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Disability benefit cuts planned by the UK government will disproportionately impact the lives of people in Wales, campaigners have said.
Research released by the data analytics company Policy in Practice last week estimated that 190,000 people – 6% of the population – could have their incomes slashed by up to 60% by the end of this parliament if eligibility for personal independence payments (Pip) is tightened as proposed in a March green paper.
The proposals, which are still at the consultation stage, would further compound poverty and exclusion for disabled people in Wales, according to the chief executive of Disability Wales, Rhian Davies.
“It’s not just individuals who will be out of pocket, entire communities will be affected. Our survey of members showed that people are angry and terrified and some reported suicidal thoughts, which is very concerning,” she said.
“We must address the systemic failures that keep disabled people out of work and public life before we start looking at reforming the benefits system.”
About 900,000 people, or 27% of Wales’ population, live with a disability, according to Public Health Network Cymru – higher than the UK average of 22% – and 11% of working-age people, compared with 7% in England.
The proposed changes would have a markedly uneven impact across the UK, earlier Policy in Practice analysis found. In Wales, Blaenau Gwent, Merthyr Tydfil and Neath Port Talbot are the worst-affected areas per capita.
Trevor Palmer, an entrepreneur from Newport diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 1994, said losing access to Pip would “severely restrict” his day-to-day life and in effect shut down his charity ResponseABLE Assistance, which works on equality issues for disabled people around the world.
“It would ruin my life, to be honest. I’m 70 and I have a pension, but Pip is about 60% of my income. I’m a full-time wheelchair user and I use it for transport and things like adaptations to the car. Without it, I wouldn’t be able to go out.”
A UK government spokesperson said that most people currently getting Pip would continue to receive it. A review of the Pip assessment would involve “working with disabled people and key organisations representing them – including in Wales – to consider how best to do this”, they said.
“We will never compromise on protecting people who need our support and our reforms will mean the social security system will always be there for those who will never be able to work, and that their income is protected,” the spokesperson added.
When the changes to disability benefits were proposed in March, Wales’ first minister, Eluned Morgan, called on the UK government to conduct a Wales-specific impact assessment, which the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) declined to do.
The proposals have caused friction between the Senedd and the government in Westminster, which promised a “partnership in power” in which the two Labour administrations would “work in lockstep” after Keir Starmer led the party to a national election victory last year.
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Morgan, the first minister and leader of the Welsh Labour party, told the Guardian last month that she was “losing patience” with UK Labour as she struggles to counter a growing threat from Plaid Cymru and Reform UK in next May’s Senedd elections. Recent polling suggested Labour was trailing in third place, with its worst vote share – 18% – since devolution 25 years ago.
UK government ministers have said the changes to disability benefits are essential to overhaul a “broken system” amid growing numbers of working-age people claiming health-related benefits.
More than 3m UK households will be hit by the changes to disability and incapacity benefits starting from next year. Official estimates forecast 250,000 people, including 50,000 children, will be pushed into poverty as a result.
In Wales, a comprehensive 10-year disabled people’s rights plan is under consultation at the Senedd. The DWP also took part in a recent inquiry into Wales’ outsized disability employment gap, which Davies of Disability Wales said made the proposed cuts “all the more perplexing”.
“It’s like these changes have arrived in a vacuum,” she said.
The Welsh government said: “These welfare reforms are impacting people in Wales, and we are listening closely to those with lived experience, as well as the organisations that represent them. Our response to the green paper will reflect the concerns we’ve heard, and we urge the UK government to also listen carefully to what people in Wales are saying.”
