Deaf Action says EIJB decision has left some people in dire situations
The lives of deaf people have been put at risk by Edinburgh Integration Joint Board’s (EIJB) decision to withdraw specialist social work funding, according to Scotland’s leading deaf-led charity.
Deaf Action is urging Edinburgh’s health and social care body to reinstate the services, including social work support, specialist equipment and preventative, community-based assistance with immediate effect.
The organisation argues that the EIJB’s decision contradicts council leader Jane Meagher’s claim that a four percent rise in Council Tax will see it “protecting frontline services for those most in need of our support”.
Deaf Action has highlighted numerous examples of how the decision has affected the deaf community in the city, including one of a woman who had a ‘Do Not Resuscitate’ (DNR) order added to her medical records after a stroke because staff thought she couldn’t communicate.
In fact, as a British Sign Language (BSL) user she needed an interpreter and it was only an ad hoc welfare visit to the woman in hospital by a BSL-using Community Care Assistant that identified the problem. The woman involved was too unwell to be interviewed for this press release.
Deaf Action’s campaign has won the support of several MPs and MSPs, including the deputy first minister, Kate Forbes.
Philip Gerrard MBE, chief executive of Deaf Action, said:“Edinburgh once had specialist, deaf-led BSL-first services that helped people navigate daily life in their own language. Those services have been dismantled, one after another, and the result is that deaf people are now being pushed into generic systems that are not designed for BSL users.
“When you take away that language provision, you take away accessibility. It increases the risk of people being misunderstood, left isolated or falling through safeguarding gaps. The Council must restore these services as a matter of urgency.”
Jennifer Staples, who was born deaf and has lived in Edinburgh all her life, relied on Deaf Action’s specialist BSL-led support for more than four decades.
Through regular access to a dedicated social worker and later community-based services, she was able to manage everyday tasks, understand important correspondence and live independently with confidence.
Since the withdrawal of these services, Jennifer says she has been left struggling to navigate basic aspects of daily life, facing increasing isolation and uncertainty.
Jennifer said: “Every Thursday I knew that there was a two-hour slot, I could see a social worker, a person I knew, and I would go regularly. They could sign fluently and we communicated directly. But then the contract was changed and I was lost. It’s so different going through an interpreter. There were barriers everywhere.
“For example, I had a problem with my gas meter. The company stopped sending me printed bills and sent emails instead. They put on my account that I was deaf, but they kept trying to call me and I obviously can’t take a phone call.
“Nowadays I have to ask my family for help, but they don’t have any time, so I don’t know what I’m supposed to do. It’s really stressful. I’m worrying about it all the time and I don’t sleep well because of it.
“I really hope that the Council brings something back for deaf people in Edinburgh – we need support.”
Deaf Action points to a further example of a deaf man with special educational needs who went without heating for four months over the winter due to communication failures within generic social care services.
Despite raising concerns, he did not fully understand the advice given by a visiting social worker about arranging an engineer, leaving the problem unresolved from November until February.
Deaf Action argues that the replacement of specialist provision with generic services is a false economy. The charity produced a cost analysis study which concludes that removing specialist deaf-led support does not eliminate need or reduce public spending; instead, it shifts demand into far more expensive crisis services.
Three key services have been cut in sequence over the past 18 months:
Deaf Social Worker (cut September 2024) – specialist, deaf-aware support with cultural understanding and BSL-first assessment and safeguarding
Specialist Equipment (March 2025) – deaf-specific equipment such as alerting systems, with repairs, replacements and specialist advice
Community Care Assistant Service (November 2025) – deaf-led, preventative support helping deaf people navigate health, care and day-to-day life
Philip Gerrard added: “The cuts contradict Scotland’s stated ambition under the British Sign Language (Scotland) Act, passed a decade ago, to be the best place in the world for BSL users to live, work, learn and visit,
“And this all comes just a few months after a UK Government report (link below[1] ) called for the reintroduction and strengthening of the role of specialist social workers and sensory teams across local authorities”.
As well as calling for the reintroduction of the specialist services, Deaf Action wants the Edinburgh Health and Social Care Partnership to publish a full equality and social impact assessment that considers the cumulative effect of the cuts.
Philip Gerrard, who has met with the City of Edinburgh’s leader, Jane Meagher, and Connor Savage, the Chair of its Integration Board, said he hopes constructive discussions can continue.
It is time for a new crusade for devolution within Scotland, Scottish Secretary Douglas Alexander will say today
In a speech to council leaders, the Secretary of State for Scotland will make clear that there is no route to a decent and prosperous Scotland without strong and effective councils. And to ensure that, the Scottish Government must properly devolve funding and powers to Scotland’s local authorities.
Mr Alexander will set out how the promise of devolution has not been delivered, with the Scottish Government deprioritising councils for funding, and centralising powers at Holyrood.
Twenty five years on from the advent of devolution, Mr Alexander will call for a new crusade for devolution within Scotland, for a proper debate on the delivery of powers from Holyrood to the regions and communities of Scotland.
Mr Alexander is expected to say: “During recent decades, Scottish local government has been systematically deprioritised for funding. Scotland’s local authorities have watched their powers being pulled to Holyrood rather than further devolved to local communities.
“There has never been a point where councils have been so persistently on the defensive – fighting cuts on an annual basis in order to defend an ever-shrinking core of services from further erosion.
“The Scottish Parliament should have heralded a new era of powers, esteem and resource – not just for Scotland, but also for Scottish local government. And yet the reality is that Scottish local government has been systematically starved of funds over the last two decades.
“At exactly the same time as these funding cuts we have also seen the systematic centralisation of decision-making in Holyrood, including on policing and fire and rescue. At the same time the Scottish Government has constrained council tax powers via national freezes and caps.
“It is now time for a new crusade for devolution within Scotland, to reach back to the core principles upon which our parliament was founded and restore the values of devolution. We must allow the Scottish Parliament to realise its potential to deliver change and reform for the people of Scotland. And Scotland’s local authorities, regardless of party allegiance, must be at the forefront of that cause.”
Mr Alexander will make clear this debate must be guided by the principle that powers are best exercised as close as possible to the people, rather than hoarded centrally, to the exclusion of local decision-making and accountability.
The primary aim is to ensure that Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) resources – including staff, stations and appliances – are matched to operational risk and demand across Scotland.
The proposed changes are spread across 14 different local authority areas and involve more than 30 fire stations.
The full list of options include: the potential closure of eight long term dormant fire stations and a further five city-based sites – two in Edinburgh, two in Glasgow and one in Dundee. Some fire stations may be merged with sites nearby.
There are also plans to repair or rebuild in some locations, as well as transfer staff and appliances to more effective locations.
Chief Officer Stuart Stevens said: “We have an opportunity for the first time since our national service was formed in 2013 to review how we provide our emergency service every minute of the day, every day of the year.
“Building a modern fire and rescue service that is fit for purpose is the reason we are bringing these proposed changes forward.
“We recognise that these 23 options represent a significant level of change. However, we have a duty to ensure that the right resources are in the right locations to meet new risks that exist within today’s communities.
“We also need to spend public money wisely. We have a backlog of repairs in our buildings, fleet and equipment that would cost more than £800 million to address and this just isn’t an option available to our service. Therefore, along with the need for sustained investment we need to consider how we operate and reduce running costs for assets that are not serving our staff or communities.
“We must also be able to adapt to meet current and future risks, such as those posed by extreme weather events or wildfires.”
Service Delivery Review – a public consultation by the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service
Long term dormant fire stations have been non-operational for many years due to recruitment difficulties for on call firefighters in rural places. In some of these locations, there are sheds or storage units.
Five other fire stations across Dundee, Edinburgh and Glasgow have been identified as potential closures or mergers because they are located close to other facilities that could provide effective cover, or the operational demand is lower than other fire stations with the same level of resources.
Implementing a day duty shift pattern in targeted areas would see wholetime firefighters working between 8am and 6pm, supported by on call firefighters outwith those times.
A nucleus crew could be placed in two locations – Galashiels in the Scottish Borders and Lesmahagow in South Lanarkshire.
A nucleus crew is made up of wholetime firefighters who can be tactically deployed across an area to carry our prevention work, provide additional resilience and respond to incidents during the day when on call availability can often be low.
Permanent solutions are being proposed following the temporary withdrawal of ten appliances in 2023, including Perth & Kinross, Fife, Lanarkshire, Inverclyde and Glasgow.
(Photo by Craig Foy / SNS Group)
CO Stevens added: “These options have been developed over many months involving staff, trade union representatives and other stakeholders.
“There will be a 12-week period to give people time to submit their views on the changes.
“We would encourage as many people as possible to participate in public consultation process.”
15,000 people in disabled households in Scotland will be forced into severe hardship if the UK government goes ahead with cuts to social security, warns Trussell
New report reveals hundreds of thousands of people will be pushed into severe hardship if government goes ahead with ‘cruel’ cuts to disability payments
15,000 more people in disabled households will be at risk of needing to use a food bank
New analysis from anti-poverty charity Trussell has found that 15,000 people in disabled households across Scotland will be forced into severe hardship and at risk of needing a food bank in 2029/30, if the UK government goes ahead with planned cuts to social security.
The report – produced by economic and public policy experts WPI Economics for Trussell – models the projected impact of proposed changes to social security for disabled people on the number of people facing hunger and hardship in Scotland, a measure of deep poverty which captures people at risk of needing to use a food bank now or in the future.
This new analysis comes just weeks after it was revealed that almost 240,000 emergency food parcels were distributed by the Trussell community across Scotland during the past year. This is equivalent to one parcel every two minutes and a 101% increase compared to a decade ago.
Across the UK, it is projected that 440,000 people in disabled households will be forced into severe hardship. It also shows that the UK government’s planned increase to the basic rate of Universal Credit will move 95,000 people out of severe hardship – which Trussell says is clear evidence this welcome step cannot possibly make up for the sheer scale of the damage of cuts. The net impact of reforms will still be around 340,000 more people in disabled households facing hunger and hardship.
Trussell warns that UK government’s proposed £7 billion cuts to support for disabled people are likely to undermine its goal of increasing employment and will drive higher costs for public services.
Trussell and WPI Economics have shown that even before these cuts, the ongoing failure to tackle hunger and hardship leads to the Scottish government spending an additional £860m a year on public services alone, like the NHS, schools and children’s social care.
As MPs prepare to vote on legislation to introduce the cuts, Trussell is urging the UK government to think again and halt these damaging cuts to support for disabled people. They will be condemning hundreds of thousands of people to severe hardship and piling the pressure on food banks across the country, which are already stretched to breaking point.
As well as axing the proposed cuts, Trussell is calling on the UK government to bring forward the planned increase to the basic rate of Universal Credit so it comes into full effect from April 2026, rather than April 2029.
Cara Hilton, senior policy manager for Scotland at Trussell, said: “This UK government was elected on a promise of change, and with a commitment to end the need for food banks. If the government goes ahead with these ill-considered and cruel cuts to social security, this promise will not be kept – and instead, they will risk leaving behind a legacy of rising poverty and hunger.
“Tackling fiscal challenges should not be done at the expense of people already facing hunger and hardship. These cuts will force 440,000 people in disabled households into severe hardship and leave them at risk of needing a food bank. We urge the government not to continue down this damaging path.
“We support the plan to reform employment support and help more people into work, where their health allows this and accessible jobs are available, but these proposed cuts will utterly undermine this goal. Slashing support will damage people’s health and reduce their ability to engage in training and work.”
Craig Crosthwaite, manager at North Ayrshire Foodbank, said: “Most days we see people coming to the food bank who have a disability or are caring for someone with a disability in their household.
“Social security payments do not allow people to afford the essentials, and this is amplified when you are also dealing with the extra costs of managing a disability. Life simply costs more for disabled people. We fear that should these cuts be forced through Parliament, we will see many more people being forced to access our help.”
You can find out how many emergency food parcels were distributed in your area, and write to your MP to express your concerns at these cruel cuts, on the Trussell website: https://campaign.trussell.org.uk/parcels-by-postcode
Spending taxpayer money on unnecessary branded merchandise and staff ‘away days’ will be banned in the latest crackdown on wasteful spending across Government departments
Government doing away with costly away days and pricy merchandise
Every pound of taxpayer money targeted on securing Britain’s future through the Plan for Change, delivering security for working people and renewal for our country
Part of crackdown on wasteful spending in government in favour of ‘a more productive and agile state‘
Spending taxpayer money on unnecessary branded merchandise and staff ‘away days’ will be banned in the latest crackdown on wasteful spending across departments.
Staff training and development are key to boosting productivity, but officials will now be instructed to hold training and team-building exercises and ‘away days’ in government buildings that are available for free, instead of hiring external venues.
Thousands of pounds have also been spent in recent years on goods branded with department logos or slogans—including mugs, jumpers, water bottles, and even fidget cubes.
Such spending will be banned, focusing funding where it matters to working people such as rebuilding the NHS and strengthening our borders.
Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, Pat McFadden MP, said: “By cutting wasteful spending we can target resources at frontline public services with more teachers, extra hospital appointments and police back on the beat.
“We will use taxpayers’ money to deliver our Plan for Change, kick-starting economic growth, rebuilding the NHS and strengthening our borders.”
The Cabinet Office has set out requirements for all departments to review their policies on procuring corporate-branded and non-essential merchandise, with a view to restricting future purchases.
These stricter rules will permit government merchandise only when essential for delivering the government’s agenda, for example, in overseas trade and diplomacy, to promote growth.
Further measures will require departments to ensure that external venues for away days are only used when space in government buildings is unavailable.
This announcement builds on plans to significantly reduce the approximately 20,000 government credit cards in circulation. Last week, all departments and their public bodies were instructed to freeze their cards, with cardholders required to reapply under tighter new guidelines.
Decline in the number of specialist ASN teachers to a record low
More than doubling in the number of pupils with additional support needs since 2014
The Scottish Children’s Services Coalition (SCSC), an alliance of leading providers of specialist care and education to vulnerable children and young people, has raised concerns over cuts in specialist support being provided to those with additional support needs (ASN).
The call comes as new figures from the Scottish Government’s annual teacher census indicate that the number of specialist ASN teachers has fallen to a record low of 2,837 in 2024.1
In contrast, the number of those pupils with ASN has soared to a record high, now amounting to 40.5 per cent of the pupil population. 2 This includes those with mental health problems, learning disability, autism and dyslexia.
These numbers have been increasing for years. Indeed, more than doubling(102.4 per cent) over the last decade to 284,448 pupils, a rise from 140,501 in 2014, when those with ASN represented 20.8 per cent of all pupils.
Between 2014 and 2024 the number of ASN teachers (publicly funded primary, secondary, special and centrally employed) has fallen from 3,077 to 2,837, a record low and a decrease of 240 teachers.
In 2014, while each ASN teacher was supporting 40 pupils with ASN, by 2024 this figure had risen to each teacher now supporting 100 such pupils.
Against a background of spending cuts and reduction in specialist support, the SCSC has called for greater resourcing from both the Scottish Government and local authorities to ensure that those with ASN, who are disproportionately drawn from poorer neighbourhoods, are getting the care and support that they need.
The coalition has also raised concerns about the effectiveness of a presumption of mainstreaming, meaning that all pupils are educated in a mainstream educational environment unless exceptional circumstances apply, without the necessary support.
A spokesperson for the SCSC commented: “It is vital that those with ASN get the care and support they need. This is also key if we are to genuinely close the educational attainment gap as we know that those with ASN are disproportionately drawn from poorer neighbourhoods.
“With cuts in support, including in the number of specialist teachers, it is going to be extremely challenging to reduce the current inequalities faced by those with ASN.
“While we also support the presumption of mainstreaming, which means that all children and young people are educated in a mainstream educational environment unless exceptional circumstances apply, it is clearly difficult to see how this is functioning properly given the fall in specialist support and increase in the number of those with ASN.
“The Scottish Government and local authorities need to work together to provide the necessary resourcing to address the needs of those children and young people with ASN, who represent some of the most vulnerable individuals in our society. “
Royston Wardieburn Community Centre’s social history group launched their new publication, ‘Windows To Our Past’, at the Centre on Thursday.
Windows to our Past: A Collection of Stories from North Edinburgh remembers times long gone and also pays tribute to the local people – activists, volunteers, class mates and good friends – lost in recent years.
The group worked with creative writing tutor Jim Aitken to produce Windows To Our Past and members read a selection of their stories to an appreciative audience.
There were lots of laughs – the event opened with a comical This Is Our Lives sketch performed by the group – but there was time for reflection, too.
Some We Remember, a slide show created for the event, brought back a wealth of poignant memories of fondly-remembered activists no longer with us – men and women who each in their own way dedicated much of their lives to making the North Edinburgh community a better place to live.
The perennial challenge of fighting for adequate resources goes on, of course, and the latest round of funding cuts has seen North Edinburgh’s community centres and local projects fearing for their futures once again. In a discussion following the launch, however, it was clear that the appetite to campaign to challenge cuts to local resources remains as strong as ever.
The fight goes on – and, as a previous publication produced by activists urged: NEVER GIVE UP!
BBC Scotland will be saying a fond farewell to long-running drama series, River City and the residents of Shieldinch next year after more than 20 years on screen. The drama, which has entertained audiences since 2002, will air its final series in Autumn 2026.
Reflecting a ‘significant change in audience behaviour away from long-running series and towards shorter runs’, the BBC will make a considerable boost in major drama productions set across Scotland, moving the River City investment, starting with three new series – Counsels, Grams and The Young Team.
Forming part of the single biggest investment in drama from Scotland in the past decade, these new dramas – along with existing commissions – will create new opportunities across the independent sector. Total investment in BBC drama from Scotland over the next three years is expected to rise to over £95m cumulatively (2026-28).
Counsels, Grams and The Young Team were ordered by Louise Thornton, Head of Commissioning for BBC Scotland and Lindsay Salt, Director of BBC Drama.
The BBC will also work with industry partners on a new talent training plan in Scotland. A new framework for training will build on River City’s successful training academy and the ongoing work on other series to elevate individuals in to senior creative roles as well as supporting and developing production crews. Further details will be announced in the autumn.
Hayley Valentine, Director, BBC Scotland says: “River City has been a wonderful adventure and of course we’ll all be sad to see it go. The team have done a brilliant job and I know they have some big plans for the finale next year.
!But as viewing patterns change and competition intensifies, this is the right time to invest in the next generation of high-impact drama series from across Scotland showcasing storytelling across the UK.
“Our goal is to grow Scotland further on the global drama map – with a slate of world-class productions that set the standard not just here but internationally too.”
Louise Thornton Head of Commissioning at BBC Scotland: “We are incredibly proud of River City and it is with great sadness that we have come to this difficult decision.
“I want to thank the River City team in front of and behind the cameras for their dedication to the show over the years, past and present.
“For more than two decades, River City has brought drama to life on screen as well as offering industry training at grassroots level, and we know that fans of the programme will be really sad to see it go.
“The show leaves a tremendous legacy behind and the new productions we’ve announced will offer further opportunities. However, the media landscape is changing at pace and, as audience viewing habits change, it’s vital we respond to this.
“Our three new dramas, alongside the returning drama favourites, reflect the increasing shift in audience demand for series rooted in Scotland which play to audiences across the UK … and beyond.
“We’re delighted to be working with such great production teams and remain steadfast in our commitment to invest in Scotland’s creative industry.”
The new Scottish drama titles are:
Counsels (Balloon Entertainment)
8×60’ – BBC iPlayer / BBC One / BBC Scotland
Counsels is an original high-stakes legal drama co-created by Scottish writers Bryan Elsley (The Crow Road, Skins) and BBC Writers’ Drama Room graduate Gillian McCormack.
Set and filmed in and around Glasgow, Counsels follows five young lawyers who once trained together at one of Scotland’s elite law schools but are now scattered across the profession and find themselves facing each other in the courts of Glasgow.
Some will rise to the top, while others risk losing everything as their careers teeter on the edge when they lock horns in their biggest cases yet.
The ambitious lawyers must navigate a legal battlefield where their friendships begin to fracture, love affairs crumble, and the fight for justice threatens to tear them all apart.
Grams is a darkly comic thriller created, written and directed by the RTS award-winning James Price (Dog Days, Boys Night), Grams is set in Springburn, Glasgow, where James was born and still lives.
Following the death of her beloved grandson Michael, widowed Glaswegian Thana becomes the target of a violent local gang, who Michael apparently crossed.
Thana finds salvation in the form of Connor, a volatile friend of Michael’s with serious anger issues. Grams will see Thana and Connor form an unlikely partnership, as they seek the truth of what really happened to Michael.
The Young Team is the scripted debut from one of Scotland’s most exciting voices in literature, Graeme Armstrong.
The series is adapted from Graeme’s best-selling and award-winning debut novel of the same name and is set and filmed in North Lanarkshire.
Fifteen-year-old Azzy Williams and his pals roam the streets of Airdrie on a Friday night, bottles of Buckfast in hand and techno playing from tinny speakers. Azzy is ready. Ready to smoke, pop pills, drink wine and fight.
He longs to become fully initiated into local gang the Young Team Posse (YTP). But when Azzy, determined to prove himself, makes a bold move, a brutal gang conflict ensues with Azzy very firmly at its heart.
The Young Team will follow Azzy on his journey from boyhood to manhood as he and his mates become postcode warriors in a toxic cycle that threatens to consume them. An unflinching look at the realities of addiction and gang violence, this ambitious series will tell a powerful, visceral story about the realities of life for young, disenfranchised people and the fight for a different future.
Lindsay Salt, Director of BBC Drama says: “Audience habits are changing and we are responding to that with these plans for three brilliant new dramas made in Scotland.
“BBC viewers love truly authentic stories and we are committed to creating high-impact content from across the UK, so that we can better reflect and represent every part of the country.
“The success of the long running Shetland, coupled with the return of Vigil and Granite Harbour, is a testament to the strength of talent we have in Scotland and we look forward to seeing our three new shows come to life alongside these hugely popular returners.”
The BBC says these new commissions ‘will build on the BBC’s strong track record in drama production in Scotland including award-winning series Guilt and Mayflies, and ratings hits Rebus and Nightsleeper’.
Equity, the UK performing arts & entertainment trade union, is urging the BBC to think again and has launched a petition to save the Scottish soap:
The BBC has shockingly announced they plan to cancel River City, one of Scotland’s most viewed and best loved TV shows.
River City attracts half a million viewers per episode and has an iconic status in Scottish TV culture. This decision is an attack on Scottish-made TV drama, Scottish TV workers, and the soap’s 500,000 loyal viewers.
Sign our petition to reverse the cut and Save River City!
Paul W Fleming, Equity General Secretary, called the move “short-sighted” and a “disaster for Scottish television”, saying the move would have a disproportionately negative impact on Scottish performers – many of whom get their first TV job on River City – and the wider Scottish to production landscape.
‘The £9 million annual budget is excellent value for money given the hours of programming produced throughout the year for a successful show pulling in a regular audience of 500,000 per episode.
‘The Glasgow-based show is well-loved by Scottish audiences, enjoys strong ratings, and won ‘Best Drama’ at the RTS Scotland 2023 awards. It is the only domestic Scottish soap running on TV and outperforms other TV series by more than 2.5 times. It provides work for dozens of Scottish actors every year. River City is thriving and successful in its current format.
‘There is no way that the BBC can replace the level of investment and job creation that River City provides to the Scottish economy and Scottish culture sector. Any alternative proposals the BBC offers will inevitably hurt Scottish culture workers and and TV production.
Largest welfare reforms for a generation to help sick and disabled people who can and have the potential to work into jobs – backed by a £1 billion investment, unveiled by the Work & Pensions Secretary today
Work Capability Assessment to be scrapped and “right to try” work guarantee to be introduced in drive to tear down barriers to work
Changes will unlock work, boost employment, and tackle the broken benefits system to unlock growth as part of the government’s Plan for Change
Record £1 billion employment support measures have been announced ‘to help disabled and long-term sick people back into work’.
The new measures are designed to ensure a welfare system that is fit for purpose and available for future generations – opening up employment opportunities, boosting economic growth and tackling the spiralling benefits bill, while also ensuring those who cannot work get the support they need as part of the government’s Plan for Change.
This will end years of inaction, which has led to one in eight young people not currently in work, education or training and 2.8 million people economically inactive due to long term sickness – one of the highest rates in the G7.
The number of people receiving one of the main types of health and disability benefit, Personal Independence Payments (PIP), has also risen rapidly and is becoming unsustainable.
Since the pandemic, the number of working-age people receiving PIP has more than doubled from 15,300 to 35,100 a month. The number of young people (16-24) receiving PIP per month has also skyrocketed from 2,967 to 7,857 a month. Over the next five years, if no action is taken, the number of working age people claiming PIP is expected to increase from 2 million in 2021 to 4.3 million, costing £34.1 billion annually.
All this has driven the spiralling health and disability benefits bill, forecast to reach £70 billion a year by the end of the decade, or more than £1 billion a week. This is equivalent to more than a third of the NHS budget, and more than three times as much as is spent on policing and keeping communities safe.
Speaking in Parliament today, Liz Kendall announced a sweeping package of reforms to overhaul the system, so it better supports those who need it while tearing down barriers to work including:
Ending reassessments for disabled people who will never be able to work and people with lifelong conditions to ensure they can live with dignity and security
Scrapping the controversial Work Capability Assessment to end the dysfunctional process that drives people into dependency – delivering on the government’s manifesto commitment to reform or replace it
Providing improved employment support backed by £1 billion – one of the biggest packages of employment support for sick and disabled people ever – including new tailored support conversations for people on health and disability benefits to break down barriers and unlock work
Legislating to protect those on health and disability benefits from reassessment or losing their payments if they take a chance on work.
To ensure the welfare system is available for those with the greatest needs now and long into the future, the government has made bold decisions to improve its sustainability and protect those who need it most, including:
Reintroducing reassessments for people on incapacity benefits who have the capability to work to ensure they have the right support and aren’t indefinitely written off.
Targeting Personal Independence Payments for those with higher needs by changing the eligibility requirement to a minimum score of four on at least one of the daily living activities to receive the daily living element of the benefit, in addition to the existing eligibility criteria.
Rebalancing payment levels in Universal Credit to improve the Standard Allowance. Raising it above inflation by 2029/30, adding £775 annually in cash terms.
Consulting on delaying access to the health element of Universal Credit until someone is aged 22 and reinvesting savings into work support and training opportunities through the Youth Guarantee.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer said: “We inherited a fundamentally broken welfare system from the previous government. It does not work for the people it is supposed to support, businesses who need workers or taxpayers who foot the bill.
“This government will always protect the most severely disabled people to live with dignity. But we’re not prepared to stand back and do nothing while millions of people – especially young people – who have potential to work and live independent lives, instead become trapped out of work and abandoned by the system. It would be morally bankrupt to let their life chances waste away.
“When I talk about opportunity for all, I mean it. That’s why we are bringing forward the biggest changes to the welfare system in a generation and improving support for those who need it. Ensuring those who can work do work is not only right, but it will also improve living standards and drive growth, the number one priority in our Plan for Change.”
Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall said: “Our social security system must be there for all of us when we need it, now and into the future. That means helping people who can work to do so, protecting those most in need, and delivering respect and dignity for all.
“Millions of people have been locked out of work, and we can do better for them. Disabled people and those with health conditions who can work deserve the same choices and chances as everyone else.
“That’s why we’re introducing the most far-reaching reforms in a generation, with £1 billion a year being invested in tailored support that can be adapted to meet their changing circumstances – including their changing health – while also scrapping the failed Work Capability Assessment.
“This will mean fairness for disabled people and those with long term health conditions, but also for the taxpayers who fund it as these measures bring down the benefits bill.
“At the same time, we will ensure that our welfare system protects people. There will always be some people who cannot work because of their disability or health condition. Protecting people in need is a principle we will never compromise on.”
In her statement to Parliament, the Work and Pensions Secretary outlined the clear case for change to the welfare system and set out her commitment to ensuring that disabled people and those with a health condition have the same opportunities to work as anyone else.
In particular, she highlighted that the UK has one of the highest reported rates of working-age people out of work due to ill health in Western Europe and the UK is the only major economy whose employment rate hasn’t recovered since the pandemic – exacerbated by a broken NHS with millions of people on waiting lists.
The government has already made huge progress to fix the NHS, including by hitting the manifesto commitment to deliver over two million extra elective care appointments seven months early, and bringing forward a wider programme for NHS reform through the rollout of community diagnostic centres and 10-year plan. The Health Secretary has also sent crack teams spearheaded by top clinicians into areas of high economic inactivity, and the latest data shows waiting lists in these areas have reduced at almost double the rate of the rest of the country.
The reformed system will be built on a straightforward guarantee: any disabled person or person with a long-term health condition who is claiming out of work benefits will be able to access high quality, tailored help into a job. It will also mean that those who cannot work will always get the support they need. In Scotland and Wales, we will work closely with the devolved governments as we develop this package of support.
The reforms are based on five key principles:
Protecting disabled people who can’t and won’t ever be able to work and supporting them to live with dignity by:
Income Protection: Those currently in receipt of UC health will benefit from the increased standard allowance and will not be affected by plans to reduce UC health in future.
Extra Financial Support: For people who receive the new rate of UC health in the future system, we are proposing a new premium for individuals with severe, life-long health conditions who will never be able to work. The details, eligibility criteria and rate of this premium will be set out in due course.
Ending Reassessments: Reassessments for disabled people and people with life-long conditions who will never be able to work will be scrapped.
Improving Safeguarding Practices: The government will look at how safeguarding practices for the most vulnerable can be improved and improve experiences with the system, working with stakeholders to identify areas for improvement.
Delivering better and more tailored employment support to get more people off welfare and into work. This includes:
£1 Billion employment package to deliver tailored support for disabled people and those with long-term conditions.
New Support Conversations to provide earlier opportunities for people with health conditions to discuss work goals and available help.
Investing in the Youth Guarantee by delaying access to UC health element until age 22 and reinvesting savings into work support and training for young people.
Stopping people from falling into long-term economic inactivity through early intervention and support by:
Access to Work Scheme: We will consult on improvements to help people start and stay in work with reasonable adjustments including aids, appliances and assistive technology. These would be the first substantive changes to Access to Work since its introduction in 1994
Unemployment Insurance: We will reform contributory benefits (ESA and JSA) into a single, non-means tested, time-limited benefit for those who have paid into the system to ensure people get the support they need to find a new job that makes the most of their skills, contributing to a dynamic and productive economy.
Restoring trust and fairness in the system by fixing the broken assessment process that drives people into dependency on welfare by:
Scrapping the WCA to end the labelling of people as either ‘can or can’t work’ and consulting on a new single assessment. Under the new system, any extra financial support for health conditions (including PIP, ESA or UC health) will be assessed via a new single assessment which will be based on the PIP assessment – considering on the impact of disability on daily living, not on capacity to work.
Increasing Face-to-Face Assessments for PIP and the WCA to improve the quality of assessment decision while ensuring we continue to meet the needs of those with who may require a different method of assessment.
Longer term reform of the PIP Assessment – In the long term we will set out broader reforms to the PIP assessment, and intend first to carry out a review involving experts and stakeholders to adapt and improve it.
Right to Try Guarantee: which will ensure someone trying work or on a pathway towards employment will never lead to an immediate reassessment or award review.
Restarting Mandatory Reassessments: We will reintroduce reassessments for incapacity benefits, with exceptions for those who will never work and those under special rules for end-of-life care. Reassessments have largely been switched off since 2021, leaving people stuck on benefits when they could be helped into work and to improve their quality of life.
Ensuring the system is financially sustainable to keep providing for those who need it most by:
Changing PIP Eligibility: PIP will be targeted more on those with higher needs by requiring a minimum of four points on one daily living activity, in addition to the existing eligibility criteria.. DWP will work with DHSC to ensure that existing people who claim PIP who may no longer be entitled to the benefit following an award review under new eligibility rules have their health and eligible care needs met. The government is consulting on how best to achieve this.
Rebalancing Universal Credit: by improving the Standard Allowance to provide more adequate support. The government plans to raise the Standard Allowance above inflation by 2029/30, adding £775 in cash terms annually. This aims to avoid people having to choose between employment or adequate financial support. This change addresses the current issue where the health element rate is double that of the standard allowance, creating an incentive for people to prove they are unfit to work to claim the health element and access greater financial support.
Helen Barnard, director of policy at Trussell, said: “We’re deeply concerned by the cuts announced to disability payments today.
People at food banks have told us they are terrified of how they might survive. We welcome the positive proposals from the Department for Work and Pensions to boost the basic rate to Universal Credit and invest in employment support. However, we fear these steps will be undermined by a Treasury drive to make short-term savings.
“Huge cuts risk pushing more disabled people to the doors of food banks, and will have devastating consequences for us all. The UK government was elected on manifesto pledges to end the need for emergency food parcels. This isn’t what people voted for.
“Disabled people are already three times more likely to face hunger, and three quarters of people at food banks are disabled or live with someone who is. Our social security system should be rooted in justice and compassion, able to be there for us all, especially when we need it most.
“This isn’t a done deal. With at least a year before any cuts come into force, there’s still time for the Prime Minister and Chancellor to rethink and make good on today’s promise to restore trust and fairness in the social security system.”
The TUC said: ’11 General Secretaries of our trade union affiliates have written to the government to raise “profound concerns” about today’s welfare cuts targeted at disabled people. The labour movement must stand together with campaigners, charities & carers to resist”
Responding to today’s statement by Liz Kendall MP, Poverty Alliance policy & campaigns manager Ruth Boyle said: “People in the UK are desperate for a government that delivers a just and compassionate country.
“They want to see an end to deepening poverty, debt, destitution, and hunger in their communities. Many will be distressed, disappointed, scared, and angry at today’s announcements.
“The plans to cut the health element of Universal Credit are wrong and unjust. Cutting vital financial support to disabled people won’t help them into paid work – but it is likely to move them towards poverty.
“Equally unjust is the idea of making it virtually impossible for under-23s to get Universal Credit health support. The Government is punishing young people who aren’t fit for work simply because of their age.
“These changes are driven by a desire for financial cost savings, rather than helping people access the support they need. Positive proposals like personalised support to help people into work and a Right-to-Try will be undermined by cuts which force people into further and deeper poverty.
"The plans to cut the health element of Universal Credit are wrong and unjust. Cutting vital financial support to disabled people won't help them into paid work – but it is likely to move them towards poverty." https://t.co/gLnkE8FNAkpic.twitter.com/CZAIn0O6kL
— The Poverty Alliance (@PovertyAlliance) March 18, 2025
“Personal Independence Payments are a vital part of the social security system, and even though we have a replacement Adult Disability Payment in Scotland, there are still many people here who are on PIP.
“These social security benefits support people’s basic freedom – whether they are in work or not. They help cover some of the extra living costs that are forced on disabled people. The Government now plans to make it harder for them to get that vital support, denying them a full place in society, and undoubtedly pushing many towards debt and destitution.
“We urge the Scottish Government to maintain its commitment to justice and compassion, and to make sure the Adult Disability Payment still supports the freedom and rights of disabled people.
“It is shameful to try to balance the books on the backs of disabled people and households that are already struggling to keep their heads above water. Instead, the Government should do the responsible thing and use their tax powers to unlock our country’s wealth for investment in a strong social foundation.
“And they can scrap their self-imposed fiscal rules with a plan to help everyone build a better life for their households, and a better future for our country.”
Commenting on the Green Paper’s plans for social security reform announced by the government today (Tuesday), TUC General Secretary Paul Nowak said: “During 14 years of Tory failure, too many people were written off. Millions of workers have been left without proper support to move into work or progress in good jobs, and too many people with disabilities or ill health have not had access to the support they need.
“But change must be done in the right way. While we welcome the decision not to freeze PIP, this package will still lead to significant cuts in entitlements for some disabled people.
“As well as ensuring that those with the most severe disabilities are protected, we urge ministers to reconsider the scale of proposed cuts in disabled people’s incomes.
“Disabled people who are unable to work must not be pushed further into hardship.”
Commenting on the Green Paper’s wider proposals, Paul added: “Action to boost access to quality employment programmes and ensure that Jobcentre work coaches can provide quality and meaningful support is welcome. As too are proposals to strengthen contributory benefits.
“This needs to be accompanied by ongoing investment in the NHS, including mental health services. Better healthcare can transform lives.
“The government’s plan to Make Work Pay is also crucial to driving up the quality of jobs in Britain and ensuring more people have access to decent work.”
Transport union, RMT has criticised Labour’s decision to cut welfare spending by up to £5bn by 2030.
Eddie Dempsey RMT general secretary said: “Welfare cuts target people who rely on support to survive, including disabled people, carers, the unemployed, and those in insecure work.
“For the past 40 years our economy has been marked by low investment, wage suppression and super-high profits.
“Our economy needs to be fundamentally restructured so we can invest in housing, infrastructure and services to create well paid jobs and provide an adequate safety net for those who fall on hard times.
“There is an enormous amount of wealth in this country and the Labour government should be using the economic levers at their disposal to capture it from the rich.
“Billions could be recouped by the treasury through levies on wealth, the closure of tax loopholes, and extracting excess corporate profits.
“RMT stands with all in our working-class communities, including the disabled and unemployed.”
OXFAM Scotland tweeted: ‘Just a reminder there’s no shortage of money in the UK, just a shortage of political will to go out & tax it.
‘While more people risk being locked into hardship/deeper poverty, the ballooning bank balances of the UK’s richest millionaires/billionaires get off virtually scot-free’
The Disability Policy Centre’s Interim Director of Research, Arun Veerappan, response to the Government’s release of the Green Paper this afternoon.
Green MSP slams Labour betrayal of disabled people and calls on MPs to fight back
Scottish Green’s co-leader and MSP for Lothian region Lorna Slater is calling on Labour MPs to fight back on the inhumane cuts that the UK government are proposing to hit their fiscal targets.
In the Westminster government’s latest controversial move, it has announced a package of changes expected to affect some of the UK’s most severely disabled people. The measures will deny benefits for thousands of people across the country.
Lorna Slater MSP for Lothian region said: “These cuts will make a cruel and dehumanising system even more brutal than it already is. They will spread pain and misery across every community.
“ This decision is immoral. You can’t cut £5 billion of support without causing real harm to disabled people.
“ None of this is inevitable. Labour could choose to bring in a wealth tax that collects a fair and justified share from the richest people to invest in the services we all rely on.
“Labour are doubling down on the Tory idea that you can work your way out of disability. They are sending a cruel and dangerous message that only people who can boost our economy are worth supporting. They promised an end to austerity, but this goes even further than anything that the Tories ever dared.”
“The fact that they are choosing to punish the people with the least tells us everything we need to know about Labour’s values. The millions of people who waited 14 long years to get rid of the Tories deserve so much better than this.”
‘Cuts to benefits announced today have clearly been motivated by a desire to make short-term savings to meet arbitrary fiscal rules, says New Economics Foundation’s Head of Social Polict Tom Pollard.
‘They’re not going to help ill and disabled people, they’re only going to create more problems.’
Former Labour Party leader and now Independent MP Jeremy Corbyn said: “This is a seminal moment: a Labour government cutting disability benefits. Not just continuing Tory levels. Cutting.
“This comes after a week of speculation, itself an act of cruelty by a government toying with people’s dignity. These cuts are disgraceful – and will cost lives.”
Scope charity commented: “These plans will be catastrophic for disabled people’s living standards. Nearly half of families living in poverty already include someone who is disabled. Now the government is choosing to penalise some of the poorest people in our society.
“We welcome the investment in tailored, non-compulsory employment support. But ripping £5 billion out of the benefits system by 2030 will completely undermine this positive step.
“Countless disabled people, charities, MPs, and experts are urging the government to think again. And we’re not backing down. The consultation is likely to receive an overwhelming response. We urge the government to listen to disabled people and think again.
“Over the coming days, we’ll analyse all the details in the government’s plans. We’ll then share more information about what these changes mean and who could be affected as soon as we can. We’ll also share ways you can have your say in the consultation.
‘This is an especially worrying time for many disabled people. If you’re concerned about these changes, you can contact our helpline for advice and support.
Call us free on 0808 800 3333, or visit our website for more ways to get in touch:
‘If you need to talk to someone about how you’re feeling, day or night, Samaritans are here to help. Call 116 123 for free, or visit their website https://samaritans.org “
Money and Mental Health response to government welfare green paper
Today the government has published its welfare green paper, which outlines its proposals to reform the welfare system.
In particular, the green paper sets out plans to make it harder for people to qualify for Personal Independence Payments (PIP) — a benefit which people with disabilities and long-term ill-health can claim to help cover the extra costs associated with their disability, and which is not connected to work. In addition, people aged under 22 will not be able to qualify for the health top-up element of Universal Credit.
The government has also announced £1bn additional funding for personalised employment support to help people with disabilities move into work, and that people receiving benefits will be given a “right to try” work without losing their benefits entitlement.
Commenting on the proposals, Helen Undy, Chief Executive of the Money and Mental Health Policy Institute, said:“PIP is an absolute lifeline for thousands of people with mental health problems.
“It can be the difference between being able to afford basic things like a phone to call your crisis team or help to clean your home, or living in disarray and increasing isolation. Making it harder to access will jeopardise people’s financial security and cause serious distress, which won’t set up people to go back into work and to thrive.
“These changes will mean that needing help to wash or get dressed because of your mental health wouldn’t be enough to qualify for PIP. The government says it will ensure people with ‘genuine need’ aren’t affected, but we’re really concerned that these new reforms will take us further back to the days when people with mental health problems were treated as less worthy of help than those with physical health issues.
“The new ‘right to try’ a job without losing the benefits is welcome, as is the funding for personalised employment support for people with disabilities or health conditions. But introducing these measures alongside cuts to PIP and stopping young people from getting incapacity benefits will do more harm than good.
“It is a short sighted approach that will have a devastating impact on many people’s finances and mental health, and we urge the government to rethink these plans.”
Mikey Erhardt, Policy Officer at Disability Rights UK, said: “The minister stood up today and made clear that, after months of rumours, media speculation and spin, these reforms are not about supporting Disabled people into work, but making brutal and reckless cuts of £5 billion. That is up from £3 billion just a few weeks ago.
“The rise in claims is driven by the increase in the retirement age, record NHS waiting lists, inadequate education and mental health support for young Disabled people and a complete failure to tackle the disability employment and pay gaps. Yet the government has decided to create a rhetorical smokescreen around the depth of cuts it’s going to make.
“The government intends to bar young Disabled people from receiving the Universal Credit health component until they are 22. That is alongside their promise to significantly increase assessments at scale without making the assessment process safer for those going through the system right now.
“These measures mark dangerous cuts for all Disabled people. Furthermore, altering the PIP award criteria will make it harder for those who need support to qualify.
“The minister’s assertion that 1000s more face-to-face assessments will be more accurate is laughable; we know that in-person assessment causes more stress and worry and often leads to inaccurate findings from assessors.
“Let’s be clear: there is nothing ambitious about cutting support from those who need it and that’s what today’s announcements were really about. Rising claims for personal independence payment reflect not a problem with Disabled people but rather reflect successive government’s failure to do even the bare minimum to create a more equitable society.”
Mental Health Foundation responded:
Responding to the Government’s proposed changes to welfare and work announced today, Carers Trust’s CEO, Kirsty McHugh, said:“In the midst of today’s announcements on welfare reform, we cannot lose sight of the nation’s carers. Two-thirds of carers have been forced to give up work or cut back on hours because of their caring role.
“Many would like to work if they were able to access flexible jobs and the right employment support – sadly this is rarely on offer. But for many carers, work isn’t an option – either because of the toll of their caring role or their own ill health.
“Proposals to tighten eligibility criteria for benefits will strike fear into the heart of many carers. Around half a million carers look after someone receiving Personal Independence Payments (PIP), and nearly 150,000 people rely on both PIP and Carer’s Allowance.
“Disabled people and their carers are already among the most vulnerable in our society and more likely to live in poverty. Reducing their access to a financial safety net could push them over the edge.
“Carers already prop up our ailing health and social care system and we cannot introduce welfare changes that leave carers again picking up the pieces. We therefore welcome the commitment in the Green Paper to consider the impact of these changes on carers.”
