'Without PIP you hit rock bottom - benefit cuts are kicking us when we're down'
Recipients of disability benefits and PIP have hit out at the UK Government as a 'catastrophic' benefits cut bill was revealed with many left 'terrified' that their financial support will be taken away
People who rely on disability benefits including PIP have hit out at the government after new legislation was published which shows plans aiming to slash £5 billion from the welfare bill in the next five years.
As the government published its controversial benefits bill, overhauling the system for recipients of Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payments, the Mirror spoke to everyday people who have been left terrified by the proposals. Paul Harris, 45, from Barnard Castle, Co Durham, started claiming benefits when a mental breakdown left him unable to work eight years ago. Now, he's scared his financial support will be taken away, and fears becoming a 'burden' on his wife.
After being diagnosed with anxiety and depression, Paul defaulted on bank loans and credit cards, and eventually relocated from Bedfordshire to the north in an effort to reduce his costs. He tried medication but suffered night terrors as a side effect and has exhausted the help available to him on the NHS.
He uses his PIP and ESA payments, which equate to around £800 a month, to pay for essentials such as food and bills as well as using supplements to manage his anxiety and depression. Paul told the Mirror: "On the very bad days I'm back in bed with the curtains closed.
"Last time I tried opening my CV I had a panic attack, I wouldn't even know what job to try and apply for, I struggle even getting on job websites, the anxiety builds even thinking about it." Paul, who worked in hotel reservations before becoming a property negotiator, says many of his anxious triggers are work related following his breakdown.
It left him so physically debilitated he would lock himself in the work bathroom while having panic attacks and eventually was so unwell he couldn't even get ready for work. He added: "I already had a two year battle to have PIP reinstated a couple of years ago and at the time I used to call myself 'zero' because I wasn't bringing any money in.
"I didn't feel like I was contributing anything and everything was on my wife. That had a massive negative impact. Having the money doesn't cure it but it gives you a little something to work from. Without PIP you hit rock bottom."
Now the government's benefits bill means Paul and his wife Kim could face a £290 cut to their monthly income if his PIP payments are removed again. He said: "It's terrifying. It's that feeling of being completely misunderstood.
"I have a lot of problems anyway feeling like a burden to my wife because she's the sole earner and it's had a massive impact on her mental health as well. If she can't work because she's self-employed, what do we do then?
"I've exhausted all the NHS can do now the government wants to take my financial support away. How many more people do they want to kick while they're down?"
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