New call to ‘abandon' DWP benefit reforms and create a National Disability Strategy
A new online petition is urging the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) to 'abandon' proposed welfare reforms to health and disability benefits, outlined in the Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working Green Paper.
Petition creator Rick Burgess, is calling for the UK Government to ditch the plans due to start from next November and instead work with disability charities and organisations across the country to create a National Disability Strategy.
The campaigner argues that the plans will see 'devastating cuts to disability benefits ' and puts forward proposals to 'protect the income of disabled people from further shocks'.
The 'Abandon DWP Pathways to Work Green Paper and create National Disability Strategy' petition has been posted on the official UK Government's Petitions-Parliament website.
It states: 'The DWP Green Paper Pathways to Work proposes what we think are devastating cuts to disability benefits. We think the Government must drop these proposals and instead begin a process of co-production with disabled peoples representative organisations to create a whole government disability strategy.'
The proposals include:
Abandon the DWP Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working Green Paper.
Establish and resource a disability strategy co-production infrastructure working with Deaf and Disabled People's Organisations (Organisations run by and for disabled people) to create a National Disability Strategy to inform Labour market, Employment rights and Social Security reform that provides an adequate standard of living in line with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD).
Protect the income of disabled people from further shocks.
At 10,000 signatures, the petition would be entitled to a written response from the UK Government, at 100,000, it would be considered by the Petitions Committee for debate in Parliament. You can view it in full here.
Earlier this week, the DWP rejected proposals in another online petition calling for the welfare reforms to be scrapped.
More than 18,000 people have signed in support of the petition, posted by disability activist Abigail Broomfield who argues that instead of reducing benefits, the DWP should be providing 'support, not hardship and deprivation, for those who cannot work.'
However, the DWP response on April 29 highlighted how the 'UK Government must urgently tackle the spiralling welfare bill, restore trust and fairness in the system, and protect disabled people. Social security reforms will therefore continue as planned.'
The welfare reform proposals centre on changes to both the eligibility criteria for and the reduced payment rates of benefits and include plans to abolish the Work Capability Assessment (WCA), meaning the new Personal Independence Payment (PIP) assessment would determine eligibility for PIP and the health element of Universal Credit.
Responding to the 'Protect disabled people who cannot work from planned cuts to benefits' petition - also posted on the official UK Government petitions website, DWP said: 'Our welfare system is broken, costing almost a third as much as it does to run the NHS in England while leaving people for years on benefits with no offer of support, no hope of a future in work and no opportunity to improve their standard of living.
'Working-age adults who are in work are three times less likely to be in poverty than those out of work. We need to act to end the inequality that sees disabled people and people with health conditions trapped out of jobs, despite many wanting to work, and ensure our welfare system is there for people who need it, now and long into the future.
'As part of our Plan for Change we're introducing the most far-reaching reforms in a generation, with £1 billion a year being invested to give people the best possible chance with tailored support that can be adapted to meet their changing circumstances - including their changing health.'
DWP went on to list the changes being made to the system to 'support sick and disabled people - many of whom want to work - into jobs, while protecting those with the most severe conditions who can never work'.
Commenting on the DWP's response, Ms Broomfield told the Daily Record: 'They've not addressed how they're going to protect disabled people who can't work and have just repeated points from the Green Paper.
'In fact they've doubled down on how by claiming that getting disabled people into work is going to protect disabled people.'
The disability campaigner added: 'A Freedom of Information request revealed that nearly 90 per cent of disabled people or 1.3 million people who only get standard rates or PIP are going to be losing money.'
Ms Broomfield will continue her campaign to get the petition to 100,000 signatures of support where it would be considered by the Petitions Committee for debate in Parliament.
You can read the full petition and DWP response on the Petitions Parliament website here.
Online consultation
The 12-week consultation on reforms to health and disability support officially launched on April 7 on GOV.UK with publication of all accessible versions of the Pathways to Work Green Paper. The consultation is open until June 30, 2025.
The proposed reforms aim to support people into work, protect people who can never work and put the welfare system on a sustainable footing so that it can continue to support those in need now and into the future.
DWP said: 'One in three of us faces a long-term health condition, so we all need a system that can support us to stay in work or get back into work.'
The measures are the latest step in the UK Government's drive to build a modern welfare system that helps people get jobs rather than creating unnecessary barriers, with ministers' proposed plans set to:
Provide more tailored employment support for those who can work, breaking down barriers to opportunity
Simplify the system and reduce unnecessary assessments, cutting bureaucracy and making it easier to navigate
Improve the way financial support is assessed and delivered, ensuring it reaches those who need it most and that people using the system have a better experience and are treated with dignity and respect
Build a more flexible approach that recognises the diverse needs of disabled people and those with long-term health conditions
DWP said that without changes, it is forecast that the system could cost as much as £70 billion a year by the end of the decade and risk not being there for people when they need it in future.
Issues open for consultation include:
Supporting people to thrive with the new support offer
Supporting employers and making work more accessible
Reforming the structure of the health and disability benefits system
DWP said: "These are part of the wider reforms that also include reintroducing reassessments for people on incapacity benefits who have the capability to work to ensure they have the right support and aren't indefinitely written off, targeting Personal Independence Payments for those with higher needs, and rebalancing payment levels in Universal Credit."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The National
2 hours ago
- The National
Peers back call to ban Palestine Action under terror laws
Green peer Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb led arguments against proscribing Palestine Action, after MPs voted the previous day to ban the group. She accused the UK Government of being a 'little bit sneaky' by grouping the organisation in with Maniacs Murder Cult and the Russian Imperial Movement, which were banned under the same order. Baroness Jones said Palestine Action's actions were not of the 'same calibre of evil' as the two other groups, noting that the group's blockades on buildings and raids did not represent a 'pattern of serious violence'. Her motion of "regret", which criticised the inclusion of Palestine Action in the motion, was voted down and the original motion approving the Government's proscription order was passed on the nod. Home Office minister Lord Hanson of Flint set out the UK Government's reasons for the proscription order to the upper house, outlining the group's history of causing property damage and accused members of committing violent crimes. Also speaking against the Government motion was Lord Hain, former Northern Ireland secretary, who compared Palestine Action with the suffragettes and Nelson Mandela (below), contrasting their actions with those of 'real terrorists' like Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State. A number of other peers, including from the Labour benches, raised concerns about the impact of freedom of speech, because expressing support for the group or wearing clothes with the group's branding can result in a prison sentence. A person found to be a member of the group or a person who expresses support for it faces a 14-year jail sentence. Someone wearing Palestine Action-branded clothing could face a six-month sentence or a £5000 fine. Baroness Jones said: "There's a long and noble tradition of the use of direct action by protest movements, that includes the suffragettes. READ MORE: Former government lawyer to defy Palestine Action ban in Parliament Square protest
The Independent
5 hours ago
- The Independent
NI Communities Minister attacks ‘shameful' welfare reform plans
The Government's 'shameful' welfare reform plans will end up increasing the social security bill in Northern Ireland rather than generating any savings, the Communities Minister has said. Gordon Lyons said the Labour Government had made an 'incredible mess' of its welfare reform agenda. On a separate issue related to the benefits system, Mr Lyons said he had received confirmation from the Treasury that Stormont could potentially share in savings achieved by any Stormont-devised plan to target fraud around benefit payments in Northern Ireland. The minister said he would now proceed with a business case on a fraud prevention plan with the hope of getting it on the agenda of the Executive for consideration. At an appearance before his Assembly scrutiny committee, the minister also said that the Government's U-turn on eligibility for winter fuel payments for pensioners would result in 86% of pensioners in Northern Ireland (288,000) receiving the payment this coming winter – a proportion higher than the UK average of 80%. Facing questions from MLAs at Stormont on Thursday, Mr Lyons also defended his own department's recently published draft poverty strategy, a document that has faced criticism from several community and civic society organisations. The DUP minister's appearance came days after the UK Government was forced into a late climbdown on a central plank of its welfare reform agenda in a bid to avert a major backbench rebellion. In a late concession on Tuesday, only 90 minutes before MPs were to vote on the Bill, ministers shelved plans to restrict eligibility for the personal independence payment (Pip), with any changes now only coming after a review of the benefit. Mr Lyons was scathing of the Government's approach while giving evidence to the committee. 'I think it is important that I place on record just how appalled I am by this Labour Government and how they have conducted themselves over the last number of months,' he said. 'I believe their approach has been shameful. I believe that it has caused significant stress for many in our society, even those who I believe would never have been affected by the changes that have been proposed and those that perhaps would have been. 'It has caused a huge amount of stress.' The minister added: 'We're at very early stages of assessment, but we believe ultimately that it will end up costing, it will not create any saving at all in Northern Ireland. 'So, I think that that has been an incredible mess, they've made a real hames of it, if I'm being honest.' On the winter fuel payments, Mr Lyons said: 'There are 336,000 pensioners in Northern Ireland and HMRC are now estimating that 86% or 288,000 will receive the winter fuel payment in 25/26 because they have an income of less than £35,000. 'Twenty per cent will not receive it in the UK as a whole, that is only 14% in Northern Ireland. Again, another mess by this Government. It was inevitable that they would have had to have changed course.' The minister said he had received confirmation on Thursday that Northern Ireland could potentially have a share of savings generated by any welfare fraud measures taken by the Executive. 'If there are savings through us tackling welfare fraud and error that are certified by the Office for Budget Responsibility, the Treasury will consider providing for us a share of those savings,' he said. 'And those savings are massive. 'A very, very small amount of money that we put in (to introduce fraud prevention measures) and you can get incredible savings from those. 'So that could be a net benefit to Northern Ireland. We will be progressing that business case. 'I have a paper with the Executive. I hope it will get on the agenda, because I think that could be very, very important.' Mr Lyons faced several questions on his draft anti-poverty strategy. The minister said he respected those who had criticised it, but made clear he did not agree with several of the claims that had been made about the plan lacking ambition and targets. He said he remained open during the public consultation phase to listening to alternative proposals. SDLP MLA Daniel McCrossan put it to the minister that Sinn Fein First Minister Michelle O'Neill had appeared to distance herself from his proposed strategy. Mr Lyons said he never encountered any 'push back' from Executive colleagues when the draft proposals were presented to ministerial colleagues for consideration. 'I think it's safe to say there was not a lengthy debate around this issue, and I certainly left that Executive meeting believing there was good consensus on the way forward, and that we were open to consultation on this and to listening to what people had to say, and that there was broad agreement on what we had in front of us,' he said. 'I listen to what others have to say. I will do that through the consultation period, but I was not getting push-back at all within the Executive and I believe that there was good unity among Executive colleagues. 'I understand people can come under a bit of pressure, and they can change their positions, or they want to be seen to be on the right side, but I've taken on board all of the criticisms that have been made of this, and we will certainly listen to those. 'I believe a lot of those don't have a basis in reality. 'I hope I've explained and I've reassured the committee today about the approach that I am taking. 'But if anybody inside or outside the Executive have changes that they want to make to that that they haven't expressed to me so far, I'm open to listening to those, but I hope that they will also be willing to provide the funding that is necessary if it comes at an additional cost as well.'
The Independent
8 hours ago
- The Independent
Starmer backs ‘excellent' Reeves after Chancellor's tears in the Commons
Sir Keir Starmer said he did not appreciate how upset Rachel Reeves was in the Commons, because he was focused on answering Prime Minister's Questions. The Prime Minister said all people could be caught 'off guard' by their emotions, but the Chancellor had to deal with it while on camera in Parliament. He said she was doing an excellent job, would remain in place beyond the next general election, and that they were both absolutely committed to the Chancellor's 'fiscal rules' to maintain discipline over the public finances. UK Government bonds rallied and the pound steadied on Thursday, after reassurances from the Prime Minister about the Chancellor's future. The sight of her in tears on Wednesday, and the £5 billion black hole in her public spending plans as a result of the welfare U-turn, had spooked the markets, triggering a sharp sell-off of bonds, with the yield seeing the sharpest increase since US President Donald Trump's tariff plans shook up financial markets in April. Sir Keir told Virgin Radio he had spoken to the Chancellor on Wednesday evening and she was 'fine', and her tears were as a result of a 'purely personal' matter rather than the 'ups and downs of this week'. Ms Reeves was visibly upset as she sat beside Sir Keir in the Commons on Wednesday, but he said: 'I actually personally didn't appreciate it was happening in the Chamber, because I came in, I've got questions being fired at me in PMQs, so I'm constantly up at the despatch box and down. 'I think we just need to be clear, it's a personal matter, and I'm not going to breach Rachel's privacy by going into what's a personal matter for her.' He said that 'in politics, you're on show the whole time, there's no hiding place'. Ms Reeves was a 'great colleague, she's a friend of mine and I'll be working with her for a very long time to come'. 'But like all human beings, we're also personal. 'There are moments that catch us off guard and if you're in front of a camera for large periods of your life, unfortunately, that could be caught on camera in a way, if it had been anybody else at work, it would have not really been noticed.' The sight of the Chancellor in tears on the front bench and Sir Keir's initial lack of public support for her caused jitters about the Government's borrowing plans, as Ms Reeves' commitment to her rules to control spending are a key reassuring factor for the bond markets. Sir Keir said: 'She is an excellent Chancellor, she will be Chancellor for a very long time to come, into the next election and beyond it. 'She and I are absolutely committed to our fiscal rules and the economic stability that is so important to this country, and that is the rock on which we build everything else. 'On that issue, Rachel and I are in lockstep, and have been for years.'
