½ million incapacity benefit claimants will be migrated on to the new benefit.

‘Derbyshire Unemployed Workers’ Centres will continue to give a voice to those under attack from benefit cuts’ said Colin Hampton co-ordinator of Derbyshire Unemployed Workers’ Centres, ‘If the County Council thinks it can stamp out dissenting voices by stopping grant aid to our organisation – it couldn’t be more wrong. Our job is not just to give advice and representation but to raise the social policy issues that arise from our work’.
Further information from Colin Hampton: colin.hampton@duwc.org.uk