The DWP is preparing to make significant changes to its benefits and services, with reforms central to the Labour Party’s plans to overhaul the welfare system
The government is gearing up to kickstart a radical shake-up of sickness and disability benefits, with the overhaul set to get underway in early 2025.
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has got its hands full prepping for some big changes. In the latest update from Downing Street, it’s been confirmed that the government will launch a consultation come Spring 2025.
As part of Labour’s ‘Get Britain Working Again’ plan, the reforms are part of the government’s commitment to wrangle with the current welfare system. They say that the current set-up is not giving people with long-term health conditions and disabilities a fair chance at employment. Labour is hoping to cut welfare spending by £3billion over a four-year period, reports the Mirror.
Speaking on the matter, the Prime Minister’s spokesperson said: “We have seen a situation this Government inherited on inactivity, we have seen the situation on the spiralling benefits bill with millions of people on long-term illness or disability out of work and not getting the support that they need, and that is why we are determined to fix this.”
They continued: “Building on our ‘Get Britain Working’ White Paper, we will be publishing a consultation in the spring on measures to ensure the system is better supporting people, including young people, to get them into work and keep them in work.”
The plans for reform are set to tweak the rules around Personal Independence Payments (PIP), with a hike in the qualifying threshold possibly leading to fewer people eligible for the cash. The DWP is also dropping hints about overhauling the Work Capability Assessment (WCA), which figures out who gets certain benefits.
However, under the old Tory government, changes to the WCA might have clamped down on the number of people qualifying by swapping around the descriptors used in assessments.
Yet, the Treasury has denied the idea that Labour would stick to the previous WCA reforms, although they have confirmed the £3bn in welfare cuts.
Campaigners are raising the alarm over these moves, especially when it comes to tightening the purse strings on disability benefits.
Louise Rubin, head of policy at disability charity Scope, said: “It’s good to see a positive vision for supporting disabled people who want to work, but we know there’s still a huge amount of anxiety about the changes the government is planning to make to the benefits system.”
She added: “The government is pressing ahead with the previous government’s planned £3bn cuts. But not everybody can work. Tightening up conditions so that disabled people are forced to look for work when they are unwell will be disastrous.”
A DWP spokesperson defended the reforms, and said: “This government isn’t about sticking plaster politics. This is an incredibly complex challenge and we will work closely with charities and leading organisations, disabled people and people with health conditions to ensure their voices are heard as we develop our plans.”