Norfolk Dad with bone disease 'terrified' by possible welfare cuts
The UK economy loses out on over £38 billion each year due to reduced employment and lower productivity- according to The Trussell Trust
A Dad from Norfolk with a bone disease says he's terrified about the prospect of his disability benefits being cut by the Government
The Trussell Trust says the UK would save over £75 billion annually- if more was done to end poverty across the board.
"if I have to go without that, then so be it"
David Wilson lives in North Norfolk:
"I will ensure that my son has a good, well-cooked meal. But if I have to go without that, then so be it. It's just one of those thing. I know I'm not the only person in this situation, but these are just factors that you have to consider.
"PIP Personal Independence Payment is not designed exclusively for people that don't work. It's there to aid the cost of adaptions to people's homes or ensuring they can make medical appointments.
"If any member of the Government were to spend a day with one of their constituents and see what their challenges are, I think it would be a real eye-opener".
This research in more detail:
This report has also found that the UK economy loses out on over £38 billion each year due to reduced employment and lower productivity
It also claims the public purse also loses out on £18.4 billion in tax revenue each year and needs to spend an additional £5.3 billion on social security payments as a result.
It found that failure to address hunger and hardship leads to £13.7 billion in additional spending each year on public services like the NHS, schools, children’s social care, and more.
Schools spend an additional £1.5 billion on measures supporting children in poverty such as free school meals and pupil premium.
Almost half of additional expenditure on public services is on healthcare alone (£6.3 billion), due to how hunger and hardship is linked to worse physical and mental health.
The Trussell Trust is calling on the UK government to rethink its cuts to disability benefits. It warns that cutting support risks pushing more disabled people to food banks.
What's the Government said on this?
A Department for Work and Pensions spokesperson said:
“We have set out a sweeping package of reforms to health and disability benefits that genuinely supports people back into work and lifts people out of poverty, while putting the welfare system on a more sustainable footing so that the safety net is always there to protect those who need it most.
“Our £1bn employment support package will unlock work as part of our Plan for Change, alongside increasing the Living Wage, boosting benefits, and introducing a Fair Repayment Rate to help more than a million low-income households on Universal Credit.”