She is set to stress that there are 2.8 million people out of work due to ill health or disability, and one in eight young people not in education, employment or work.
In a speech to Jobcentre staff in Barnsley, she will say that the DWP has focused almost entirely on the benefits system, and specifically on implementing universal credit, and that “nowhere near enough attention has been paid to the wider issues – like health, skills, childcare and transport – that determine whether people get work, stay in work and get on in work”.
Although the focus on support rather than sanctions has been welcomed by charities, there are fears that rhetoric from the Labour government around work and welfare could heighten stigma around benefits – especially for people who are disabled or too ill to work.
James Taylor, director of strategy at disability equality charity Scope, added: “The government should halt the dangerous proposals in this consultation and instead put forward a positive vision for PIP. When this consultation was announced – by the previous government – it was impossible to see it as anything other than a scheme to cut the benefits bill.”
Scope research shows that disabled people face average £975 more per month to have the same standard of living as non-disabled people.
The DWP was also considering cutting PIP for some people who have “lower” costs, claiming they “may have better outcomes from improved access to treatment and support than from a cash payment”.
Taylor added: “The ideas in this consultation were part of a plan to take away the low amount of income PIP provides. We want to see the new government redesign the benefits system alongside disabled people.”
The Big Issue has reported extensively on the harrowing experiences faced by people navigating the disability benefits system, which has been condemned by charities, MPs, the United Nations, the Equality and Human Rights Commission and many more.
The proposals set out by the Conservative government would make the benefits system more punitive and difficult to navigate.
Ayla Ozmen, director of policy and campaigns at anti-poverty charity Z2K, added: “The main proposals in the consultation were deeply worrying. Many appeared to have little detailed thinking or evidence behind them and some appeared to contradict each other.
“They did not give the impression of a clearly thought-out and coherent plan for reforming PIP. Instead, they appeared to be a desperate and misguided attempt to cut costs. The new government should drop the green paper proposals in their entirety and seek to reform PIP to make the system more effective and more humane.
“It’s also crucial that the government looks at PIP in the context of the wider social security system, including the current inadequacy of means tested benefits, as we know that many rely on PIP not to cover the additional costs of disability, as it was intended, but to cover their basic costs of living.”
Labour MPs have suggested that the new government will take a more compassionate approach than Sunak and his ministers.
Stephen Timms has been made the minister of state for social security and disability. He previously told the Big Issue that he wants a less “hostile” benefits system which supports people into employment, rather than “forcing” them into unsuitable jobs.
“Most people find Jobcentres pretty unpleasant,” Timms said. “They feel the Jobcentre is trying to catch them out. I think Jobcentres should be places that you go to be helped, not hit.”
Harriet Edwards, head of policy at Sense, said: “In recent months the government’s narrative around disability benefits has been divisive and deeply damaging, suggesting benefits are being ‘too readily’ handed out. The truth is that benefits like PIP provide a vital financial lifeline for many disabled people who are struggling to make ends meet.
“The recent change in government provides a vital opportunity for politicians to rebuild relations with disabled people, who’ve felt left behind and mistreated for years, and to make the benefits system work better for disabled people by simplifying the assessment process and introducing more financial support.”
The Conservative government was also plotting to reform the PIP assessment – potentially a welcome move if carried out in the right way. The PIP assessments can be “traumatic”.
Mikey Erhardt, campaigner at Disability Rights UK, added: “No one should be left without a financial safety net, meaning we can live independent lives. We should all be proud of the social security system, a piece of social infrastructure that 22 million people across the UK draw on to live the lives we all have a right to. We can expect that the number of people requiring support will only increase if we fail to fund our public services, such as NHS, social care, education, and housing, to name a few, sufficiently.
“We are shocked and frustrated that the government has not taken the opportunity to stop this consultation. We note the irony of continuing this consultation whilst ministers set up task forces to tackle child poverty – how many more children will be forced into poverty if the proposal in these green papers is taken up?”
Do you have a story to tell or opinions to share about this? Get in touch and tell us more. Big Issue exists to give homeless and marginalised people the opportunity to earn an income. To support our work buy a copy of the magazine or get the app from the App Store or Google Play.
