To be confused by benefits cuts to the disabled and ill?

[AllyHayHay]

As luck would have it, I have not been in this position, but I do know of one disabled lady who has struggled. She was incredibly fortunate to already own her own home prior to her accident.

I am not what you'd call politically astute, but I have been reading about the proposed spring benefits cuts and wonder why people always discuss this ONLY affecting the sick and disabled.
I am also aware that there are many, many rough areas with families who have never worked, people who are struggling with addiction, prison sentences (their kids, spouse, etc) and these people never seem to be included in the Guardian articles and opinion pieces online.

Why would a system wish to make the life of a disabled person worse, yet ignore the growing issues of illiteracy, generational poverty and other issues which are going on in most urban areas just out of sight of the comfortably off?
Why not address the reasons that great swathes of people are living on benefits across the UK who are NOT disabled? I imagine this would drag up questions of why those issues persist - and no one in government wants to address that.

Since benefits claimants who are not in work of on the pension are a minority, are these cuts more of a populist tendency?

I loved my last two jobs (not the Tesco one, obviously 😅). Can honestly say I loved working.

I loved my last job. I loved having money, and not having to worry about being at the mercy of the benefit system.

Depending on when it was the money probably wouldn’t get you far now.

I was never entitled to top ups as I was a single person with no kids.

And money not going as far now is due to the rising costs of everything. Which also affects people that are on benefits now. We are not immune to the price rises of gas etc.

Your payments rise with inflation. Mine don’t

And that is my fault how? And it is about £5pm. I won't let it change me.

Chuck your job in and get on benefits then? You sound very envious, so surely that's the solution?

Not a good idea right at this moment

What would happen if we all did this?

Has anyone else seen this?

The figures were not even true...

I'd love to see exactly how much of the budget goes to disability benefit payments, and how much goes directly in to the pockets of Capita or Atos, or is wasted by their 80% tribunal losses.

https://www.disabilitynewsservice.com/dwp-refuses-to-apologise-after-using-deeply-irresponsible-figure-to-exaggerate-benefit-claimant-rise/#:~:text=The%20Department%20for%20Work%20and,justify%20sweeping%20cuts%20to%20spending.

I'm not a politician, an economics wizard or a benefits advisor. I'm a woman in her 70's who lives on a state pension bolstered by a few savings.
My twopennorth (for what it's worth)....

The UK is broken - NHS, roads, education, COL, you name it, stuffed.

Different political parties come and go, they bleat about the poisoned chalice they've inherited from the last shitty show and come up with their own 'magical solutions'. What about if the main political parties got together to create a working plan for the next 10/20 years - an apolitical, multi-party quango (hate that word) of people with the skills, expertise and experience to come up with workable solutions? No backhanders, no nepotism, no mates' peerages or favours, just people who will put the UK first and not themselves. They would need to be accountable, responsible and transparent and I've no idea how it would be regulated or by whom or even if these people exist!

I'm prepared to be rubbished on here but....my twopennorth.

Figures would suggest that's exactly what lots of people are doing. I know you intended to be sarcastic but unfortunately this is the exact thought process going through people's heads. Get up at 6am, battle into work often with imperfect health and deal with difficult people and hard situations all day or lean into the difficulties and claim benefits. It's hardly surprising that lots of people opt for the latter.

Yes exactly. I work helping people over 50 to claim benefits and there are huge numbers doing this. A lot of people in their late fifties will start to get joint problems or MH issues due to stress of looking after elderly parents etc and the amount of benefits they can claim is usually sufficient. They often have a working partner and no mortgage so it's do-able. Why would you slog away at work struggling with health conditions when you can get enough form benefits to live on ?None of my clients claiming sickness benefits in this age group are looking for work or wanting to get back to work, they are just counting down to state pension age and claiming what they can until then. Someone who has been working and gives up work due to ill health can potentially get around £500+ in contributions based ESA and then PIP on top ( obviously if they meet the criteria), many claiming over 1k a month between the two benefits.. . If you've got no mortgage and a working partner or live in social housing and get all your rent covered by benefits it very do-able. People on UC with the LCWRA element could potentially be getting more. I was reading yesterday that over 3/4 of those assessed for work capability on universal credit get awarded the extra LCWRA higher rate currently which gives people an extra £414 a month. So 3/4 of people are being assessed as not being able to do any kind of work. This is why they are talking about changing the criteria or reducing the amount. Good luck to the government in getting them back to work. I honestly fear it will just be a massive waste of money hiring or deploying thousands of work coaches to try to coax this group of people back to work ! They will have more luck hopefully with the youngsters although I'm not holding my breath on those either ! I think we need to face up to the fact we are in a massive mess !

Does anyone know when these cuts - whatever they are- are supposed to come into effect? Is it immediate or sometime in the future?

Well if they don’t get back to work for whatever reason presumably no more benefits?

I guess we wait for the announcements next week but unlikely they are going to be forced back to work if they are ill. The incoming scheme just sounds like it's going to be a gentle persuasion to return to work for those that want to but my point was that most in this late fifties/ early sixties age group are not wanting to get back into work, they are just counting down to retirement age.

I think it will be more than gentle persuasion otherwise how will govt claw back £6 billion? Anyway as you say we will see.

Maybe by enough to buy a Mumsnet chicken eh! Happy days.

Good luck to the government in getting them back to work. I honestly fear it will just be a massive waste of money hiring or deploying thousands of work coaches to try to coax this group of people back to work ! They will have more luck hopefully with the youngsters although I'm not holding my breath on those either!

The time has come to rip the plaster off with about a quarter to half of benefit claimants. Job coaches, help with CVs, meetings - it’s all just stalling what needs to happen, a bit like breaking up with a boyfriend but still meeting/texting to do it ‘gently’. It will just result in further procrastination as they don’t turn up to appointments, withhold details of qualifications to make their CV as unemployable as possible and so on (not all will do this obviously but I really think many would).

I think just informing people their benefits will be ending in 6 months, they have until then to find a job, if they don’t then they will receive a food parcel every week and vouchers for basic utilities. The only people exempt should be the list of disabilities from 20 years ago (aka no nebulous MH type conditions), and those who have been sectioned in the last 6 months.

I think it would be brutal but like I said it has to happen, there is literally no alternative at this point. We will just have to deal with the fallout but I think it will prevent the intergenerational benefit culture and haul the NEETs out of their inevitable future of claiming.

They were wrong to release their little snippets of what they intend to do with the benefits. It has created a lot of stress, and tension for a lot of people. Now the wait is on, until they unveil all that they intend to do. Some of the suggestions I have read, have been wild, and cruel. I hope that the changes will not be too punitive. I have no idea why the main focus seems to be clawing money from the PIP, but here we are.

I think to make real change happen then something like this might be needed. Unfortunately the reality is that most of us need to work in jobs we don't particularly enjoy even when our health begins to fail and it becomes a struggle. That's what's needed to make retirement a possibility for the masses and to support those who genuinely cannot work due to disability or sickness. Most of us need to work until 67+ and contribute taxes until then. Very few of us will be in tip top health at that age but there is a difference between struggling with health conditions and being completely unable to work. We have lost that distinction in society now and many think it's the government's job to equalise things so that people aren't detrimented by their health conditions and shouldn't struggle at all. We simply can't afford to do this anymore.

Life is bloody difficult. It's always been the way. The fight for survival is real and it's not supposed to be easy or without difficulties.

Yes, if somebody has zero impetus to fight a bit for their own survival why should everyone else (increasingly expensively) do it for them?

Thinking about those groups of people in their mid/ late fifties, who are facing health issues and claiming benefits. Many of them may have already worked for 30+ years already. Throw ill health, possible shite menopause and dealing with elderly parents into the mix and it’s no wonder they are off sick! Burn out is a thing.

Start looking at why some of the younger generation are not in work, instead? Mental health; the new buzz word in this country. Poor mental health as a reason not to work? What does that mean exactly? My MH is shot to pieces. I’ve been diagnosed with cancer ( again) and my hair is all falling out from the chemo. I’m off sick. I want to be back in my job as I’m going insane. If you can work, bloody work.

I agree. It’s not great to sack off work at 55 and claim benefits for a decade as you feel done, but it’s much worse to simply assume you can live off everyone else for your entire life. Nobody thought this through when rushing to expand ND conditions and proposing every other child is assessed.

@ChilliLips yep I hear you, some valid points raised. I’m guessing many in the mid/ late fifties bracket, won’t have jacked in their careers lightly though. Circumstances dictate. Health issues surface and if the benefit is there to be claimed, it will be ( rightly or wrongly).