On March 17, the Secretary for Work and Pensions, Liz Kendall, announced big reforms to welfare, with the objective to cut spending by £5bn and get more people into work.
Further cuts to welfare were then announced on March 26, the global epilepsy awareness day, when the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rachel Reeves delivered the Government’s Spring Budget.
These followed a review from the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR), which said the initial welfare cuts are likely to only save £3.4bn, and not £5bn.
The welfare reform will primarily affect personal independence payments (PIP), universal credit, employment support allowance and jobseeker’s allowance.
Epilepsy Action – “These proposed changes are frankly a huge disappointment.”
Epilepsy Action has released a statement about the welfare changes:
“These proposed changes are frankly a huge disappointment. And very worrying. Since the reforms have been announced, many of the people we support have been terrified they’ll lose the benefits that keep them afloat.
“PIP is paid to help people with a disability offset the extra costs of living with the condition. Claimants don’t have to be out of work to receive it. The rhetoric that cutting disability benefits is going to help more people into work is damaging.
“On top of this, average energy bills could now rise to up to £1,800 for a typical home. Council tax, water, broadband are all going up for the average family. And they are very likely to go up even further for people with a disability. Life costs more: about £1,000 extra a month more.
“How are people with epilepsy supposed to find even more money, especially if the support they receive could be cut, and when they’re already earning less?
“Epilepsy has the second-highest disability pay gap, at 26.9%. People with epilepsy still get discriminated against when trying to find or stay in a job. Too many employers are not willing to give people with epilepsy reasonable adjustments.
“These are the issues to address. The government have said they’ll have personalised help to get people into work.
What does this look like? Will they tackle the attitudes too many employers still have against people with epilepsy?
“We’ll be responding to the consultation, but we are also looking at what we can do to increase the support we offer through our helpline and other support services.
“If you are going to be affected, use your voice to tell us how we can help. Use your social platforms to explain the impact. Tell your MPs. Fill in the consultation. We won’t stop advocating for a system that’s fair and doesn’t leave anyone behind.”
The announced changes in more detail
- The criteria for claiming personal independence payments (PIP) will be tightened from November 2026, so people need to score four points in at least one category to qualify for the daily living element.
- A review has been launched into the PIP assessment process in consultation with disabled people, organisations that represent them and experts. Not all proposed measures are being reviewed as part of this consultation.
- Assessments for universal credit will be scrapped in 2028 and combined with assessment for PIP.
- People with the most severe, long-term conditions will no longer need to be reassessed.
- Proposal to combine employment support allowance (ESA) and jobseeker’s allowance into one ‘unemployment insurance’ benefit.
- The age at which people can claim the health element of universal credit (incapacity benefit) will be raised from 18 to 22.
- The government plans to bring in a “permanent, above inflation” rise to standard universal credit allowance.
- The government will “as soon as possible” introduce a ‘right to try’, meaning people trying to get into employment or trying work will not have an immediate reassessment of their benefits entitlement.
- £1bn will be invested into helping people with disabilities or long-term conditions back into work.
- The chancellor announced further cuts to the health element of universal credit, which will be halved for new claims in 2026/2027 and then frozen.
- Increases to universal credit standard allowance will go from £92 a week to £106 in 2029/30, rather than £107 as previously expected.
Pushed into poverty
Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer, has maintained on multiple occasions that there will be “no austerity” under a Starmer government. However, alongside Epilepsy Action, many other disability charities, MPs and academics have criticised the changes, saying they are threatening the most vulnerable people in society and are likely to push people into poverty.
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP)’s assessment of the plans estimated that 250,000 people would be pushed into relative poverty by 2030, including 50,000 children. However, the government argues this figure doesn’t take into account its investment into getting people into work.
People with epilepsy have been getting in touch to share their concerns about losing out on PIP and other welfare support.
Jo said: “I have epilepsy. The condition is life-limiting, unpredictable and impacts all parts of my life across the board. My ‘points’ on the DWP’s Daily Living Activities reflect that. I score 13, which is why I receive the enhanced rate (and in the current system, is 2 points more than I need to receive the enhanced rate).
“If this ‘4 points in one category system’ is introduced, I will lose PIP. But that is the nature of my disability: for 92% of the time, I’m fabulous, but for the other 8%, I don’t know who or where I am. I’m vulnerable.”
Another person commented: “I have epilepsy and other severe heart conditions. It is not just the horrendous scoring changes to PIP. Many have not commented on the changes to contribution-based employment support allowance (ESA) which have sneaked through.
“Under the planned changes, after two years, you will not be entitled to any money if you are not able to claim Universal Credit. This will apply to me, as I have a small monthly private pension, it will also apply to anyone with savings. Thus, this being the benefit a lot of people claim when having to have to leave work, they will all find that after two years no more financial support is available.”
What can you do?
We are working on our response to the consultation.
You can do this too. See here for an in-depth guide on how to do so.
To help us shape our work and message on this issue, we want to hear from you.
Get in touch and let us know how the proposed changes will affect you: press@epilepsy.org.uk
You can also write to your MP to let them know how the changes will affect you. At this stage, changes to PIP and the Work Capability Assessment aren’t part of the consultation process. This is really concerning. The government must listen to the voices of the people who will be affected by these changes.
Download our template letter and send it to your MP to share your concerns.
If you need to find out more about the quickest way to contact your MP, head here.