Benefits overhaul will punish unemployed and disabled people

The government has stepped up its war on the poor with planned restructuring of benefits, which will see many of the UK’s poorest worse off, writes Keith Spencer

Works and Pensions secretary Iain Duncan Smith has outlined plans for a universal credit to replace the various existing benefits, while the government has ended its “consultation” on reforming disability payments.
The Tories and right-wing press have complained for years about the burgeoning cost of welfare and how the UK is full of long-term unemployed.
In fact during the height of the boom in 2005-6, nearly 75% of the working population was in work – the highest figure ever (see Office of National Statistics, labour force survey).
No appeal
The Institute for Financial Studies (IFS) found that the new system will lead to 1.4 million people losing out, 2.5 million will not be affected, and another 2.5 million will gain by an average of a few pounds a week – hardly an incentive to work.
In addition, there will be loss of benefits if a claimant misses one interview, or refuses to take their first job offer, or fails to do unpaid community service – without any right to appeal.
The government also wants to cut disability living allowance costs by 20% by introducing far tougher work capability assessment (WCA) tests. Currently claimants are making 8,000 appeals a week against WCA decisions, with 40 per cent succeeding. Yet the Department of Work and Pensions is feeding the press fantastical stories about “97% of disability claimants are fit for work” (Daily Mail).
Campaigning
The One Month Before Heartbreak campaign and groups such as Disabled People Against the Cuts and Black Triangle are organising resistance to the government’s plans, particularly the use of private sector firms such as Atos, which carries out medical assessments, or A4E, which runs courses for the DWP.
The real aim of these reforms is to force people into low-paid, part-time, flexible work. We should have a simplified benefit system but one that provides a good standard of living for the disabled and unemployed, rather than the poverty and harassment they now face.