Happy new year! Traditionally at this time of year we set new years resolutions to better ourselves and goals to achieve this year.
I’ve got all mine sorted and yes I do have world domination in my sights, thanks for asking.
Normally I’m firmly of the belief that “ New Year New Me” is absolute rubbish and tell everyone who spouts it to either shut up or that they’re great as they are. However, I think it’s the perfect time for the Department for Works and Pensions to embrace this sentiment.
Last year was a spectacularly horrific time for disabled people under the Department of Works and Pensions.
They were taken to the High Courts after the National Disability Strategy was found to be unlawful. They came (rightly) under fire for straight up refusing to release a report into the scale of disabled deaths by suicide after being refused benefits. We also saw the minister that was supposed to represent us downgraded to an under-secretary (since reinstated), inadequate cost of living payments.
So with this in mind, I’ve written some resolutions and goals that I think the government, specifically the DWP should make in order to do better for disabled people.
First up, the government needs to commit to creating a comprehensive disability strategy or action plan - or whatever Minister for Disabled People Tom Pursglove has up his sleeve now.
One that actually works with disabled activists and organisations to have our best interests at heart and protects our rights. Instead of focusing on getting us back into work and tackling fictional benefits scroungers - a reminder that just 0.07 per cent of benefits claims are as fraudulent and that 89 per cent of these were found to be non-fraudulent.
And if they are going to be obsessed with getting disabled people off employment subsidising benefits, then they should actually create legislation that protects the rights of disabled people to work from home and in a way which works best for them.
The government also needs to commit to narrowing the disability pay gap, which stands at over £3,700 a year and the unemployment gap, currently at 6.8% double that of non-disabled people.
A big goal the Department for Works and Pensions should work towards is completely overhauling the benefits application process.
The current system for applying for disability benefits makes disabled people focus on the absolute worst parts of our lives and is dehumanising and traumatic for many. The questions on the application form feel purposefully vague and leave no space for fluctuating disabilities.
Heaven forbid you write that the worst parts of your condition only affect you sometimes or a few days a month. They see this as recognition that you can carry on as “normal” on some days so you don’t need any financial support.
Then after an agonising wait comes an assessment with someone who very often isn’t a medical professional whose job it feels like it is to trip you up every step of the way and once again make you recount every terrible part about your pathetic existence for them as they tap away in front of a computer and tally your health up against a set of tick boxes.
You then again wait up to twelve weeks, during all of this you’re on the lowest possible amount of benefit. At the end of this hopefully, you’re judged as disabled enough, but far too often disabled people fail the tests and are left to starve to death by the government.
The disability benefits application process shouldn't be about proving how disabled you are, it should function to support disabled people. The application should focus on how much support you need and be about ensuring that disabled people’s needs are met, not proving that we deserve to have them met in the first place.
Another particularly cruel part of the benefits system is the longstanding rule that if a disabled person who receives PIP is in hospital for over 28 days, their benefit is suspended.
This is inhumane in itself but it’s even worse that the total number of PIP suspensions under the hospitalisation rule increased from 30,860 in the quarter to the end of April 2020, to 45,850 in the quarter to the end of April 2022.
This rule just needs to be completely abolished. No overhaul, just get rid of it.
While it’s great that the DWP have committed to uplifting disability benefits, as this isn’t going to come until April it will be too late for many who will struggle over the winter. They need to instead bring the uplift forward to January.
According to the Office for National Statistics, 55 per cent of disabled adults are already struggling to afford their energy bills and 36 per cent can’t keep up with rent or mortgage payments. More needs to be done to ensure disabled people survive the winter instead of the DWP patting themselves on the back for uplifting benefits as the weather turns warmer.
Again it’s great that those on benefits including Universal Credit, Disability Living Allowance and Employment Support Allowance will receive £900 to help them through the winter, however, 3 million people on Personal Independence Payment will only get £150. Certainly not enough to make actually help us survive.
And while we’re still on benefits being insufficient, it would be great to see the Christmas bonus finally rise in line with inflation and this time next year I can be feeling buoyed by the extra £168 I got for Christmas from the DWP instead of feeling depressed that after hearing so many stories of disabled people struggling over the festive period again.
Finally, the big change the DWP has to make this year is actually putting their money where their mouths are and actually proving they care about disabled people. Instead of spouting trite rubbish such as that they’re committed to improving disabled people’s lives actually improve our lives.
Make it easier for us to live and not just survive, but thrive without being afraid that if we don’t perform their narrow view of disability enough we’ll lose all support.
The year is just starting and this can really be the year that you prove yourselves and become the great department you should be.
Come on DWP, this is your year to make a change. I’m rooting for you babes, don’t let me down (though I know you probably will).
