The steering committee of the Fire Brigades Union Disabled & Neurodivergent Members forum has today issued a statement condemning the government's cuts to welfare.
We have watched in horror over the last month as the details of the Government’s proposed welfare cuts have been revealed and confirmed.
The cuts will see significant restrictions on eligibility for Personal Independence Payments (PIP), the benefit designed to cover some of the additional costs that being disabled incurs, as well as freezes to rate of PIP payments, and a cut to the rate of Universal Credit for those unfit for work.
Let us be clear – this is a return to austerity politics that will be grimly familiar for disabled people.
Making it harder to qualify for PIP won’t make the costs of disability go away, it will simply push more disabled people into poverty and out of work.
The Government’s own analysis suggests up to 3 million people will lose vital support, with the average family facing thousands of pounds of cuts. In fact, 250,000 people, including 50,000 children, will be pushed into relative poverty. The effect will be catastrophic. It is, for some, the difference between life and death.
Disabled and neurodivergent firefighters and firefighter control know all too well the impact of these cuts. They and their families face an uncertain financial future, and some may no longer be able to afford to do the job they love.
This is not an economic necessity – it is a political choice. Billions of pounds have been found for defence spending in recent weeks, as well as pay rises for MPs, while billionaires, the super-wealthy, and big corporations continue to get away without paying their fair share.
Disabled people, like many other vulnerable and oppressed people in our society, must not be made scapegoats for the political decisions made by those in Westminster.
The government must reverse this misguided and cruel policy."
-Fire Brigades Union Disabled & Neurodivergent Members
