As benefit rates go up for millions in April, many will be looking instead to the coming changes to health and disability welfare announced by Labour just a few weeks ago.
Scaling back some of the key health-related entitlements in the UK, these changes will affect those claiming the personal independence payment (PIP) and the health element of Universal Credit the most. Analysis by The Independent recently found around 5 million people are claiming PIP or it’s predecessor the Disability Living Allowance.
Meanwhile, 3.9 million people are claiming the health element of Universal Credit, or its predecessor Employment Support Allowance. There is likely to be a large margin of overlap between these groups, as people can claim both.
Research by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF) has now shown the areas that are most likely to be affected by the changes, revealing which regions claim the highest proportion of health-related benefits.
The area with the highest proportion of people claiming health-related benefits is Liverpool Walton, at 20.3 per cent of the working age population (equalling 13,465 people). Nearby, Birkenhead (18.8 per cent), Knowsley (18.3) and Bootle (18.2) are also in the top ten.
Other northern areas like Blackpool South and Easington, County Durham also have a high proportion. This is alongside a group of regions in South Wales including Blaenau Gwent and Rhymney, Aberafan Maesteg, and Rhondda and Ogmore.
Across England and Wales, the average proportion of people claiming the two main health-related benefits is 9.4 per cent.
From April 2026, these claimants will see the health element of Universal Credit frozen at £97 per week, whilst going down to just £47 per week for new claimants. Six months later, in November, the changes to PIP will come into effect. These will increase the amount of points a claimant needs at assessment, effectively making it harder to qualify for.
Announcing the changes, work and pensions secretary Liz Kendall said: “Under this Government, the social security system will always be there for people in genuine need. That is a principle we will never compromise on.”
“But disabled people and people with health conditions who can work should have the same rights, choices and chances to work as everybody else. That principle of equality is vital too.”
The cuts – which amount to £4.8 billion – continue to receive criticism from charities and campaigners in the weeks since they were announced. A coalitions of over 100 leading charities called them “immoral and devastating.”
The government’s own assessment of the changes show that they will put 250,000 additional people into poverty, including 50,000 children.
Recent polling may also indicate that Labour’s decision to reduce spending on health-related welfare is out of step with the views of voters. A survey by think tank More In Common in association with JRF recently found that 58 per cent of people think the cuts are a bad idea, compared to just 32 per cent who think they are good.
Commenting on the findings, JRF principal policy adviser Katie Schmuecker said: “It's little surprise that people think these deep cuts to disability benefits are a bad idea. The public wants a social security system that is there for them when they need it, and that includes being sick or disabled.”
“The impact of these cuts will be concentrated in former industrial and coastal places - in some constituencies up to one in five working age adults are supported by these benefits. MPs must understand many of their constituents are already going without the essentials on a routine basis.
“These cuts will drive many more people deeper into poverty than will be helped into jobs by the Government's increased employment support.”
