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Dr Sarah Hughes, chief executive of mental health charity Mind, says despite the concessions the government has made, the welfare reforms ‘remains a cruel, short-sighted policy’
The UK government claims its latest benefits shake-up will help disabled people back into work, offering “opportunity” and “support.”
But, despite the concessions the government has made, beneath the surface of their welfare reforms remains a cruel, short-sighted policy that risks driving thousands of disabled people in the future into poverty. This is still a fatally flawed bill.
At Mind, we’ve heard from nearly 600 people with mental health problems who currently receive benefits.
Nearly two-thirds (63%) said a reduction in welfare support would harm their ability to work or even look for a job. That’s hardly surprising when 93% said the changes would damage their finances.
How can anyone focus on job hunting if they can’t afford the bus fare to an interview, or are too busy working out how to feed their children to polish up a CV?
The government has agreed that protections will remain in place for disabled people currently receiving benefits. But if these protections are right for disabled people now, why are they not also right for disabled people in the future?
The most controversial changes around future access to PIP (Personal Independence Payments) remain. The way new applicants will be assessed from next year will strip away PIP from thousands of people who would previously have qualified. PIP isn’t about work incentives, it’s there to help cover the extra costs disabled people face.
Scope estimates disabled households need at least an extra £1,000 a month just to have the same standard of living as others. Taking that away might make a government spreadsheet look better, but it strips away a vital lifeline for people who become unwell in the future. Unless the bill is scrapped altogether, it will lead to poverty.
People tell us they use PIP to pay for essentials like transport (81%), food (78%), and help with daily living when they’re too unwell to leave home (70%). Half said that they needed PIP to cover the cost of treatments unavailable through the NHS, such as therapy for debilitating conditions like PTSD.
The extra costs of mental illness may be invisible, but they are no less real. Side effects of antipsychotics, for example, can include tremors, heart problems and drowsiness, which impact on day-to-day life significantly.
Even with concessions, the cuts this bill introduces to future benefits makes it untenable. What we need instead is decent mental health services, evidence-based employment programmes, and compassionate, flexible workplaces.
We urge MPs to oppose these plans and call on the government to build a system that supports people to live, recover and Thrive.