Latest news with #WelfareReform
The Independent
a day ago
- Business
- The Independent
Labour's welfare cuts to be tweaked amid threat of backbench rebellion
As criticism grow over Labour's planned benefit cuts, work and pensions secretary Liz Kendall is set to introduce "non-negotiable" protections to the Welfare Reform Bill. These measures aim to decrease the number of working-age individuals receiving sickness benefits, with the government projecting potential savings of £5 billion annually by the end of the decade. The proposals involve stricter eligibility requirements for the Personal Independence Payment (PIP), the primary disability benefit in England, and reductions to the sickness-related component of Universal Credit (UC). Last month, numerous Labour MPs implored the Prime Minister to reconsider the planned cuts, denouncing the proposals as "impossible to support". Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall told the Guardian there will be extra protections added to the Bill when it is published next week. She said: 'When we set out our reforms we promised to protect those most in need, particularly those who can never work. 'I know from my 15 years as a constituency MP how important this is. It is something I take seriously and will never compromise on. 'That is why we are putting additional protections on the face of the Bill to support the most vulnerable and help people affected by the changes. 'These protections will be written into law, a clear sign they are non-negotiable.' A Government impact assessment published alongside the reforms warned some 250,000 people, including 50,000 children, across England, Scotland and Wales, could fall into relative poverty after housing costs as a result of the changes. The proposals have received strong criticism from charities and campaign groups since they were announced by Ms Kendall in March. Recent research from Trussell found that around 340,000 more people in disabled households could face hunger and hardship by the end of the decade as a result of the changes. Helen Barnard, director of policy at Trussell, stated that their calculations paint a more severe picture than previously anticipated "because we have looked at how many people are going to be pulled, not just into overall poverty but into the severest form of hardship." She added that while Trussell supports the government's objective to reform employment support and facilitate more people entering the workforce, "these proposed cuts will utterly undermine this goal," adding that "slashing support will damage people's health and reduce their ability to engage in training and work."
The Independent
a day ago
- Health
- The Independent
Liz Kendall confirms changes to benefits bill as criticism grows
Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall is set to introduce "non-negotiable" protections to the Welfare Reform Bill amid growing criticism over planned benefit cuts. The measures aim to reduce the number of working-age individuals receiving sickness benefits, potentially saving the government £5 billion annually by the end of the decade. The proposals include stricter eligibility requirements for the Personal Independence Payment (PIP) and reductions to the sickness-related component of Universal Credit (UC). Ms Kendall stated that additional protections will be added to the Bill to support the most vulnerable and help people affected by the changes, ensuring they are written into law and non-negotiable. Several Labour MPs have implored Ms Kendall to reconsider the plans, while charities and campaign groups warn that the reforms could push 250,000 people, including 50,000 children, into poverty.
The Independent
a day ago
- Business
- The Independent
Kendall to add protections to welfare Bill amid backlash to cuts
The Work and Pensions Secretary will add 'non-negotiable' protections to the Welfare Reform Bill, amid a backlash against planned cuts to benefits. The package of measures is aimed at reducing the number of working-age people on sickness benefits, and the Government hopes they can save £5 billion a year by the end of the decade. The proposals include tightening of the eligibility criteria for personal independence payment (Pip), the main disability benefit in England, and cutting the sickness-related element of universal credit (UC). Dozens of Labour MPs last month urged the Prime Minister to pause and reassess planned cuts, saying the proposals are 'impossible to support'. Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall told the Guardian there will be extra protections added to the Bill when it is published next week. She said: 'When we set out our reforms we promised to protect those most in need, particularly those who can never work. 'I know from my 15 years as a constituency MP how important this is. It is something I take seriously and will never compromise on. 'That is why we are putting additional protections on the face of the Bill to support the most vulnerable and help people affected by the changes. 'These protections will be written into law, a clear sign they are non-negotiable.' A Government impact assessment published alongside the reforms warned some 250,000 people, including 50,000 children, across England, Scotland and Wales, could fall into relative poverty after housing costs as a result of the changes.
The Sun
28-05-2025
- Business
- The Sun
I took DWP to court and won over tax on extra bedroom in our detached council house – now I have more benefits than EVER
'SEE you in court!' I say, voice raised, as I slam the phone down on the call handler. It was my third call to the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) about the absurd bedroom tax we were facing and nothing had changed, so this time I was taking legal action. 5 5 The property I live in is a three bedroom detached council house in Silverdale, Newcastle-Under-Lyme. As it is just myself and my partner Paul in our home the DWP has always deducted our joint Universal Credit claim for this by almost £100 in bedroom tax. Introduced in 2013 the policy is part of the British Welfare Reform Act 2012 and outlines that council or social housing tenants with rooms deemed to be "spare" face a reduction in housing benefit. Having one bedroom more than the calculated allowance means a reduction in housing benefit of 14 per cent, and two "spare" bedrooms means that a tenant will lose 25 per cent of their housing benefit. The ruling states that one bedroom is allowed per adult couple and while I have three bedrooms I don't agree that we should be penalised for them. The £911 a month Universal Credit we received barely covered our rent and bills so to lose out on £94 to spare bedroom tax was out of the question. Conservative minister Iain Duncan Smith previously argued it was an "unfair situation where the tax payer is subsidising people to have home, paid for by the state, with spare rooms they do not need". While many will be quick to agree, I do in fact need all of the bedrooms in my home. The first spare 'bedroom' is upstairs and is completely inaccessible to my partner as he is a permanent wheelchair user. The two downstairs rooms are both under 3 x 3 metres so we need the extra room simply to store Paul's wheelchair and equipment such as wheelchair chargers and the two extra seats we removed from his car to fit his hoist and wheelchair in. Tragic 'suicide' of bedroom tax victim As the rooms are so small, Paul also needs his wardrobe in our spare room as the other room only fits a queen-sized bed and wheelchair. The spare bedroom tax penalises those with disabilities and I'm not the only one who thinks so. Two-thirds of the people affected are registered as disabled and when the policy was introduced many found themselves suddenly liable for the bedroom tax after deaths or after children had moved out of the home. In 2012 the High Court rejected the premise that the policy was a breach of Article 14 of the European Convention on Human Rights due to the effect on disabled people. The following year disabled grandmother Stephanie Bottrill took her own life after struggling to cope with the newly introduced tax on the three bedroom home she had lived in for 18 years. The law has since been amended so that those whose bedrooms stand empty as a result of death are exempt. Prickling with the injustice of our own situation, I asked the DWP to reconsider what we are entitled to, known as a mandatory reconsideration. When this was rejected with an official letter, I made the decision to take the DWP to court, a tribunal all DWP claimants are entitled to if they disagree with a decision. 5 5 It wasn't the first time I'd done this. In 2013 my PIP for schizophrenia was stopped. According to the DWP I couldn't possibly work part-time as a journalist if I really had schizophrenia. It didn't seem to matter that I was working from home, mostly from my bed on my laptop, always in my PJs and never working more than 16 hours a week. Back then I also disagreed with the decision to stop my PIP and asked for a mandatory reconsideration. After they rejected this, I took the DWP to court and the judge ruled I was indeed entitled to middle rate PIP - which was a higher rate than I'd expected. WHAT IS THE BEDROOM TAX? Called the under-occupancy policy, it was dubbed the Bedroom Tax as critics who condemned the changes faced by people on benefits amounted to a tax, due to the lack of social housing for affected people to downsize to. Having one bedroom more than the calculated allowance means a reduction in housing benefit of 14 per cent, and two "spare" bedrooms means that a tenant will lose 25 per cent of their housing benefit. The penalties, which can see people affected losing a significant amount of their income or risk being evicted, have also been criticised as having a disproportionate impact on disabled people. In 2016 it was announced that the penalty would be extended to elderly people, despite promises from the government to protect the elderly from benefit cuts. Our court hearing this March only lasted 20 minutes. Armed with my packet of Lambert cigarettes and wearing my tracksuit, I calmly stated our case to the DWP representative. I was intimidated, so I only said the bare bones of our case, that I disagreed with the DWP's decision to add bedroom tax for two spare rooms to our Universal Credit payment each month. We got lucky with our representative who said that the decision to add bedroom tax to our benefits was 'utterly ridiculous' especially when the upstairs room was inaccessible by wheelchair. So a month after the ruling, I got a lump sum of £600 and an extra £94 a month in Universal Credit. I've invested the £600 in a desk, a sewing machine and new laptop which I hope, when further benefits cuts take place next year, might help make an income from writing and clothing alterations. If, like me, you disagree with a decision made about your benefits don't stay silent. Ask for your mandatory reconsideration and if you still disagree, take it to a tribunal. Be sure to read all documents in full and they will outline the steps that you need to take, to further your claim. I've won the two appeals and now my benefits income has been boosted to £1,004 a month, more than ever before. That doesn't make me greedy or a scrounger, it's just what I am entitled to. 5
