TODAY is the Final Day of the Government Consultation and your chance to Say NO to the Disability Benefit Cuts
- kevinndaws
- Jun 30
- 2 min read
We are delighted to publish the article below from Dr Sue Wilbraham who is a Senior Lecturer at the University of Cumbria. Sue is passionate about Equality, Diversity and Inclusion and represents the Disabled and Neurodiverse staff network (DANN) the the University of Cumbria's EDI Committee.
This is a very timely article because the Government's consultation on the the Pathways to Work Green Paper closes today. So if you have not responded please respond now and write to your MP
Today is the deadline for the consultation on the Pathways to work: Reforming benefits and support to get Britain working green paper. There has been much attention in the press about the potential devastating impact of cuts to benefits, however, there has been little media attention relating to Access to Work.
The green paper claims to be about pathways to work, however, within chapter 4, the paper proposes severe cuts to the very service that supports disabled people to find and maintain employment. Under new proposals Access to Work would
Reduce the provision of equipment.
End the provision of support workers.
Reduce the terms of grants to one year, thus requiring annual reapplication.
Essentially, this would
Focus on recruitment rather than retention of disabled employees.
Place the responsibility for support with employers under reasonable adjustments.
A focus on recruitment is short-sighted. Poor retention will make recruitment of disabled people a liability for employers; furthermore, it will undermine the skills and confidence of disabled people and erode their wellbeing.
The green paper notes that:
“As we consider the future of Access to Work, we want to consider:
the existing legal duties on reasonable adjustments in the Equality Act 2010
the support government currently provides to both employers and individuals
advice and guidance available to both workers and employers
the enforcement powers that currently exist”
Yes, it is important that employers provide adjustments, and there is a need for legal protection of workers. However, increased focus on enforcing employers to make adjustments may discourage employers from recruiting disabled people, and make it more risky for disabled people to disclose their needs.
Furthermore, the costs of legal process will prevent many from taking action against employers.
Ultimately, the emphasis will typically be placed on the people with the impairments or health conditions, i.e. those with the least power and resource, to advocate for themselves.
Once again, the title of the paper is ‘pathways to work’. The proposals will, however, only increase barriers to employment.
Please e-mail your MP and ask them to reject these proposals.
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