Benefit cuts will worsen disability poverty
The findings follow a call for evidence put out by the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Poverty and Inequality, of which the Equality Trust is Secretariat, and which DR UK gave evidence to.
The call for evidence explored key areas such as the risk and extent of poverty (including deep poverty) among Disabled people, how the additional costs of disability contribute to the poverty experienced by Disabled people and how poverty among Disabled people relates to broader societal inequalities.
The final report found that Disabled households face additional barriers and costs, including higher spending on food, heating, transport and medical support, which can amount to additional costs of over £1,000 per month. These costs, combined with inaccessible public services and a punitive social security system, are already pushing many Disabled people to the brink, even as the Government’s Green Paper proposes sweeping cuts to disability benefits, most notably changes to Personal Independence Payment (PIP) and the Limited Capability for Work and Work-Related Activity (LCWRA) element of Universal Credit.
The report warns that:
• Disabled people are significantly more likely to live in poverty; the poverty rate among working-age Disabled adults in the UK is 23%, compared to 17% for those without a disability.
• The additional costs of disability are substantial and are not adequately met by current support; Disabled households face unavoidable extra costs averaging £1,067 per month, which equates to 67% of household income after housing costs.
• Disabled people face structural barriers to employment; the disability employment gap remains high at 27.8% and the disability pay gap is 17.2%.
• Disabled workers are overrepresented in low paid, insecure work and are underrepresented in senior management roles.
• The proposed cuts to disability benefits in the Green Paper will deepen poverty and worsen inequality for Disabled people.
• The true impact could be significantly greater than government estimates, with the Joseph Rowntree Foundation projecting that 400,000 people will be affected and the Child Poverty Action Group warning that over 100,000 children could be pushed into poverty.
• Cuts to Universal credit for new claimants and to PIP, are scheduled to begin in 2026. Moreover, the loss of PIP could make employment harder for many Disabled people.
Responding to the findings Siân Berry MP and Baroness Lister, Co-Chairs of the APPG, said: “Disabled people already face unacceptable levels of hardship. These proposals won’t remove barriers to employment—they will add new ones by stripping people of the income they rely on to survive. The evidence is clear: these cuts will deepen inequality and force people further into crisis. We urge the government to listen to those most affected and change course immediately.”
The recommendations put forward by the APPG Include:
• Abandoning the proposed cuts to disability benefits in the Green Paper
• Increasing rates for all social security benefits
• Ending the pernicious reassessment model
• Redesigning the social security system alongside those affected
• Introducing a joined up system of support to help Disabled people with additional costs
• Increasing the provision of accessible social housing
• Investing much more in fully accessible public transport.
Dan White policy and campaigns officer at DR UK and one of the leads of the Disability Poverty Campaign Group said: “The DPCG gave evidence to this report at the outset and we are unsurprised at the findings. As welcome as this evidence is, we are struggling to convince the Government that their proposed actions will push thousands of Disabled people into deeper poverty and further away from work.”
“The facts do not lie. As well as the evidence of poverty that is here and will tragically increase, we also know that proceeding with benefit cuts could result in a £1.1 billion cut to unpaid carers' support, exacerbating the crisis.”
“The Labour Government should step back from cutting disability benefits. We know the UN are watching carefully and in their most recent report, the United Nations Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (CESCR) set out a bleak view of the UK Government's performance on tackling poverty.”
The full report can be read here.
Learn how you can take action on proposed benefit cuts here.