It comes as the Conservatives announced they would tackle rising welfare costs and reform the benefits system if they win the general election, which they say would save £12 billion per year by the end of the next parliament. The pledge includes reforming disability benefits, with the Work and Pensions Secretary Mel Stride saying some people with mental health issues could lose their personal independent payment. This is awarded to people with long-term physical or mental conditions to help them continue with everyday tasks.
Department for Work and Pensions figures show 1,394 people in Dorset received a PIP for anxiety and depression as of April. This was up from 1,241 the year before, and was double the 713 people receiving support in April 2019, before the pandemic. Across England and Wales, 351,213 people received benefit support for mental health issues in April.
This figure has more than doubled since 2019, with Mr Stride suggesting to The Times people with "milder mental health conditions" would no longer receive financial support. He said: "There are those that have perhaps milder mental health conditions, or where perhaps there has been too great a move towards labelling certain behaviours as having certain (medical) conditions attached to them, where actually work is the answer or part of the answer. "What we’ve got to avoid is being in a situation where we too readily say 'Well, actually, we need you to be on benefits'.
" Nationally, across all disabilities and me.
