Benefit cuts will cost the economy.

[MistressoftheDarkSide]

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2025/apr/29/labours-benefit-cuts-will-cost-uk-economy-billions-charity-says

Interesting article which repeats what some of us have been saying about the likely consequences of the proposed measures, including increased pressure on services.

Sigh, people have explained the myriad of aids, that they may need according to their disability, read some of the threads on disabilities. Having higher food bills, due to aversion to some textures, etc. Having to use the washing machine more than would be usual due to rituals to do with having OCD etc, which may include having to have multiple showers a day which means higher water bills. Not being able to use public transport, due to having Autism etc, resulting in having to rely on expensive cabs. Go, and read up on it, you may even find yourself being educated!

So about two thirds of the UC figure goes to rent, leaving £800 to live off?

The child benefit, carers, and DLA aren’t lavish and the adult PIP actually comes out at £330ish a month, suggesting a significant disability.

I think this illustrates two things; we need more affordable housing - much more - and we need far more special school places, units attached to mainstream, and also far more SEN nurseries and holiday clubs. Then more parents of disabled children could work.

Rent on a two or three bed council house is closer to £500 a month than £1500.

If we sort out SEN provision and affordable housing, that benefits bill will reduce.

You posted those figures to generate "look how much they get!!!" frothing. The cost of living isn't determined by benefits claimants, and probably half of their entitlement will go on rent and utilities. Perhaps a more honest breakdown would give a likely projection of cost of living in that scenario alongside, rather than the implication that said mythical family are "rolling in it"

Except you’re wrong - it may be a comfortable life on that amount if you didn’t have the disabilities that qualify you / your dc for the dla and pip. Having illness and disability makes living much more expensive. So whilst it may look a lot on paper the added expenses due to having disabilities means that this type of family are likely still struggling.

I dont see the point in comparing the incomings of a household that has a lot of disability with a working household that has none.
Whatever the figures are, the disabled household is living with significant disabilities that have an impact on their daily life - and that could be life limiting illness, ones that cause a lot of pain or fatigue just to name two examples. I could write a whole list. The working household does not have that to deal with.
But I get the feeling some people will still put their fingers in their ears and wail it is not fair that disabled people are somehow better off than them. To them I say - your health is priceless. Being able bodied is only temporary.

I haven't RTFT, so don't know if you mean me or if others said the same but I did say not for employees earning 100k/200k. I'm talking about obscene wealth - the sorts of amounts that couldn't be spent by one person in a lifetime. I know its a bit vague, sorry, just my opinion

If £7000iah per year IS what we pay a family with multiple disabilities because affordable housing and SN childcare isn’t available, I think that absolutely fine, actually. More than happy if my taxes are used for that. I’d been even happier if a house building scheme was inaugurated promptly to give people back the possibility of being self sufficient in not-for-profit housing.

Ok,

the statement is
“disabled people are the biggest takers”.

so let’s look at the government budget.

in this financial year the government is expected to spend 1.266 billion pounds.

of this social welfare is 379bn. The rest is health, education, defence, transport etc. social welfare is by far the largest expense with health running it a close second.

of the social welfare budget pensions is the largest expense by a long way. This is predicted to be 55% of the social welfare budget in 2025/26

so from the data pensioners are the biggest takers.

data from here:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/benefit-expenditure-and-caseload-tables-information-and-guidance/benefit-expenditure-and-caseload-tables-information-and-guidance

Even a special diet can cost £££s, which is the kind of thing that isn’t “equipment” but is a substantial cost.

Supplements and OTC medicines are similar. I pay about £60- 80 a month for supplements that help my joints. I also have to pay for private physio because NHS physio is barely extant. I couldn’t afford that, even with PIP, if I wasn’t working. People must be incredibly frugal to make it work on low incomes.

But benefits aren't a kind of compensation for being disabled, they're to cover the additional costs of being disabled. There's quite a difference!

Is the 4k per month? Per year?

Okay same answer to you.

Special diets, supplements, physio, bandages and supports…. All these things are costs, but not “equipment”.

Year! Ffs, this is infuriating

UC is a compensation for not being able to work though, although it works out at £800 per month which is significantly less than someone on NMW. Plus, if a couple live together and neither are able to work, only one of them can claim LCWRA.

Hence all the ‘what do I spend my PIP/DLA on’ threads on here?

For me, a large part of the additional costs of being disabled is the inability to work and pay for basic living costs that way.

It's only infuriating because you laid it out in a ridiculous way. No frequency attributed to any of the benefits. You rounded CB up to a monthly cost, when it's paid 4 weekly, but PIP which is also paid 4 weekly was put down as an annual figure.

I don't think you can be aghast that people are confused.

Can you link to one? I've not seen any, but that doesn't mean they don't exist obviously

So why did you put that down alongside the monthly figures without bothering to specify that the £4k figure was an annual one?

It is indeed infuriating when people deliberately misrepresent something and then get snarky when people dispute it.

Back when I was a missguided libertarian I had the view that in the past "the charities and the churches looked after the poor. We didn't need government."

£40k per year for a couple with 2 kids is hardly raking it in. What would a couple both working NMW be on? And they would probably be topped up with UC and rent paid too.
it is comparing apples and oranges.

Next, the statement was:

the majority are for non physical disabilities.

in Jan 25 there were 3.6 million people receiving PIP.

1.4 million had a psychiatric diagnosis.

3.6 - 1.4 is 2.2

so 2.2 million people receiving pip do not have a psychiatric diagnosis of any sort and the majority of claims are for a physical disability.

in addition, as I know from my own claim, they ask you to list all the diagnoses you have ever had. Shortly after my accident I was diagnosed with depression and anxiety.

apparently it’s fairly normal in people who have a major life changing accident and or get a life altering disease to get depressed and anxious.

so quite a lot of those 1.4 million will be people like me who have multiple diagnoses, but actually the main reason for me claiming isn’t anxiety or depression it’s that I had an accident and can’t walk.

photo attached of what the DWP considers psychiatric disorders - note it includes severe learning difficulties and schizophrenia amongst others.

Oh thanks for this. 🙏🏻 I’m going to put the kettle on and settle down to absorb some actual facts.

It turned out the £40k was actually £7k.

I have libertarian friends who still believe this in their 50s. They got a bit squirmy when my business folded and I became UC dependent in my 50s, with elderly parent responsibilities, after being widowed, because they had to concede that given my circumstances there wasn't a viable alternative to state support guaranteed to prevent me from ending up under the pier.....