How Proposed Changes To PIP Will Plunge People With Disabilities Into Poverty

It has never been my intention to share my political views on the STRIVE Ability website because I need to remain impartial as a business.  But there are exceptions when I feel compelled to speak out about what I perceive to be an injustice to those with disabilities, and this is one such occasion where I have to say my piece!

The British Government wants to reform the Welfare State, and have announced that it needs to save up to £6bn a year by slashing Personal Independence Payments (PIP.)  At present, anyone with a long-term disability or illness of working age can apply for PIP, a tax free benefit that is designed to assist claimants with the extra costs incurred as part of their disability or illness.

Background

The Conservative Government first introduced such a benefit in 1992, then called Disability Living Allowance, (DLA.)  At that time, the benefit comprised two categories, mobility component, and care component.  These components were split into sub-categories:

• Lower rate mobility
• Higher rate mobility
• Lower rate care
• Middle rate care
• Higher rate care

Back then, many severely visually impaired and blind people were awarded lower rate mobility and one of the care components, depending on how you met the criteria on the application form.  DLA ran alongside Incapacity Benefit which itself was superseded by Employment And Support Allowance.  DLA could be claimed whether or not you were in work, that is to say, it was not means-tested.

But there were aspects of the benefit that successive governments did not like and considered to be flawed.  So, in April 2013, the Conservative Government changed not just the name of DLA to PIP, but also amended its rules.  Currently, there is only one mobility component, and two care components, lower and higher rate.  Many blind people who have been moved over to PIP have actually been awarded more than they received on the previous DLA system because they were deemed in more need of extra benefit to help pay for additional support.

The Current Situation

• Since PIP was introduced to replace DLA, successive governments have wanted to ‘clamp down’ on those claiming PIP as the criteria for eligibility has widened considerably.  Rhetoric like ‘benefit fraud’ and ‘skiving’ have been frequently touted comments in recent years to demean and undermine those with genuine disabilities and long-term illness.  Add the recent Covid-19 pandemic to this already huge bill, and it now seems that many who suffer with mental health issues such as depression, drug and alcohol abuse, are claiming PIP long-term alongside those who have genuine, serious disabilities.  So the new Labour Government has announced that PIP is going to be reformed.  Naturally, rumours are plentiful in how this will be achieved, but the most likely proposal is that PIP will become a means-tested benefit for working age claimants which, if true, will plunge many people into poverty.  Think about it:
• People of working age who are blind or severely visually impaired, those who have physical disabilities such as wheelchair users, those with terminal conditions such as cancer, MND, MS and Huntington's Disease, all have far less chance of finding a job and holding onto it
• The extra money that PIP gives a claimant goes towards technology that helps them to live with some independence such as a screen reader on their computer, or a Smart device to keep in touch with friends and family
• Pays for taxis where public transport is not an option
• Enables a claimant to pay for support in their home such as a cleaner or cook, or when out and about such as a personal shopper

On the other hand, drug and alcohol abuse is a lifestyle choice, any of the above disabilities or terminal illnesses are for life, you have very few choices to make when you are diagnosed with severe sight loss or one of the nasty conditions that slowly kill you!

The following extracts are taken from an article on the ITV News website written by Deputy Political Editor, Anushka Asthana.  In it, she tells ITV News:

'The government is planning to unveil more than £6bn of welfare savings that will see far tougher tests imposed for a key disability benefit, some payments frozen in 2026, and major changes to the way universal credit is calculated.'

Liz Kendall, the work and pensions secretary, has argued that the welfare system is broken and it is critical to get more people into work.  But the changes are likely to be hugely controversial, including with Labour backbenchers.

The radical package of reforms will see:

• £5bn in savings by making it harder to qualify for Personal Independence Payments - a benefit not linked to work that is meant to help people with the additional costs of their disability
• Further savings by freezing PIP payments next year, so they do not rise with inflation
• Raising the basic rate for Universal Credit paid to those searching for work, or in work, while cutting the rate for those who are judged as unfit for work.
• A billion pounds of savings ploughed into a major investment for employment support for those who are looking for a job

The aim of the measures is to massively increase the incentives for people to remain in the work-search category of Universal Credit, even if they suffer with a health condition or disability, but also to more than £6bn a year by the end of the decade.

In an interview with ITV, Liz Kendall said:

'too many people are “taking the mickey” by claiming benefits when they should be working.'

She went on: 'The number of people on benefits who pretend they can’t work is “not good enough,” and “we have to end that.'

A survey of people on health and disability benefits, carried out by the Department for Work and Pensions, revealed that 49% of people say they can never work. But Kendall admitted she thinks “more of those people could work.”

“I don’t blame people for thinking that they can’t, because they’re stuck on a waiting list for treatment, they haven't had the proper support that they might need from the job centre.”

Under these plans - even those with extreme disabilities in the unfit to work category - are likely to lose money.  Meanwhile many will be taken out of PIP payments which are not linked to work at all- but are there to help with the additional cost of disabilities.

James Taylor, Executive Director of strategy at disability equality charity Scope said: ‘Ripping PIP away will be catastrophic for disabled people.’

‘PIP exists because life costs more if you are disabled.  Those costs won’t disappear if the government squeezes eligibility.  Many disabled people use PIP to get to and from work and to pay for essential equipment like mobility aids.’

"Making it harder to get benefits will just push even more disabled people into poverty, not into jobs.’

"The Chancellor has a choice - cut benefits and increase poverty, or invest in an equal future for disabled people.’

‘Making the wrong choice will have a devastating impact on disabled people and their families.’ 

Laura Thomas, Head of Policy at the MS Society, says: ‘We’re deeply concerned at the suggestion of welfare cuts and urge the government not to take such a cruel and harmful approach.’

‘People with MS have told us they’ve been filled with worry in recent weeks about what these changes could mean for them.’

‘MS can be debilitating, exhausting and unpredictable.  And we know that already too many people with the condition are struggling to pay for essentials like food and medications with the benefits they do receive.’

‘So any cuts will inevitably increase poverty and destitution, and worsen health, amongst a community who are already likely to be struggling.’

So why penalise people who are genuine claimants with a disability or terminal illness?  Why give PIP to people of working age who have become addicted to drugs or alcohol, or who see the benefits system as an entitlement rather than a need?  Instead of going after the most vulnerable people in society and penalising them, why not put more money into mental health and addiction services to help them change their lifestyle?

It is cruel and unfair to remove more than £700 a month from a genuine PIP claimant just because the Labour Government has decided it needs to save money to pay for wars and weapons abroad when our own country has an NHS on its knees, a care system in crisis, council and education budgets slashed to the bone, and the cost of living through the roof.  The new PIP proposals won’t incentivise people to work, they are just going to penalise and belittle those who need the benefit the most.  It’s cruel, it’s nasty, and it’s unnecessary!

The danger is that Labour has a huge majority following the election in July 2024, so while there will be opposition, it is likely that some form of major reform will pass and be made law.  For any genuine PIP claimant, charity or support group reading this, therefore, please let your voice be heard and legally oppose these cuts.  The Labour Government is being very tight-lipped about how they are going to axe the benefit for thousands of people, or make it means-tested.  Contact your MP and sign any petitions you come by.  If you have an affiliation to a campaigning charity such as Scope, RNIB, Sense or MS Society, lend your support to preserving PIP for those who genuinely need it.  The white noise of benefit fraud and abuse of the system will grow louder as new legislation makes its passage through the Houses, so anything we can do is urgent and needs to be acted upon before it is too late.  All too often, the burden is placed on the shoulders of the less well off in this country while the top 5 to 10% can stash their wealth in off-shore bank accounts, receive freebees from donors who want a say in how to protect their wealth in exchange for ‘favours’, and come up with elaborate ways to ‘bend’ or ‘break’ the rules that should apply to everyone but never do!