The Mayor of Greater Manchester has issued a warning with the government iset to overhaul the welfare system so that only the most severely disabled can claim.
While Burnham agrees in an op piece in this morning’s Times that the benefits system needs reform he cautions on how that reform is carried out and says that there is no case for cutting the payments for those with disabilities that prevent them from working
“I would share concerns about changing support and eligibility to benefits while leaving the current top-down system broadly in place. It would trap too many people in poverty. And to be clear: there is no case in any scenario for cutting the support available to disabled people who are unable to work.“ he writes
However he adds:
“The benefits system is not set up to help people into work. People’s lives are complex. To move towards work, they may need help with many things. An obvious example is housing. Despite this, the tickbox system we have is incapable of providing “whole-person” support. People feel that it is designed more to trip them up than help them out. Many fear interacting with it. For a service meant to be about moving people forward, that is a big issue.”
There was a partial climbdown over the weekend when the Government confirmed that it would not freeze one of the main disability benefits known as the personal independence payment (PIP).
However the most controversial changes are still going ahead with an announcement expected tomorrow
