"I'm really stressed and anxious about government welfare reforms," says West Midlands PIP recipient
Ashleigh Jones has cerebral palsy and autism and receives Personal Independence Payment
A West Midlands woman who has cerebral palsy and receives Personal Independent Payment (PIP) has told us she's 'stressed and anxious' about government welfare reforms.
It's as the Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payment Bill returns to the House of Commons today for its Second Reading.
Ashleigh Jones, who also works at disability charity Midlands Mencap, told us why the Bill concerns her.
"Disabled people face inequality on a daily basis because of inaccessibility and a lack of inclusion," she said.
"This is just going to add a layer of inequality that's fundamentally cruel."
The proposed reforms have been watered down after over 120 Labour MPs threatened to rebel.
The work and pensions secretary, Liz Kendall, has confirmed existing recipients of PIP will be exempt from the new criteria, and announced more funding to help sick and disabled people into work.
She also said the changes will cost £2.5 billion a year by 2030.
Ashleigh told us she thinks plans for people to be subject to different criteria based on when they applied for PIP could cause divisions among the disabled community.
"For a lot of us, the disabled community is one of the only places we can turn to for support without judgement," she said.
"This reform might take that support system away for a lot of people."
Why is government planning reform?
The government says it's aiming to respond to the changing picture of population health over the last decade including the rising prevalence of long-term health conditions and disability in the working-age population.
Monthly PIP awards have more than doubled since the pandemic, rising from 13,000 to 34,000 - a rate of around 1,000 new claims per day, or the population of Leicester every year.
Much of this increase is driven by mental health conditions with awards for anxiety and depression having tripled from 2,500 per month in 2019 to 8,200 in 2023.
To better help those with mental ill health, the government says it's recruited more than 6,700 extra mental health workers since July while rolling out more access to occupational health services and developing digital resources, so employers better support their staff's mental wellbeing.
Could it push people into poverty?
Modelling from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has suggested the Government's proposals would push 150,000 more people into poverty by 2030.
The figure is down from the 250,000 extra people estimated to have been facing relative poverty after housing costs under the original proposals.
Modelling published by the DWP said the estimate does not include any "potential positive impact" from extra funding and measures to support people with disabilities and long-term health conditions into work.
Speaking in the Commons on Monday afternoon, Liz Kendall insisted that changes to her proposals on PIP and universal credit would "ensure no existing claimants are put into poverty".
A Number 10 spokesman also said that the DWP's poverty modelling was "subject to uncertainty" and did not "reflect the full picture", including investment in the health service to help people get back to work.
Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall said:
"We must build a welfare system that provides security for those who cannot work and the right support for those who can. Too often, disabled people feel trapped - worried that if they try to work, they could lose the support they depend on.
"That is why we are taking action to remove those barriers, support disabled people to live with dignity and independence, and open routes into employment for those who want to pursue it.
"This is about delivering a fairer, more compassionate system as part of our Plan for Change which supports people to thrive, whatever their circumstances."