As you may have seen or heard in the news, the Government have proposed making some changes in the way people apply for and receive disability benefits, including Personal Independence Payment (PIP).

Among the changes being put forward are:

  • Making it harder for people to be awarded the daily living component of PIP. This includes needing to score a minimum of four points to be considered from 2026 onwards
  • Universal Credit claimants not being able to get the incapacity top-up payment until they are aged 22
  • New claimants of Universal Credit getting a reduced incapacity top-up payment of £50 a week starting from next year

Wide impact

If the proposed changes go through Parliament and are signed into law, they will have a wide impact on thousands of people in our part of the world. Across the country, we’re potentially talking millions. At a time when the cost-of-living crisis still exists, a real-terms cut in benefits coupled with reduced chances of people getting the support they need will only worsen poverty.

Many people on disability benefits are already struggling to afford the basics. If they reapply for PIP and find that their support needs are the same, but they need to score more points than they did when initially applying, they may not get awarded PIP at all. This makes an already difficult situation worse.

Getting heard

At The Advonet Group, a big part of what we do is help people to access services and support they need. This is done through work such as information and signposting. We have helped people to know more about applying for benefits – a recent example of this is the series of PIP guides made by our Autism AIM team.

We work with hundreds of people who are likely to be affected. Regardless of whether the changes are signed into law, we will do our best to ensure the voices of disabled people we work with are heard and that their rights are upheld.

Raising concerns

If you have any concerns about the proposed changes to PIP and Universal Credit and want to raise them, there is a way of doing this. You could write a letter or send an email to your local MP – a list of MPs in the Leeds area and their contact details is on the Leeds City Council website.

The UK Parliament website has a tool where you can find out who your local MP is if you’re unsure of who they are.

Useful links

If you need support with applying for benefits like PIP and Universal Credit, there are some links to services that can help, as well as some useful resources: