Benefits and Work is asking readers to contact local councillors in order to get them to grill your MP about the effects Green Paper cuts will have on local services.
Because the cuts proposed by Labour won’t just hurt a huge number of claimants. What the DWP is doing is shifting some of the cost of disability from central government to local authorities and the NHS, with no suggestion that they’ll be increasing their funding to meet these costs.
The result will be overstretched services, longer waiting lists and cuts to less-essential services.
Areas such as care services, housing, health services, advice services and education will all be hit and everyone will be worse off as a result.
So, we think it’s time local councillors started to put real pressure on MPs who have not yet said they will vote against the cuts, to say how they expect local authorities to manage the additional demands.
We think this is an issue that makes it reasonable not just to contact your ward councillor, so we are suggesting you email a selection of your local councillors from different parties, as well as independents. You should find contact details for all councillors on your local authority website.
The letter could cover some of the following points, though of course you can reword it in any way you choose, perhaps to include references that are specific to your locality.
[Your name and address to prove you are local]
Dear [name of councillor],
I am writing to express my concern about the effects that the proposed Green Paper benefits cuts will have on local services and to ask you to discuss this with our constituency MP.
According to official estimates, 250,000 people will be pushed into poverty by the Green Paper cuts and 700,000 will be pushed into deeper poverty. There are no official figures on how many people might move into work due to Green paper changes, but the Resolution Foundation has estimated between 60,000 and 105,000 by the end of this parliament.
This means that, at the very least, it is likely that 845,000 people will be pushed into poverty or deeper poverty without being able to find work and some of these will be living in our constituency.
If our MP is considering voting in favour of the cuts, it’s important that they explain how the local authority will deal with the extra strain on its resources, including those listed below, that the cuts will bring.
Increased demand for adult social care
150,000 people are expected to lose their award of carer’s allowance because the person they care for has lost their PIP award. Many carers will have to seek full-time paid employment to make up for this massive loss of household income. This will lead to an increased demand for care provision from the local authority as well as access to day centres, lunch clubs and transport services. There is also likely to be an increased demand for aids and adaptations to people’s homes.
Increased demands on mental health services.
There is already evidence of claimants living with mental health issues experiencing a deterioration in their condition due to anxiety about the cuts. (DWP leaflets given to participants at in-person Green Paper consultation events included contact details for the Samaritans). If the PIP cuts go through, many claimants – even those with a 4 point descriptor - will experience an increase in anxiety just waiting for their turn to be assessed. For those who actually lose their PIP, and are obliged to attempt the extremely arduous reconsideration and appeals process to try to get it back, the effects may be dramatically worse. In addition, PIP often pays for counselling and other forms of therapy which help keep conditions manageable. So, there is likely to be increased pressure on local mental health services and an increase in costly emergency interventions.
Increased demands on other health services
The majority of people who will lose their PIP award will be older and live with physical health conditions such as arthritis, diabetes, heart conditions and respiratory conditions. With households losing up to £12,000 in annual income, there will be a considerable increase in people coping with poor nutrition, loss of special diet, cold and damp living conditions, social isolation, anxiety and more. All of these are likely to cause a deterioration in both physical and mental health conditions and an increase in demand for GP and other health services .
Increased demand for housing support
Many claimants depend on PIP to make up the shortfall in their rent. In addition, some claimants who lose their PIP will find themselves subject to the benefits cap and unable to afford their rent for that reason. It is extremely likely that an increased number of disabled people will face homelessness and require support from their local authority as a result of Green paper cuts.
Increased demand on schools
There is a wealth of evidence that children living in poverty are less likely to achieve at school. Breakfast clubs and free lunches may alleviate some of their hunger, but overcrowded and substandard housing, lack of online access and lack of money for additional activities can all hold children back and increase demands on teachers. The Green paper cuts are predicted to plunge at least 50,000 children into poverty and reduce their life chances. Some of those children will be in our constituency.
Increased demand for advice services
There will be a large increase in demand for advice on debt, housing and welfare benefits in particular. Local agencies may be overwhelmed and are likely to need increased funding to provide an effective service.
Given all the above – and there are probably other costs I have not considered - it seems certain that the Green Paper cuts will have a real and damaging effect on our local budget.
We hope that you will challenge our MP to give serious consideration to all these matters before they decide how to vote.
Best regards,
