Mary Kelly Foy MP: Collecting evidence about damaging welfare cuts

We must see more investment in education, training and opportunities, not just a swinging of the axe in the hope that this will move people back into the jobs market.

READ FIRST: “THESE CUTS GO AGAINST EVERYTHING I BELIEVE IN”

In fact, I said as much to the Secretary of State in Parliament, and asked for assurances that my constituents – and others in the North East – will not be pushed further into poverty by these changes. Sadly, I didn’t get the assurances I was looking for.

I’ve already asked the Government to consult with disability groups and organisations which work with and support people in poverty on what the impact of these changes will be.

As I haven’t seen any action on this centrally, I recently decided to do it myself.

So, two weeks ago I sat down with representatives from organisations including St Margaret’s Centre, Welfare Rights, Citizens Advice, Waddington Street Centre and the Samaritans, some disability charities such as the MS Society as well as some constituents who will be affected by these cuts.

The discussions were stark. Everyone was clear that since these proposals were announced, there has been a significant increase in anxiety and stress amongst their service users. Especially as the assessment system already feels far too adversarial and punitive – a sad hangover from the Tory governments of the past 14 years.

As one attendee said to me, it is a “fundamentally cruel system” and that, certainly as it pertains to PIP, claimants are forced to “show their worst day” during assessments.

Among all of these changes, it seems the Government is losing sight of what PIP actually is. It’s not an out of work benefit; it’s a payment to allow those with life-limiting conditions to live their lives with dignity. Cutting this will have no effect on encouraging people back into the workforce. In fact, I fear it will do quite the opposite.

The PIP cuts don’t just impact those in work, as we heard about pensioners who currently get access to PIP as well. Again, this is a payment to help people live a fulfilling life, and these cuts would be disastrous for pensioners already struggling financially, and potentially dealing with social isolation as well.

This was reflected in the troubling news that the Samaritans are being contacted by more and more older people about their real anxieties ahead of these changes, and what they see as their complete lack of options.

I’m grateful for the personal testimonies I heard throughout the meeting, difficult though many were to hear.

The last time I wrote about these proposed cuts. I said that they go against everything I believe in. Nothing has changed, but now I have first hand, expert testimony to present to the Government.

I will be banging on their door with this information. These cuts aren’t what I came into politics to do, and it isn’t what a Labour Government should be about.

I’ll keep knocking on doors in Westminster until someone listens.