Disabled people and their families are at a 'tipping point' according to new research on the impact of changes to disability benefits.
A new report published today (22 October, 2012) exposes how the Government’s welfare cuts are hitting disabled people hardest:
- 8 in 10 (85 per cent) claim losing their Disability Living Allowance (DLA) would drive them into isolation, and would leave them struggling to manage their condition (84 per cent).
- 9 in 10 (95 per cent) fear that losing DLA would be detrimental to their health.
- 3 in 10 disabled people stated that without DLA their carer would not be able to work.
Carers UK is part of the Hardest Hit, a coalition of over 90 disabled people’s organisations and charities, who have produced the report ‘The Tipping Point’ which brings together a survey of over 4,500 disabled people, a poll of more than 350 independent welfare advisors, and more than 50 in-depth interviews with disabled people with varying conditions and impairments.
The report highlights that disabled people are twice as likely to live in poverty and even a small loss of income can tip people with a disability into greater dependence on health and social care services or friends and family.
It’s predicted that Britain’s 3.6 million people claiming disability benefits will be £9 billion worse off from 2010 to the end of this Parliament, with an estimated 500,000 disabled people expected to lose out when DLA becomes Personal Independence Payment (PIP) in April 2013. Around 450,000 disabled households are set to lose out under the new Universal Credit (UC) system. For example, 100,000 families with disabled children stand to lose up to £28 a week.
The Hardest Hit coalition is calling on the Government to rule out targeting disabled people for further spending cuts in the next Budget and Comprehensive Spending Review.
