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A veteran Labour MP has taken aim at proposals to cutback the Personal Independent Payment known as PIP.
Sir Mark Hendrick, the MP for Preston, has written to the Secretary of Statement for Work and Pensions to outline his objections to upcoming benefit shake-up.
Liz Kendall MP is expected to outline later today the government’s welfare reforms.
Read more: Preston health expert calling for Government changes for safer hospitals
But Sir Mark, who says around a thousand people in Preston could be affected directly, has called for a re-think.
He said: “I believe that people with disabilities already face daily barriers, inaccessible services to rising costs. I understand many claimants use PIP as a lifeline to fund vital equipment and support their daily living needs, including the cost of energy bills to charge necessary equipment such as specialised beds and wheelchairs.”
Sir Mark goes on to say he believes cutting the PIP would put more people into poverty and increase pressures on the NHS, emergency services and the voluntary sector.
He goes on the suggest he and other Labour MPs, who are growing in number to express their frustration at the proposed benefit cuts, have been blind-sided by the government’s move.
He said: “Neither myself, not Labour colleagues have received correspondence from the government on these proposed cuts.”
He calls on ‘other means of welfare reform’ to be looked at – although doesn’t outline what these could be – and asks DWP to ‘reconsider plans to freeze PIP payments in line with inflation’.
Sir Mark’s concerns are shared by Disability Equality North West who are headquartered in Preston and work with disabled people in the city and beyond.
Chief executive Melanie Close, who is also a Labour councillor on Preston City Council, told Blog Preston they were already experiencing an increase in contact from concerned disabled people and they expected this to increase further once the government made changes.
She said: “We’re pleased that Preston’s MP Mark Hendrick has expressed his concern – we share the same concerns, disability benefits such as Personal Independence Payment (PIP) are an absolute lifeline for many disabled people, who spend on average an extra £975 a month on costs relating to their disability, which is often more than the additional benefits they receive.
“We’re also disappointed that no one, in government, has mentioned the numbers of disabled and older people who don’t claim the benefits they’re entitled too – choosing instead to focus on the small minority of people who are claiming but may not be eligible.
“Here at Disability Equality, our advisers are dealing mainly with the fear of the changes as no detail has yet been announced – interestingly, there’s little to no funding available for advice services to support people to claim benefits they’re entitled too, another reason why many aren’t claiming or challenging bad decisions.
“No doubt we will be even busier when the detail of the changes are announced.”
The number of people receiving a benefit payment for disability has now reached 1.3million people and has accelerated rapidly since the pandemic and the total health and disability benefit bill is expected to top £100billion by 2030 according to Office for Budget Responsibility forecasts.
The Independent is reporting the government wants to try to save £6billion in disability benefits currently paid out. Liz Kendall has remained tight-lipped over exactly what’s planned.
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