Some families living with disability will end up more than £5,500 a year worse off due to welfare reforms.
That’s the claim of a new Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) report.
David Isaac of the Equality and Human Rights Commission: tax and spending reforms are failing to create the fairer country Prime Minister Theresa May promised
It says changes to tax, social security and public spending since 2010 are hitting the poorest hardest.
Welfare cut hits disabled families most
Families with a disabled adult and child will face a £5,500 cut in their income per year, compared to non-disabled families.
The EHRC makes recommendations to government on how its policies affect equality and human rights standards.
Its report looks at the impact that tax and spending changes between 2010 and 2017 will have on people by 2022.
‘Government can’t claim to be working for everyone’
David Isaac chairs the EHRC. He said: “The Government can’t claim to be working for everyone if its policies actually make the most disadvantaged people in society financially worse off.”
Beatrice Barleon is policy manager for learning disability charity Mencap. She said the EHRC report shows disabled people and their families are the “biggest losers from the austerity agenda”.
The EHRC issued the report in the build up to the Government’s Autumn Budget today (Wednesday 22 November 2017). The aim was to remind the Government of its duty to consider the impact of its policies on protected groups such as the disabled.
‘Report fails to consider several factors’
A spokesperson for the Treasury said the EHRC report fails to consider several factors. These were the UK’s “successful jobs market”, tax-free childcare, moves to boost apprenticeships and the National Living Wage.
The Treasury said it is spending more than £50 billion a year to support disabled people. Meanwhile, it said it is focusing support on employment programmes to get people into work.
The EHRC’s report is titled Distributional results for the impact of tax and welfare reforms between 2010-17, modelled in the 2021/22 tax year.
Related:
- Care slashed in Warwickshire and Surrey
- Families face £703 transport charge
- UK Government is failing disabled people
- Tell your MP your view on benefit cut
Published: 21 November 2017
