This week, the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, Liz Kendall, announced government plans to invest £1 billion in employment support measures to help disabled and long-term sick people back into work. This Welfare Reform is still at the consultation phase and won’t come into effect until 2026. The aim of these changes is to cut the growing amount the UK spend on the welfare system by helping people to help themselves, whilst protecting the most vulnerable in society.
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
- Delivering better and more tailored employment support to get more people off welfare and into work
- Stopping people from falling into long-term economic inactivity through early intervention and support
- Restoring trust and fairness in the system by fixing the broken assessment process that drives people into dependency on welfare
- Ensuring the system is financially sustainable to keep providing for those who need it most
We know that some people might be worried about the impact of these changes, so we’d like to reassure you that we’re here to support you. The best thing you can do is get advice early, so you know what to expect.
If you’re worried about your benefits or just want to check you’re getting everything you’re entitled to, get in touch with Southway Housing’s Advice Team.
Call us on 0161 448 4200 or email us: adviceteam@southwayhousing.co.uk
To find out more about the Welfare Reform visit: Biggest shake up to welfare system in a generation to get Britain working - GOV.UK