AT LEAST 440,000 people in disabled households will probably be forced into severe hardship should the Government press ahead with its proposed cuts to disability payments, Trussell has warned.
The foodbank charity commissioned WPI Economics to evaluate the results of the federal government reforms to disability advantages, outlined within the Spring Statement (News, 28 March). In its briefing, published on Monday, WPI reports that changes to the entitlement rules for Personal Independent Payments (PIP) are projected to guide to 800,000 people losing their Daily Living component, with a mean lack of £4500 a yr. Three million claimants are expected to lose out due to changes to Universal Credit.
The basis of projections comes from the Family Resources Survey and Households Below Average Income data for the financial yr 2022/23.
Trussell defines hunger and hardship as a median being between “deep poverty” — living 50 per cent below the poverty line, and “very deep poverty” — living in a household with an income (after housing costs) that’s reminiscent of lower than 40 per cent of the UK median (News, 11 October 2024).
Its most-recent Cost of Hunger and Hardship report, also conducted by WPI, estimates that that is costing the Government £75 billion a yr in additional public services and other costs (News, 2 May).
More than half the people living in hunger and hardship live in a household that included someone with a disability, Trussell reports. The WPI briefing acknowledges that the impact on overall levels of hunger and hardship is partly offset by a discount within the number of individuals in hunger and hardship amongst families that don’t include a disabled person. It warns, nevertheless, that the Government’s proposed £7 billion cuts to support for disabled persons are prone to undermine the fiscal goal of accelerating employment and can drive higher costs for public services.
WPI reports that, even before the projected cuts, the continuing failure to tackle hunger and hardship is costing an extra £3.7 billion a yr on public services.
Trussell has urged the Government to not proceed down “this damaging path”, calling on the planned increase to the essential rate of Universal Credit to be brought forward in order that this comes into full effect from April 2026 relatively than April 2029.
The director of policy at Trussell, Helen Barnard, said: “The Government was elected on a promise of change, and with the commitment to finish the necessity for foodbanks. If the Government goes ahead with these ill-considered and cruel cuts to Social Security, this promise won’t be kept and as a substitute, they may risk abandoning a legacy of rising poverty and hunger.
“Tackling fiscal challenges shouldn’t be done on the expense of individuals already facing hunger and hardship. We urge the Government to not proceed down this damaging path.”
Last month, Trussell reported that its centres had distributed greater than three million emergency food parcels within the yr to March (News, 23 May). The findings of the WPI briefing are presented alongside case studies from its foodbanks.
Zoe Nixon, director of Newquay Foodbank, in Cornwall, said: “We see disproportionately high numbers of food bank visitors who either have a health concern or disability, or have caring responsibilities for somebody with a disability of their household. Life simply costs more for disabled people.
“Social Security payments don’t allow people to afford the essentials, and that is amplified whenever you live in a rural community. We fear that when these cuts are forced through Parliament, we are going to see more households being forced to access our help.”
