Benefits and tax credits have been increased today by just 3.1% in the annual uprating. This increase is based on last September’s inflation figure. However, since then inflation has surged, in large part due to the hikes in energy bills.
Inflation is likely to top 8.4% later this year: a 30-year high. So, in real terms benefits are being cut. This follows the £20 a week drop in Universal Credit last October; itself the most dramatic single cut in welfare provision for a generation. In the face of the cost of living crisis, these cuts could not have come at a worse time.
Disabled people face a double whammy in that the extra costs consequent of disability are also surging. Debt will spiral, and many will struggle to pay for essentials. Unacceptable choices will be made: to heat the home, or to put food on the table.