A major benefits reform has been put forth that would see Personal Independence Payment (PIP) scrapped.
The changes have been suggested by the the Commission on Social Security — a group of benefit claimants and those who have previously needed financial help.
Instead of receiving PIP, all claimants would get at least £83.70 per week and some would get up to £231.
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As reported by the Liverpool ECHO, the Commission on Social Security group also suggested a new “extra costs” benefit for disabled people.
The group, whose leaders have “lived experience of the benefits system”, says that the current benefits system should be overhauled so that it is no longer “guided by stereotypes and myths about disabled people and people in poverty”.
The Commission has proposed a non-means-tested benefit to replace PIP, which would cover the extra costs that disabled people face due to illnesses and impairments.
The new disability benefit’s payment rates would be:
- Lower - £83.70 per week
- Middle - £152.15 per week
- Higher - £230.77 per week
The lower tier is equivalent to what a PIP claimant would currently receive if they get the PIP standard rate for both daily living and mobility.
The Commission on Social Security is an organisation that aims to implement radical reforms in the UK benefit system.
It has also proposed a "Guaranteed Decent Income" of £163.50 a week for all adults, including multiple adults in the same household.
This is similar to a Universal Basic Income, but instead of being paid to all adults rich and poor, would target those whose earnings slip below the £163.50 threshold or who don’t earn at all.
The plans are not costed but Commission secretary Michael Orton claimed they would be a “post-war”-style investment that paid for itself through savings in other areas and a more healthy and prosperous society.
