To ask you all the take a minute to look at the proposed Green Paper on work & welfare, particularly the cuts to PIP.

[MarvellousMonsters]

The Government has published a green paper which amongst other things proposes to change the PIP eligibility, which will ‘save £5b’ by removing financial
support from those who don’t score 4 points in a single criteria in the daily living component of PIP.

green paper in full

It’s estimated that it can cost up to £1000 a month in extra living expenses as a disabled person, and the daily living allowance of PIP is designed to help towards these costs. The lowest rate is £72.65 a week, (£290.60 a month) and this is a literal life line to those who have a limited capability for work, are ‘not disabled enough’ to qualify for full support, but do need help. It allows people to pay for things like cleaners and domestic help, to buy ready prepped veg etc to allow them to eat proper healthy food, to heat their home if they have poor body temp control, and so on. The proposed changes will push these people into acute poverty, and also reduce their quality of life, not just financially, but because being in receipt of PIP makes people eligible for other types of practical support.

You may feel this isn’t something that affects you, but disability can happen to anyone, as those previous fit healthy people who are now incapacitated by Long Covid can confirm. You could be in a car accident, or become sick, it could literally happen to anyone, so this truly does concern everyone, even if you are currently able-bodied and well.

Please, if you do nothing else, please fill in the consultation form and lobby the DWP not to introduce the ‘4 point rule’. If you only do that you’ll help thousands of people who are currently at risk of losing vital support.

consultation form

TLDR: please tell Liz Kendall not to remove vital welfare support from disabled people.

@Greenartywitch Whilst PIP is not an out of work benefit, the vast majority of people on PIP are not in work.

About 1/6 = 17% are in work, leaving 83% not in work. It does vary 2019/20 it was 15%

Of this (year 2019/20), 10 % were in full time work, 5% part time.

So I think it is fair to say that for the most part PIP is claimed by people who are not in work.

Are you one of the people classifying food, warmth and hygiene as luxuries?

@Taxtina I don't think anyone disagrees it is a problem. It's the proposed solution that is the issue. Just like the WFA it is a very clunky, ill thought out intervention that isn't going to work. It will just increase suffering and send this country backwards even more. It would be great to get people into work, but how? How are they going to ensure employers do not discriminate or provide reasonable adjustments? I havent seen much at all about this. In areas of high disability and poverty there may not even be the jobs available for people to do.

Access to Work doesn't function. A 26 week wait for a response after applying I've heard. That doesn't fill me with confidence.

If you're measuring poverty as relative poverty it can never go completely as it is a percentage of the median income. Therefore however rich we get, there will be a group that are poorer by comparison.

Could people stop personally attacking individuals and making rude suggestions about only fans.

Deal with the points raised, don't attack the individual.

Weewoo weewoo thread police have arrived 🫡🚓

I'd have added a penny to VAT rather than crippling businesses with higher corporation taxes and inhibiting growth.

How about hitting Corporation and Inheritance Tax dodgers. They could start close to home with the Royal Family.

Or someone paying to have their hair washed at the salon, due to only having one arm, or a spinal condition!

What's also shocking is the 1 million people who are getting the LCWRA element of UC but aren't eligible for PIP will lose it. So 1 million people who are known and accepted by the government to not have capacity for work will get no additional financial support.

I agree. I work in benefits and whilst I am really concerned that people are going to suffer, I also think there has to be some serious changes to the system because it's completely unsustainable.

I am one of them. I am terrified.

DC has ASD and severe learning difficulties. We scored high (enhanced on both) but only scored 4 points for 1 activity. terrified what happened if we only score 3 for cooking/meal prep next time. DC cannot cook, cannot handle money at all (can count to 10 with both hands), has the mental age of a 6 year old and needs round the clock supervision. I will probably have to give up work once college is finished as there is nobody to look after them otherwise. Plan was to claim carers allowance but if we fail to qualify for PIP, I won't get that either. I will have to hand over DC to social services for supported living/or care setting with which cost thousands per week. I guess many people will be forced to do the same and costs will actually explode. There is this huge knock on effect on carers who cannot claim CA then either. It's absolutely horrendous what they are planning. In any case, the 4 point threshold is not even part of the consolidation so will happen either way. Nasty nasty bastards. Never thought labour would hi after the pensioners, the disabled, the carers, and no immigrants who work their arses off in the care sector. I lost all hope.

also, who do all those people saying, ah the welfare bill is too high, not sustainable, think will employ the disabled galore. I think these would often be the first ones if their new and disabled colleague would need loads of adaptions, a lot of time off etc.

All the posters rubbing their hands in glee at the prospect at this will also be the scum who wouldn't like a disabled person working along side them, will whinge when they need time off for medical appointments, surgeries or therapies and will be on sick leave when it all becomes to much (if an employer even looks their way...which they won't in a lot of circumstances). We have already seen this in a childcare thread.

I receive PIP. I struggle day to day due to post op brain surgery complications and a brain bleed. Some days are better than others. I'd happily work if I could, no employer will be flexible enough about chronic fatigue, memory issues or random leg & back spasms.

@UnbeatenMum So they'll be in the same position as people who cannot find work then.

Who, if they are single and young are expected to live on very very little and are the lowest ranked for housing.

They are humans with the same basic human needs for food, warmth and shelter.

We spend a totally average amount on welfare compared to similar countries. Doesn't France spend about 50% more? They seem to be sustaining it ok but do have a higher tax rate. It hasn't made all their billionaires move away.

Scotland now has a different .disability benefits system I switched over from PIP to.adult disability payment last year.

Yep, the Scots were horrified about what Westminster was doing or probably going to do - I heard that was the main impetus for separating the systems - to protect our vulnerable. I thought Wales and NI might have separate systems too but maybe not?

You could say by the same token that the NHS is also totally unsustainable but nobody is calling for people to be denied chemo in order to save money. It's no different leaving a person who can't work without an income.

It is an ill thought out idea, it will not save money, in fact it will end up costing the Country more, and not just in monetary terms.

This. I really wish people would understand that you can work whilst on PIP and many do. 🙄

Austerity didn't work with able bodied people who could technically find work or better work. Why would it work any better with the disabled who cannot? There have been several tiers of stripping down the benefits system now starting with the people deemed least disabled (people with MS who were still relatively well some of the time). It's lead to more and more disability and more and more suffering. We're now at the point of removing incomes from people so disabled they need full time carers. How can this be right and how can it possibly help the country? They won't find work but extra costs will be generated elsewhere. Austerity appeases the angry masses but is a terrible policy in terms if achieving any improvement for the economy or the people.

Yes but.. mostly people need their pip so they are able to work, the government are also wording it like pip is an out of work disability benefit, if you listen to them,.so I can see why people might be confused.

I'm all for increasing the base rate of UC to an actual livable amount, but that's not what's being proposed here is it. At least if you can't find work you've got some hope of things improving in the future and you can put off larger costs for a bit. If you have a long term reason for being unable to work you're just stuck.