Cuts to sickness benefit ‘must be reversed as the pound is due to plummet’

Last Updated: August 2, 2016By

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This Blog has received a timely comment from fellow campaigner for the rights of people with disabilities, Samuel Miller.

He points out that people on the sickness benefit Employment and Support Allowance (ESA), who are in the so-called ‘Work-Related Activity’ group (WRAG), will take an even bigger hit to their budgets than the Conservatives planned when they forced through a cut in the benefit – to the same amount of money as Jobseekers’ Allowance, even though people with long-term illnesses have to finance the extra costs associated with their condition.

Mr Miller makes the excellent point that, after the vote to leave the European Union, the pound has plummeted on the exchange markets – and will do so again when (if?) the UK actually leaves the EU.

He writes: “The ESA WRAG cuts must be rescinded. Not only are they a below subsistence benefit, the plummeting pound has reduced consumer purchasing power and lowered the standard of living.

“Grocery prices will increase—although Sainsbury’s boss has promised the the cost of your weekly shop won’t rise despite Brexit sending the pound plummeting.

“However, if Article 50 is invoked, the pound will inevitably tumble hard again and could hit history-making U.S. dollar parity.

“The bottom line is that supermarkets cannot, in the long term, protect consumers from rising food prices because that’s a failed business strategy.”

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6 Comments

  1. Rupert Mitchell (@rupert_rrl) August 2, 2016 at 6:49 am - Reply

    Maybe some of those on Cameron’s “honours list” would be happy to give up some of their perks to help!

  2. Justin Greenwood August 2, 2016 at 8:27 am - Reply

    as well as looking again at this vote, they also need to look deeply at what causes people to remain in esa or to go back into the NHS System, I don’t need to state the obvious, but i will, is it these assessments that go after the most vunerable adults using assessors who qualifications and methodology are dubious to say the least,putting them through a horrific tribunal because they ignored evidence from professionals and put there trust in a report by someone who has done 5 weeks training at atos, to quote one of there assessors, who actually sounded a bit embarrassed when they said that and even i struggled to keep a professional face. If we are truly honest are they making a saving, lets do the maths saving 30 pounds a week = 1560 yearly cost of tribunal 5500 cost of going back into the system to min 650 a week(can be two weeks can be months and then having to start all the follow up treatment again)

    so lets go for two weeks in the nhs 1350
    + tribunal costs 5500
    total cost 6850
    dwp cost 1560
    saving -5290

    don’t take a lot to do the maths does it to work out that one department saving some money is costing a fortune to the NHS and tying up beds or placement in community

    even a person who failed the maths and has a 2:1 in modern history could work that one out

    the whole system needs a complete overhaul and instead of blaming anyone it needs to start at the top and work down into the dwp,that will never happen as the people that run that department regardless of what they say think they are oh so superior and the only advice that one of them ever offered was coercion that could have led to a sanction and then they wonder why people no longer trust them

    it is not rocket science

  3. Roland August 2, 2016 at 8:32 am - Reply

    Next thing we will be having is concentration camp it will be cheaper for the goverment

  4. mrmarcpc August 2, 2016 at 12:39 pm - Reply

    The tories will carry on with their cuts, regardless of how the pound is doing!

  5. Jonno R August 4, 2016 at 4:10 pm - Reply

    So they are ignoring the UN and the committee of public accounts orders to stop wasting money and murdering people. This means we are off the top table at the UN and sat on the floor at the back unable to vote or comment next to China

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