Cllr Sharon Thompson has written to the Department for Work and Pensions Secretary, Therese Coffey MP, to raise concerns on behalf of thousands of families across Birmingham, about the Government's plans to cut Universal Credit support for disabled young people. Under current plans a disabled student will only be able to claim Universal Credit if they have previously claimed support as an adult classed as unfit to work and then taken the decision to return to education to gain a qualification, making it even harder for hundreds of families across Birmingham to claim support.
In her letter to the DWP Secretary, Cllr Sharon Thompson said that the Government should be doing more to support young people to access training that allows them to become independent. In their 2019 General Election manifesto, the Conservatives promised to double the minimum Personal Independent Payment awards to "empower and support disabled people" instead of forcing claimants to repeat assessments to claim benefits. However, in the Chancellor's budget in October, it was revealed that the Government would impose a £70m cut meaning thousands will lose out on Personal Independence Payments.
Shadow Secretary for Women and Equalities, Anneliese Dodds MP, said that "Labour can reveal a whopping £70m stealth cut to disability support, buried in the Budget. People who rely on that support deserve honesty from ministers, not smoke and mirrors".
Read Cllr Sharon Thompson's full letter here.
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