Open letter call for support for disabled people

Over 30 chief executives of charities call on Minister to rethink damaging PIP changes.

The Chief Executives of over 30 charities and organisations have written an open letter to Minister for Disabled People, Health and Work, Penny Mordaunt, urging her not to proceed with damaging changes to Personal Independence Payments (PIP).

Imminent controversial changes to the eligibility criteria for PIP will leave at least 160,000 disabled people and those with long-term conditions without access to this vital financial support.

Research from the charity Scope shows that disabled people spend an average of £550 a month on disability related expenditure, including increased energy bills, specialist equipment and insurance. PIP helps to cover these essential and unavoidable extra costs faced by disabled people.

The letter makes clear those with mental health issues, learning disabilities and autism face just as severe barriers and costs as those with other conditions – which recent changes by the Minister fundamentally failed to acknowledge.

Phil Reynolds, co-chair of The Disability Benefits Consortium (DBC) and Policy and Campaigns Adviser at Parkinson’s UK said: “Across the DBC we have had our helpline and advice services inundated by calls about PIP since it was introduced.

“Instead of supporting disabled people, the benefits system seems increasingly rigged against them.  The whole system needs urgent improvement, in order to accurately assess the support they need. Disabled people cannot afford to wait.”

The letter to the Minister for Disabled People, Health and Work reads:

Dear Minister,

Changes to Personal Independence Payment

We, the undersigned, as national organisations representing disabled people, are deeply concerned by imminent changes to Personal Independence Payment (PIP) which will leave at least 160,000 disabled people and those with long-term conditions without vital financial support.

The decision to amend PIP following Upper Tribunal judgments means that disabled people face losing £3.7 billion by 2022.

We believe this undermines the principle of the PIP assessment and its ability to fairly provide financial support, regardless of impairment or condition.

PIP helps to cover essential and unavoidable extra costs faced by disabled people.

Research by Scope shows that disabled people spend an average of £550 a month on disability related expenditure, including increased energy bills, specialist equipment and insurance.

Those with mental health issues, learning disabilities and autism face just as severe barriers and costs as those with other impairments – these changes fail to acknowledge this.

We are also worried that the full scale and impact of these changes will not be understood before they come into effect.

The Impact Analysis acknowledges a ‘significant risk that the numbers affected could be much higher’ than currently estimated.

Our helpline and advice services have been inundated by calls about PIP since it was introduced. In far too many cases we hear that the system is continuing to fail people.

The confusion and concern caused by these changes highlights the need for the system to be urgently improved. It must work for disabled people and accurately assess the support they need.

We would welcome the opportunity to discuss this issue with you further.

Yours sincerely: 1. Steve Ford, Chief Executive, Parkinson’s UK; 2. Liz Carroll, Chief Executive, The Haemophilia Society; 3. Teresa Catto-Smith, Chief Executive, Autism in Scotland; 4. Sonya Chowdhury, Chief Executive, Action for M.E; 5. Ailsa Bosworth MBE, Chief Executive, National Rheumatoid Arthritis Society; 6. Philip Lee, Chief Executive, Epilepsy Action; 7. Chris Mackie, Director, AdvoCard; 8. Jan Tregelles, Chief Executive, Royal Mencap Society; 9. Karen Walker, Chief Executive, Multiple System Atrophy Trust; 10. Billy Watson, Chief Executive, SAMH (Scottish Association for Mental Health); 11. Mark Lever, Chief Executive, National Autistic Society; 12. Alison Garnham, Chief Executive, Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG); 13. Brian Carlin, Chief Executive, Aspire; 14. David Ramsden, Chief Executive, Cystic Fibrosis Trust; 15. Debbie Cook, Chief Executive, National Ankylosing Spondylitis Society (NASS); 16. Amanda Batten, Chief Executive, Contact a Family; 17. Paul Farmer, Chief Executive, Mind; 18. Deborah Gold, Chief Executive, National AIDS Trust; 19. Steve Scown, Chief Executive, Dimensions; 20. Kate Lee, Chief Executive, CLIC Sargent; 21. Gillian Morbey, Chief Executive, Sense; 22. Jill Allen-King, National Federation of the Blind of the UK; 23. Dave Webber, Chief Executive, Livability; 24. Mark Atkinson, Chief Executive, Scope; 25. Barbara Gelb OBE, Chief Executive, Together for Short Lives; 26. Peter Corbett, Chief Executive, Thomas Pocklington Trust; 27. Mark Winstanley, Chief Executive, Rethink Mental Illness; 28. Neil Heslop, Chief Executive, Leonard Cheshire Disability; 29. Liz Sayce OBE, Chief Executive, Disability Rights UK; 30. Michelle Mitchell OBE, Chief Executive, MS Society; 31. Kate Steele, Chief Executive, Shine; and 32. Andy Kerr, Chief Executive, Sense Scotland