Holly Wright is a mum of four – three of whom have various levels of disability who could lose hundreds of pounds of support a month under the new rules
Holly Wright, 39, is a mum of four – three of whom have various levels of disability who could lose hundreds of pounds of support a month under the new rules.
Her eldest son Kye, 18, has a learning disability and is eligible for PIP, which is unlikely to be affected.
But Holly’s middle daughter, Freya, is nearly 15 and due to transition from family support onto PIP in a year.
Holly fears Freya, who needs speech and language therapy and occupational therapy, won’t qualify for PIP once it’s reformed.
Freya has autism, sensory processing disorder, and hypermobility.
She said despite a legal assessment confirming Freya’s needs, she’s struggled to get her local council, Southampton, to pay out for therapies they’re required to support.
“You can’t get them to fund anything without hammering them in a tribunal,” Holly told the Mirror.
“Freya doesn’t need as much support [as her brother], but she does need constant reminding about things.”
Freya attends a special needs secondary school, and as well as occupational and speech therapy, currently does horse riding as a therapy – something quite common among children with disabilities.
“It helps with her co-ordination, and she has quite serious hypermobility, so it helps her build core muscle strength,” Holly said.
But she fears she wouldn’t be able to afford the therapy if Freya’s money were to change significantly.
Holly estimates that the cash difference if Freya is refused PIP once she outgrows Disability Living Allowance could be as much as £400 a month.
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And Holly would almost certainly lose her status as Holly’s carer, and the Carer’s Allowance top-up of £83.30 a week that comes with it.
“They’d expect me to go back to work,” she said. “These children aren’t capable of being left at home on their own.”
Asked what message she’d like to send to the Prime Minister, Holly said: “Come and spend a day in our life, so you can see how broken everything is.”