Dumfries and Galloway MP Richard Arkless has said that there are 660 local people currently receiving disability benefits who will see their income drop by £30 each week because of changes to the benefits system. Mr Arkless has asked those people who will be affected to contact his office to add their voice to the campaign to stop the cuts from going ahead.
In 2015, the government announced in its summer budget that it wanted to cut financial support for hundreds of thousands of disabled people on out-of-work benefits.
The cut to Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) of £30 each week would reduce disabled people’s incomes from £102.15 to £73.10 each week and would affect all those who were deemed likely capable of work in the future.
The change which would begin in April 2017, would see new claimants placed in the work-related activity group (WRAG) of ESA, receive the same weekly payment as those on jobseeker’s allowance (JSA), an annual loss of about £1,500 a year.
Osborne claimed in his budget speech that the existence of the WRAG was creating “perverse incentives” that were preventing more disabled people from returning to work.
Last week, in the House of Lords, peers rejected the proposed cut to WRAG by 283 votes to 198.
Richard Arkless, MP for Dumfries and Galloway said:
“This government seems to think that people within the disabled community are simply work shy and in need of some encouragement to find employment. Forcing already vulnerable people into financial hardship and poverty does assist them back into work.
“Many of the people who fall into this WRAG category are already coping with difficult conditions such as multiple sclerosis, conditions that are exacerbated by the stress and anxiety that these cuts would undoubtably cause.
“In Dumfries and Galloway there are 660 people who would see their income fall from £102.15 to £73.10 per week if the cuts went ahead.
“Whilst I am pleased that the Peers have voted down this change, the fight is yet to be won as the final decision will be taken by the government.
“That is why it is so important that we continue to campaign against these cuts.
“I would urge the 660 people who will be affected in Dumfries and Galloway to contact my office as soon as possible and add their voices to the campaign against these unfair and damaging cuts. The best way to do this is by emailing me at [email protected]”
Note: The figure of 660 affected people in Dumfries and Galloway is provided by Macmillan and are generated from publicly available information on the Department of Work and Pensions tabulation tool. Macmillan define the Work Related Activity Group as individuals who are independently assessed as being too ill to work, but who are able to take part in some work-related activity. This is defined as activity that makes it more likely to get a job in the future when their health has improved, but there is no requirement to apply for jobs, as is the case for JSA.
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