A consultation proposing changes to PIP, Universal Credit and other benefits closes next week. The new Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, Liz Kendal MP, has not yet responded to calls from leading anti-poverty, health and disability charities, including the Joseph Rowntree Foundation and Mind and Disability Rights UK, to drop previously proposed Tory reform plans for Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payment (PIP). The ten organisations have called for the Labour government to make scrapping the plans one of its first tasks in office, but so far no announcement has been made to drop them - despite the new DWP ministerial team now in place.
It has been suggested that Labour is waiting to see the response to a consultation on the proposals - which closes on July 22 - before making any decisions. Under the Tory proposals in the ‘Modernising support for independent living: the health and disability green paper’ , the changes would save some £12 billion each year by the end of the next parliament. Changes include swapping cash PIP payments for a range of other support, including vouchers, grants or choosing support aids from a catalogue.
Other proposals include amending eligibility for PIP, reviewing the assessment process and passing PIP costs on to the NHS and local authorities. PIP is now providing up to £737.20 every four-week payment period to more than 3.
5 million adults in Scotland , England and Wales. It’s important to be aware that the proposed cha.
