This community has an uneasy sense the poorest will be hardest hit by government’s welfare cuts
Among families struggling to make ends meet, there’s an uneasy sense that the people who can least afford it are being forced to bear the brunt of the nation’s financial woes.
As the impact statement of the government’s welfare cuts was released – revealing tens of thousands of children will be tipped into poverty – at a community centre in Wolverhampton, families shared their frustration that sick and disabled people will be those who lose out.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ announced a ‘spring statement’ on Wednesday. Pic: PA
“It’s for people that need extra help because they’re ill, so why would they target that? I’m confused,” said Melissa.
A former carer, she’s currently pregnant, and says she’d love to go back to work and hasn’t been able to since her older children were born – due to the cost of childcare.
Melissa believes the government’s aim of encouraging more people into work is “a good thing, it’s what they need”. But she questions where the jobs are for people who’ve been out of work and may struggle due to illness.
Melissa says she is ‘confused’ by the welfare cuts
“It’s okay saying they’re making cuts, but how are they going to help get people back in work by making them cuts?” she asks.
Philippa agrees. “It’s always a certain section of the community that gets targeted and it’s always those are on low incomes,” she says.
Now a grandmother, but still a few years away from retirement, Philippa recently applied for the disability benefit PIP – personal independence payment – due to diabetes and related health problems.
Phillipa says those on low income are always ‘targeted’.
She was rejected but intends to appeal – and says she feels targeted by the government’s cuts.
“My son’s got disability living allowance, which means I can become his carer and that’s the opt out of getting a job”, she says, adding “I’ve never had to look into ways of avoidance”.
The cuts to welfare target the rapidly growing cost to the public purse of sickness and disability benefits.
Up to 50,000 children may be pushed into poverty due to the chancellor’s latest welfare cuts
The bill currently stands at £65bn a year and has ballooned since the pandemic, fuelled by a large increase in claims from young people with mental illness.
The measures are designed to remove some of the disincentives to work within the system.
Currently, people signed off sick can get double the amount job seekers receive in benefits.
However, they risk losing the extra money if they do get a job.
Stephanie Leo
Stephanie Leo is a senior community support worker in Wolverhampton and believes some people are put off looking for work because they worry about losing their benefits.
“If you could still work on certain benefits that would be more impressive,” she says.
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Winston Lindsay, 57, struggles to walk due to a range of conditions, including spondylosis that affects his spine.
He used to be a social worker but now runs a voluntary organisation in Wolverhampton supporting people with disabilities.
He uses his PIP payments to cover the basics, but says he already struggles to get by, and worries that if his benefits are reduced, it will have a “major impact” that will force him to restrict how much food he buys, and how often he puts the heating on at home.
“We’re going have to wrap up and wear more clothes”, he says. “I’m just glad it’s summer at the moment – with the winter that’s going to be the worst period.”
The government’s aim is that more people currently in receipt of benefits go out and seek work.
Ben Harrison, director of the Work Foundation, told Sky News that it may happen.
“These measures will mean that they will face an increasing need to engage with employment support services.
“The problem here is whether they’ll be able to be connected to the appropriate kinds of work”, he says.
He believes the risk is that people “get pushed into inappropriate kinds of employment”.
“That in the end, makes their condition worse, and it makes their long-term employment prospects worse as well”, he adds.
A woman who was stabbed to death in north London has been named by police – as a man was arrested on suspicion of murder.
Pamela Munro, 45, was found with a stab wound and died at the scene in Ayley Croft, Enfield, on Saturday evening, the Metropolitan Police said.
A 29-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of murder on Monday and is in custody, the force added.
Detective Chief Inspector Neil John said: “Investigating officers have worked relentlessly across the weekend to investigate the circumstances around Pamela’s death.
“We continue to support her family who are understandably devastated.”
Police at the scene at Ayley Croft in Enfield
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The Met Police has asked anyone with information or who was driving through Ayley Court between 6.30pm and 7.30pm on Saturday and may have dashcam footage to contact the force.
A “British man” has died after being beaten and set on fire by a mob in Ecuador, according to reports by media in the South American country.
According to reports, the man – who has not been officially identified – had been detained by police after being accused of being involved in a fatal shooting.
Ecuadorian news outlet Ecuavisa reported that the man had been taken to a police station Playas del Cuyabeno, a remote village in the Amazon rainforest.
While there, a group broke into the station and took the man away. He was then set on fire in the street, it is reported, and died from his burns.
The incident reportedly happened in the Playas del Cuyabeno area of Sucumbios province
Another local report, from EXTRA.ec, said that specialist police units had been slow to arrive due to the geographical conditions of the area – which is accessible by river.
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According to reports, police officers at the station apparently decided they could not intervene when the mob arrived out of concerns for their own safety.
It is understood the UK Foreign Office is following up reports about the incident and working with local authorities to confirm the details.
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