Every week foodbanks in our network meet people with health conditions or disabilities who, without emergency help from the local community, would have faced going hungry. Just as we all expect to be able to access free healthcare anywhere in the UK, we would expect that if you are struggling to get by because of a health condition, sufficient financial support would be available. But poor administration and continued reductions in disabled people’s benefit payments mean the welfare safety net, which should be freeing people from the restraints of poverty, is locking people in.
That’s why the Government’s announcement last week on disability benefits is such a positive step. The Secretary of State announced that people receiving the Severe Disability Premium, an additional payment given to people receiving benefits due to health conditions, would not be moved onto Universal Credit. The Government also announced that the people who had moved onto Universal Credit but had lost their Severe Disability Premium in the change would be backdated payments.
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