Low income families across Scotland will be thousands of pounds a year worse off per year because of welfare cuts imposed by the UK government, a new report has found. The Scottish Government report, ‘the Impact of UK Welfare Policy on Families with Children’, looks at what the policies implemented since 2015 will mean for families.
The post-2015 policy that is having the biggest impact on the people of Scotland is the four year freeze to working-age benefits. This policy is estimated to reduce annual welfare spending in Scotland by £370 million by 2020/21.
Other significant reforms include the reduction in universal credit work allowance (£250 million reduction by 2020/21), the two child limit for tax credits and universal credit elements (£95 million reduction), and the removal of the family element for child tax credit and universal credit (£50 million reduction).
Cabinet Secretary for Communities, Social Security and Equalities, Angela Constance (pictured) said: “This report clearly sets out the devastating impact the UK Government’s welfare cuts are having on the people of Scotland.
“By the end of this decade, the cuts being imposed on Scotland since 2010 are expected to reduce welfare spending in Scotland by nearly £4 billion a year.
“As well as moral objections, taking money away from low income families makes no economic sense. This is money taken from the pockets of families that are already surviving on low incomes and pushing them into crisis, debt and is creating problems that have to be picked up by other public services and emergency aid such as the Scottish Welfare Fund and food banks.
“In Scotland we are taking a different approach. Our new social security system will recognise social security as a basic human right and we will ensure that people are treated with dignity and respect.”
This is the first in a series of three reports that will look at the impact of UK welfare reforms, following the publication of the statutory annual welfare report in June. The next two reports will focus on the impact on people with disabilities (see also below) and examine housing-related policy changes.
There was praise for the Scottish Government’s actions in supporting people with disabilities in a report published by the United Nations Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities last week. The report looked at the UK’s compliance with the UN Convention.
The culmination of a two year process of examination, the main findings were:
- The UK Government’s Personal Independent Payment regulations should be repealed and there should be a review of the Employment and Support Allowance conditionality and sanction regimes
- The UK Government must do more to engage with disabled people and the organisations representing them when devising policies and legislationwhich impact upon their lives
Commenting on the Committee’s report, Minister for Social Security Jeane Freeman (above) said: “This report is damning of the UK Government and rightly highlights the changes urgently needed to halt the damage they are causing – I hope they will listen.
“It’s clear that while we are committed to improving the lives of disabled people the same simply cannot be said to be true of the UK Government.
“The only positive aspects of policy highlighted in the UN Committee report are those of the Scottish Government. Specifically, the important actions we have taken towards delivering for disabled people across Scotland, our commitment to devising a new social security system for Scotland which is founded on the principles of dignity and respect and importantly, the partnership working approach we have taken to developing these key areas of work.
“Our approach is in stark contrast to the UK Government’s welfare cuts, introduction of personal independence payments and the benefit sanctions regime which they highlight has taken away vital support for disabled people and their families, all of which have been roundly condemned by the UN.
“The approach the UK Government is taking is hindering not helping people – they must now surely listen and act to prevent further damage being done.
“While we are not complacent and know much more work has to be done, having this positive endorsement for the Scottish approach is confirmation, were it needed, that we are on the right track.”
The Committee report praised the Scottish Government for:
- Repeatedly calling for the UK Government’s Personal Independent Payment regulations to be repealed and for a review of the Employment and Support Allowance conditionality and sanction regimes
- Engaging with disabled people and the organisations representing them when devising policies and legislation which impact upon their lives – specifically in building the new social security system and in compiling our national plan to implement the Convention’s principles
- Adoption of the Accessible Travel Framework and the work underway to make transport systems in Scotland more open and accessible
- Following the passing of the British Sign Language (Scotland) Act 2015 the Scottish Government will publish its first National Plan for British Sign Language in October.
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