DWP disability benefit cuts for 450,000 people will only lead to 15,400 finding work

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) disability benefit cuts will impact 450,000 people – but very few will actually find paid work. The DWP disability benefit cuts will not have the intended results of pushing people into work, forecasts show.

Planned changes to the work capability assessment (WCA), which are due to come into effect next year, will lead to lower benefits or higher work-search conditions for around 457,000 people by 2028/29. “I’m kind of in and out of work, depending on what level of distress I’m experiencing,” Ellen Clifford of Disabled People Against Cuts, who is currently in the LCWRA group, told the Big Issue.

“Although it says you wouldn’t have to do any mandatory activity, it does say that you’ll be under a work coach. And I don’t have that stress now. And actually what I find is that I’m doing the campaigning work, and I’m getting bits of paid work through that. So I’m slowly getting back to work. But that’s because I’ve got the safety net of that extra income, and not the stress of having to engage with a work coach.”

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She went on: “One of the things I really struggle with is having to attend appointments. Because I can be so anxious, it takes me an unpredictable amount of time before I can get up and washed and dressed and leave the house.

“And I know that the Jobcentre is very strict with appointment times. And even if I wasn’t subject to sanctions, it would still be the fact that I’m having to push myself to engage with someone. It’s just those kinds of things that I find hold me back from being able to get on with trying to progress back into employment.”

Louise Murphy, senior economist at the Resolution Foundation think tank, said: “The government has announced a wide range of benefit reforms and wider consultations over the past year – which is understandable given the alarming rise in economic inactivity and uptick in claims for health- and disability-related benefits in recent years.

“While some proposals are very open-ended, others are more concretely geared towards saving money. The planned reforms to the work capability assessment fall into the latter camp, as restrictions over eligibility will inevitably cause cash losses of up to £416 per month for some individuals.”

A DWP spokesperson said: “We are taking the long-term decisions to help everyone who can work to do so, improving lives and growing the economy, while maintaining protections for those who need them. Our landmark welfare reforms will cut the number of people due to be put onto the highest tier of incapacity benefits by over 424,000 and instead give them personalised support to help them move closer to employment, while our Chance to Work Guarantee will enable millions of people to try work without fear of losing their benefits.”