The Work Foundation at Lancaster University responded to the Department for Work and Pensions impact assessment of the health & disability benefit cuts. Rebecca Florisson, Principal Analyst, the Work Foundation at Lancaster University, commented:

“The Chancellor pledged to restore stability in part by making cuts to welfare, but in doing so the Government is likely to inject instability into the lives of up to 3.2 million households with a disabled person as a result of this package.

“On the one hand freezing the level and constraining access to some benefits will provide a short-term saving, but at a great human cost with the DWP estimating that an extra 250,000 people, including 50,000 children, will be in relative poverty in 2029/30 as a result of the measures.

“It’s particularly concerning that the Government plans to make cuts to PIP which may actually undermine disabled peoples’ ability to sustain employment. One in six people receiving the payment were in work in 2023, and it is often crucial in helping disabled workers to remain in a job. For people who lose their PIP entitlement at their next assessment, which is estimated to happen for 370,000 current recipients at a loss of £4,500 per year, this could be devastating for their ability to remain in work.

“Much now hinges on the success of the Government’s additional investment in employment support. It must connect disabled people who want to work with secure and well-paid employment opportunities. Failure to do so will risk eroding the living standards of already vulnerable people.”