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Why welfare reforms don't need to happen

Why welfare reforms don't need to happen

In June, MPs will vote on proposals to reform disability and health-related social security. If the reforms pass, the incomes of millions of sick and disabled people across the UK will be dramatically reduced. Evidence from across the Citizens Advice network in Scotland shows that disabled people already experience disproportionate harm with many forced to endure poverty and inequality.
More than two-thirds (67%) of people seeking advice from a CAB have a disability or long-term health condition. This comes at significant cost, especially for those in remote and rural communities. People don't have enough to live on, many are grappling with debt and destitution, and physical and mental health is getting worse. Poverty is a consequence and cause of disability and ill health, meaning the need for social security has grown alongside poverty rates.
One of the proposals seeks to radically narrow eligibility criteria for the Personal Independence Payment (PIP) so that fewer people can receive this. PIP and its equivalent in Scotland, Adult Disability Payment (ADP), are enabling payments. They exist to cover the additional costs of disability or ill health. They're not means-tested or linked to the ability to work.
Narrowing the criteria to access the daily living component of PIP – which includes support for preparing food or managing incontinence – will remove payments that enable many people to work. More than a quarter (27%) of those seeking ADP advice from our network are in employment. Removing people from the work force, which will happen if these proposals go head, is completely senseless.
It's unclear what impact the reforms will have on devolved social security in Scotland. Alongside a dramatically reduced budget, complexity could be added to the system, making it more difficult for people to claim payments they're entitled to. It is imperative the UK Government works closely with the Scottish Government to avoid this. People urgently need reassurance, as is clear from the CEO of Glasgow Northwest CAB: "We've already seen a spike in demand from people asking what this is going to mean. People are so worried – I don't know how much more they can take. Or our advisers. How do we tell even more people who are cold and hungry, facing mounting debts and deteriorating health there's nothing else we can do to increase their incomes? This will be devastating for all of us."
There's a choice to be made; improving the circumstances of sick and disabled people should not be a difficult one. It's clear for us when we hear the worry in the voices of our advisers and the thousands who visit our CABs, our leaders need to listen too – these reforms do not need to go ahead.
Emma Jackson is head of Social Justice at Citizens Advice Scotland
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The Pride of Britain hero with terminal cancer walking to give others hope - and a chance to live
The Pride of Britain hero with terminal cancer walking to give others hope - and a chance to live

ITV News

time2 hours ago

  • ITV News

The Pride of Britain hero with terminal cancer walking to give others hope - and a chance to live

Pride of Britain fundraiser Ian Hensley has conquered the 268-mile Pennine Way, all in support of a cure for cancer that he will not live to see. Sophie Wiggins joined him for ITV News Anglia. 'I've been walking in the mountains since I was 12. If I could die on top of a mountain, I'd be quite happy.' Ian Hensley says this with a quiet conviction. At 71 years old, with a crumbling spine, a terminal diagnosis, and three years of chemotherapy behind him, he has just completed a 268-mile walk along the famous Pennine Way. A walk that ITV News Anglia joined him on for a few days. It's a challenge many wouldn't attempt in full health, never mind living with multiple myeloma, an incurable blood cancer that weakens the bones and drains the body. But Ian, from Northamptonshire, did it anyway, making it from Edale in the Peak District to Kirk Yetholm in the Scottish borders. All to raise money for a cure he knows he will never see. "They've been looking for a cure for more than 20 years," says Ian. "I just thought if I could raise enough money to go towards a cure, well, it won't help me, but it'll help others'. He was diagnosed in 2021, and given a life expectancy of just two to five years. Last year, he completed the Coast to Coast walk, and became ITV News Anglia's regional fundraiser of the year, which landed him a spot as a finalist at the national Pride of Britain Awards. After all of that, he decided to take on one of Britain's toughest long-distance trails. Some days, he says, he was in so much pain he needed morphine to keep moving. At his lowest, he fell and stumbled over and over again, but nothing stopped him from getting back up each time. He admits that he felt a lot fitter this time last year. 'My fitness isn't where it was," he says. "Because of the cancer, quite simply, my body isn't the same. Some days I was so out of it I don't know how I did the miles, but I did. "I just got up the next day and did them again.' I joined him for part of his walk at around the halfway mark, near Middleton-in-Teesdale. 'My legs are not working very well, and my back hurts," Ian tells me. "My breathing is a bit difficult. But other than that I'm okay, so I will carry on. Let's just keep going.' It's not just the miles that matter, it's what they represent. Every step was a small act of rebellion against the limitations of his body, and a quiet vow to keep going, for as long as he can. The three-week journey took him, and the various family members and friends who joined him each day, up mountains, through moorlands, across limestone pavements and peat bogs. Ian's connection to the outdoors runs deep. He spent years as a scout leader, leading others through wilderness. When asked why he loves being outdoors so much, he says: 'I like the solitude, especially at night-time when all the crowds are gone and it's just you left." "It's a place to be calm and quiet.' Ian says it's his friends and family who got him through the challenge. His best friend David not only helped with the logistics and planning, but walked with him, helped to administer medications and more. His friend Grant, "the taxi", ferried him between stops and brought cups of tea during breaks. He was joined by his daughter Hannah too along the trail. Strangers became supporters - rangers, walkers, farmers. Ian told many people along the way about his mission and several were happy to hand over cash there and then for the cause. His wife Gill, Ian says, has been his rock throughout. She says: 'We've said from the start of this that we're in this together. I was worried and had my reservations, but I knew that if he said he could do it, then he'd do it. "Its been hard for us, everything's a lot slower for him now, but he did it, and it's just amazing. He's just so inspirational.' Ian has now raised over £25,000 for Myeloma UK to go towards funding that much-needed cure. When asked how he finds the motivation to complete such a challenge, Ian's answer is simple. 'Because you have to," he says. "You have to just keep going." Ian and his family say they don't really know what the next year will hold. 'We don't have any more big walks planned for the foreseeable, but it's not totally out of the question," he tells me. For now, he says he wants to focus on his health, on enjoying dog walks round the village, spending time with his wife, Gill, and supporting his grandson, Charlie, who is currently training to run the London Marathon for Myeloma UK. 'We don't know how long I've got,' he said. 'But this gave me something to aim for - through the hardest part of my life, and I don't plan to stop walking yet.'

How long PIP payments last and people likely to receive just a 'light touch' review
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Daily Mirror

time4 hours ago

  • Daily Mirror

How long PIP payments last and people likely to receive just a 'light touch' review

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To qualify for PIP or ADP, you must have a health condition or disability where you: ‌ have had difficulties with daily living or getting around (or both) for 3 months. expect these difficulties to continue for at least 9 months. You usually need to have lived in the UK for at least two of the last three years and be in the country when you apply. In addition to the above, if you require assistance due to your condition with any of the following, you should consider applying for PIP or ADP. eating, drinking or preparing food washing, bathing, using the toilet, managing incontinence dressing and undressing talking, listening, reading and understanding managing your medicines or treatments making decisions about money mixing with other people working out a route and following it physically moving around leaving your home ‌ Different rules apply if you are terminally ill, which can be found on the website. 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Itchy Pet Awareness Month shines light on skin conditions in Scotland's pets
Itchy Pet Awareness Month shines light on skin conditions in Scotland's pets

Scotsman

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Itchy Pet Awareness Month shines light on skin conditions in Scotland's pets

In Scotland, a Zoetis UK survey of pet owners revealed similar concerns about skin-related discomfort in pets. Around 71% of owners reported noticing their pets licking excessively, 65% had observed scratching, and 38% had seen rubbing - behaviours that can signal underlying skin issues. Free weekly newsletter Join our weekly YourWorld newsletter for updates, behind-the-scenes insights from our editors and your chance to shape what's next. Free weekly newsletter 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... With the warmer weather lifting our spirits, many of us are spending more time with our pets, enjoying brighter days and longer evenings. 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More than half (58%) expressed heightened concern about their pet's health during the summer, with 26% identifying seasonal allergies as a particular worry. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Itchy Pet Awareness Month (an awareness milestone coined by animal health company Zoetis) this August serves as an important reminder that all cats, dogs and other furry animals can suffer from allergies too. This initiative shines a light on the importance of being vigilant when it comes to dogs itching themselves and ensuring that this condition is not overlooked by owners. Unlike humans, pets are more likely to show signs through their skin. Persistent scratching, nibbling at paws, or rubbing up against furniture can sometimes be dismissed as 'just a behavioural thing', when in fact, these may be a pet's only way of asking for help and they can be early signs of discomfort in our four-legged friends. 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