Disability groups are furious over the government’s plans to cut disability benefits, saying it could leave thousands of disabled people struggling to survive.
The Government is planning £5 billion in benefits cuts, with a focus on disability support such as Personal Independence Payment (PIP) and the health element of Universal Credit (UC). The changes are set to affect many people who rely on them to pay for everyday costs like food, transport, and healthcare.
What’s changing?
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) wants to make it harder for people to qualify for PIP. To qualify for the Daily Living part of PIP, we’d need to get at least 4 points in a single activity, instead of spreading 8 points across different ones. That could make things tougher for people with a range of challenges.
From April 2026, new claims for Universal Credit will also get less money. The extra disability payment (LCWRA element) will drop from £97 a week to just £50.
The Work Capability Assessment (WCA) will also be scrapped by 2028. It’s being replaced by the stricter PIP test, so if we don’t qualify for that, we might miss out altogether.
In Scotland, PIP has replaced Adult Disability Payment (ADP). ADP offers similar support to PIP but with a more trusting approach. The Scottish Government says it will not copy the UK cuts.
But many of us get both Adult Disability Payment (ADP) and Universal Credit (UC). If it gets harder to claim UC or PIP in the rest of the UK, we might still feel the squeeze, even if ADP rules stay the same.
For more information how these changes effect Scotland, click here.
What Do Disability Groups Think?
Mencap, a group that supports people with learning disabilities, says the changes will make life harder for many disabled people. They warn that the cuts will push us into even deeper poverty.
Jon Sparkes, from Mencap, says: “Nearly 200,000 people with a learning disability rely on PIP to support them with the unavoidable price of being disabled. These aren’t optional costs, and they won’t simply disappear because of cuts to PIP.
Disability Rights UK has launched a petition urging the government to scrap all proposed changes. They say: “MPs can block these dangerous cuts. We urge them to publicly commit to voting against reducing Disabled people’s incomes – both those announced today and those in last week’s green paper.”
Contact, a charity supporting families with disabled children, is concerned about how the proposed cuts will impact the safety net for these families.
Their CEO, Anna Bird, says: “These significant changes will undoubtedly have a devastating impact on many of the families we support who are already experiencing poverty and struggling to pay for the basics – heating, housing, disability aids and therapies.”
Scope, another charity that supports disabled people, says the cuts will make it even harder for us to live independently. They’ve started a campaign, Cost of Cuts, to fight for a fairer system, so people with disabilities can live a better life.
What Will Happen Next?
The government is still planning to push these changes through by 2026, but disability groups are fighting back. They’re calling on the government to listen to those who rely on these benefits and ensure any changes offer real support, not create further harm.
These cuts will deeply affect many disabled people, but the battle is far from over.
Image: AndriiKoval / Shutterstock
