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Scotsman
26-05-2025
- Business
- Scotsman
Readers' Letters: Labour reforms will only harm disabled people's work prospects
The UK Government's plan to slash disability benefits is just wrong, says reader Sign up to our daily newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Last Wednesday Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall insisted the massive cuts to disability benefits she was planning would improve people's lives and get more into work. One of the purposes of the Personal Independence Payment (PiP) which will be affected by the cuts is to help finance the purchase of mobility aids such as wheelchairs and crutches, without which some disabled people would not be able to get into their jobs. It is surely absurd to maintain that slashing this 'lifeline' benefit will improve disabled people's employment prospects! Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad I wonder if Ms Kendall has had an opportunity to study the recently published report by data experts Policy In Practice and think tank the Bevan Foundation on the likely impact of Labour's planned overhaul of disability benefits and universal credit in Wales? The bottom line is that an estimated £470 million is likely to be 'sucked out' of the Welsh economy and poverty rates in affected households could more than triple (from 24.5 to 78.4 per cent). Liz Kendall MP, Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, has said welfare changes are 'never easy and rarely popular' (Picture:) Dr Steffan Evans of the Bevan Foundation said: 'it is clear that the UK Government's proposed reforms to the benefits system will have a particularly severe impact on poverty in Wales, making life harder for thousands of disabled people.' It is difficult to view Liz Kendall's cuts as anything other than one more austerity measure. How many Labour MPs will have the courage and compassion to vote against them? Alan Woodcock, Dundee Big deal? As details of the UK-EU trade deal become clearer, the UK Government, even by its own admission, has highlighted that the economic gains resulting from it will be marginal. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad At a recent meeting of G7 finance ministers in Canada, Chancellor Rachel Reeves claimed the deal would add nearly £9 billion to the UK economy by 2040 and boost trade with the EU as Britain's single biggest trading partner. The UK Government estimates that material changes in areas covered, such as fisheries, food and energy, will increase GDP by 0.2 per cent by 2040. Contrasting with this, the Office for Budget Responsibility estimates Brexit will reduce the UK's long-term GDP by approximately 4 per cent compared to remaining in the EU. The deal shows the UK clearly moving towards a relationship with the EU that is the worst of both worlds, formally sovereign, yet locked in ongoing negotiations and deeply enmeshed in EU frameworks across the entire economy. Moreover, these conditions also mean the UK can't strike a trade deal with the US involving food and agriculture unless there is no trans-shipment of goods, or unless the EU signs a trade deal with the US that solves this issue. Trade deals with the likes of India, US and EU simply limit the immense economic damage of Brexit to the UK economy, rather than bringing any benefits. Alex Orr, Edinburgh Reject zonal pricing We all want lower energy bills in Scotland, but zonal pricing – as advocated by Greg Jackson (Perspective, 23 May) – is no magic solution. On the contrary, it risks causing irreparable harm to the country's economy, growth and jobs. Independent experts warn that zonal will increase bills. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The UK's national pricing system ensures all consumers, regardless of location, pay the same wholesale price. This protects remote communities – like the Highlands and Islands – from disproportionately volatile costs due to their distance from demand centres. Zonal pricing would undermine this fairness. A survey by Fairer Energy Future found only 18 per cent of consumers support zonal pricing, while over 60 per cent believe it would lead to higher bills in many areas. The public sees the risk: a postcode lottery where your bill depends not on usage, but on where you live. If voters wanted regional price differences, the current system could be adapted without the disruption zonal pricing would bring. Ofgem previously blocked changes to transmission charges, which could save the taxpayer billions, and those rules could be reversed. Examples promoted by pro-zonal proponents are not success stories – they are a warning for the Government. In Norway, zonal pricing led to Oslo customers paying up to ten times more than those in the north. This disparity contributed to the government's collapse in 2025. The new administration quickly introduced a national capped price option to restore fairness. In Sweden, zonal price gaps have widened fivefold since 2020. Around Stockholm, customers faced volatile, elevated prices. In 2024, a 30 per cent zonal premium hit southern Sweden. When zonal markets go out of balance, they do so quickly – with sharp, unpredictable spikes in high-demand areas. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The reality is stark: £30 billion in renewable investment and 8,000 Scottish jobs are at risk if zonal pricing is introduced. It would also derail Labour's ambitions for green jobs in Scotland, where floating wind represents a major growth opportunity. Instead of breaking the system apart, we should modernise it with practical, fairer and greener steps – getting us to clean power by 2030 without the risks zonal pricing brings. Graham Pannell, Fairer Energy Future Unfair to islands 'What went wrong with Calmac under the SNP?' It's a fair question for a non-Scot to ask! I grew up in Ireland with the Mull of Kintrye and Islay in sight. But at age 32 I more fully experienced the glory of that pretty region as a relief GP and the attractive old world flavour of 1990s Calmac. Everything was clean and neat, cheap tea or coffee was decent quality, and civil Calmac staff dished out generous portions of fried food at a fair price. The UK Government spends billions on overseas aid, and hotel rooms for illegal immigrants. So why shave or stunt lifeline services to remote Hebridean islanders? Labour (or the SNP) may be in no hurry to answer this query! James Hardy, Belfast Write to The Scotsman Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad
Wales Online
22-05-2025
- Business
- Wales Online
Welfare cuts could impact three times as many Welsh households
Welfare cuts could impact three times as many Welsh households The Bevan Foundation says the number of households affected by UK Government cuts to Universal Credit and disability benefit may soar The levels of poverty people in Wales are living in could increase dramatically as a result of the UK Government's planned changes to welfare reform (Image: South Wales Echo ) The levels of poverty people in Wales are living in could increase dramatically as a result of the UK Government's planned changes to welfare payments, a think tank has said. In March, the UK Government announced changes to disability benefits and Universal Credit. There have been repeated concerns about the impact of the proposal, and questions about how it will impact Wales. A report today by thinktank the Bevan Foundation says the number of households affected could more than treble, from 24.5% to 78.4%. Part of the government proposals included measures to get people back to work, with those taken into account, the think tank say it is likely that household affected by the reforms will still be more than twice as likely to be living in poverty once the reforms are fully rolled out than is currently the case. For our free daily briefing on the biggest issues facing the nation, sign up to the Wales Matters newsletter here The report, by data experts Policy in Practice, found some households set to be over £900 a month worse off Earlier this month, Policy in Practice, said nearly 190,000 people will be affected by the changes to benefits. The Bevan Foundation's Head of Policy (Poverty) Dr Steffan Evans said: "These new findings make for incredibly grim reading. It is clear, that without a rethink, UK Government's proposed reforms to the benefits system will have a particularly severe impact on poverty in Wales, making life harder for thousands of disabled people. "The results highlight just how important the benefits system is in reducing poverty. Whilst the UK Government is right to take action to support disabled people back into work, work can only ever form part of the answer. Article continues below "It is vital that the UK Government maintains a strong safety net to ensure people can access the support they need." Deven Ghelani from Policy in Practice, said: "This research lays bare the sharp rise in hardship many disabled people in Wales could soon face. Local authorities need to prepare for the increase in poverty these reforms will trigger, "The data also shows they are not powerless. "By using insights like these, councils can target support, plan services more effectively, and advocate for the resources their communities will urgently need." The UK Government has failed to give any figures for how its welfare changes will impact Wales despite repeated questions and requests for data. There is acceptance that Wales has a high level of people who claim benefits and WalesOnline asked the Department of Work and Pensions, the Treasury and Wales Office on the day of the Spring Statement how many people would be affected in Wales. None of them could answer. Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rachel Reeves, speaks during a press conference in the briefing room at Downing Street following the announcement of the Spring Statement (Image: Getty Images ) When WalesOnline interviewed the chancellor on her visit to Wales the day after the Spring Statement, she said it was "not usual" to give figures for Wales, but they were looking at the request. You can see her comment here. The Welsh Government was not able to provide figures either. Despite subsequent requests, no-one has been able to answer. It led to a row between the two Labour administrations in Wales and London, you can catch up on that here. Eluned Morgan has said she is "really worried" about how the changes might impact people. Article continues below Wales' health minister Jeremy Miles also said it was not a decision the Welsh Government would have made and said the decision was "wrong". His comments were part of a wider interview.
South Wales Argus
22-05-2025
- Business
- South Wales Argus
Report finds benefit reform could increase poverty in Wales
According to research carried out by Policy in Practice in conjunction with the Bevan Foundation, the UK Government's planned changes to disability benefits and Universal Credit could lead to a more than threefold increase in poverty rates among affected Welsh households—from 24.5 per cent up to 78.4 per cent. In March, the UK Government announced reforms to disability benefits and Universal Credit, leading to widespread concerns about the potential increase in poverty levels. The Policy in Practice report projected that these changes could affect nearly 190,000 people in Wales, or 6.1 per cent of the population, with a loss to the Welsh economy of around £470 million. It has now been found that these changes could dramatically increase the levels of poverty among the affected households in Wales. According to the same report, more disabled people are also set to fall into poverty as a result of these changes. Even though the government's efforts to get more disabled people into work may lessen the impact of the cuts, the study suggests that affected households will still be more than twice as likely to be living in poverty compared to the current rates. Commenting on the findings, Dr Steffan Evans, head of policy (poverty) at the Bevan Foundation, said: "These new findings make for incredibly grim reading. "It is clear that, without a rethink, the UK Government's proposed reforms to the benefits system will have a particularly severe impact on poverty in Wales, making life harder for thousands of disabled people." Deven Ghelani, director and founder of Policy in Practice, urged local authorities to prepare for the rising levels of poverty. He said: "This research lays bare the sharp rise in hardship many disabled people in Wales could soon face. "Local authorities need to prepare for the increase in poverty these reforms will trigger, but the data also shows they are not powerless. "By using insights like these, councils can target support."
