Tag Archives: welfare reform bill
Crisis in social care costs Britain over £5bn a year
Crisis will get worse, charities warn
Wednesday 26 September 2012
Britain’s fragile economy is losing more than £5bn a year as a result of a growing crisis in social care funding aggravated by the Government’s austerity measures.
People are giving up an estimated £4bn in pay – cash that would have been channelled back into the economy – because they are being forced to leave work to care for elderly or disabled relatives. The Treasury is also missing out on £1bn of taxes they would otherwise have paid, while carers are claiming some £300m in benefits to help cover their living costs.
The “missing” £5.3bn is equivalent to more than 0.3 per cent of Britain’s gross domestic product, charities warned last night. More than 300,000 people quit work in 2010-11 to look after relatives – and the number is increasing because of continuing cuts to care budgets, they said.
The extent of the losses to the economy was disclosed in a report from Age UK and Carers UK, building on work by the London School of Economics. They said the problem would worsen unless ministers reversed cuts to town hall budgets that were affecting services, and finally acted to settle the long-term funding of social care.
PIP and is set to replace DLA for working age claimants from April 2013
Out with Disability Living Allowance and in with Personal Independence Payment
Independent DWP benefits’ advice by Jon Kingham, welfare rights advisor. Jon has practiced welfare rights and housing law for over 15–years in the voluntary sector where he has used his considerable knowledge and experience working with people with mental health issues. Unfortunately, Jon is unable to enter into personal correspondence in regards to DWP enquiries.
As you may be aware the Government, as part of its so–called welfare reforms are going to abolish Disability Living Allowance [DLA]. Its replacement will be called Personal Independence Payment or PIP and is set to replace DLA for working age claimants from April 2013. Whilst no new claims for DLA can be made after this time, existing claimants will be reassessed for PIP from between April 2013 to April 2017. This will be the case even if you have a life or indefinite award of DLA. PIP will have many similarities with DLA and, in particular, it will have two components: a daily living component [similar to the current care component] and a mobility component.
Blind people are ‘living in fear of welfare reforms’
Welfare reform threatens to steal their independence and dignity, David Miliband was told
The South Shields MP was at a summit in his constituency listening to the concerns of those who say the benefits cuts have left them at crisis point.
