There was no mention of the lives of Disabled people, the known financial hardships, the increasing levels of poverty, and the horrific impact years of austerity and cuts to essential services have had upon the Disabled community. In fact, there was little to nothing that would have any positive impact for Disabled people. The only announcements that had any potential relevance were a six-month extension to the Household Support Fund and investment in new Special schools, the first being a sticking plaster for inadequate benefit levels and the second failing to address the lack of funding to support Disabled children in mainstream schools.
A six-month grace period for the Household Support Fund is not enough. The HSF should at minimum be funded for a year, then reviewed and made permanent. The HSF provides much needed financial aid for those in poverty, of which many are Disabled individuals or families with Disabled children.
Financial aid for Disabled people in the form of cost-of-living payments should continue. The support should not stop while the crisis continues.
There was no mention of the quietly shelved consultation on an energy social tariff, announced in the November 2023 budget, which would benefit financially vulnerable consumers and those Disabled people with higher energy use, which has long been called for by DPCG and others. As energy prices continue to decimate Disabled households, the implementation of such a tariff would see thousands of financially vulnerable people pulled out of fuel poverty. While energy firms’ profits grow and people continue to live in the dark, the moral obligation to begin a consultation is paramount.
There were many things that could and should have been done. An announcement to abolish all charges for care and support for Disabled people would have been progressive. It is just wrong that Disabled people are charged for support with the basics of daily life, especially when compared to free NHS care for all. In fact, the DPCG wrote to the Chancellor with our demands for investment prior to the statement, a letter you can read at the bottom of this page. None of these policies were listened to, unsurprisingly.
The lack of investment in public services is horrifying. the chancellor’s intention to keep spending on hospitals, schools, and other services, at only 1 per cent above inflation per year, alongside increases in population, according to the OBR’s economic and fiscal outlook report, will reduce the amount of money spent per person on frontline services, services that Disabled people utterly rely on. Public services need higher investment or we cease to live in a decent society.
In short, the statement completely fails to address our needs and we remain invisible to Government and its policies. This is the final budget before an election and it gave little to the poorest in society, many of whom are Disabled people. Under this Governments watch, the living conditions of Disabled people are set to fall even further.
This comes as little surprise from a UK Government that is facing the United Nations in just over week's time for their violation of the rights of Disabled people. You can read more about that upcoming hearing and how you can tune in on our news article.
Overall, an unsurprising but deeply disappointing budget for Disabled people - we know we will not get the policies to transform our lives unless we write them ourselves. This is why we are pushing for our Disabled People's Manifesto for the upcoming election, a body of policies co-produced by Disabled people across the country to transform our society. Learn more about it and how you can support it on the Disabled People's Manifesto website.