In Spring 2025 the Labour Government announced a number of cuts affecting recipients of Personal Independent Payments (PIP) and the health-related element of Universal Credit.
Millions of people in England and Wales rely on PIP and health related UC payments. These help those with disabilities and health conditions live independent and dignified lives.
The Labour Government’s cuts include:
- Cutting the health element of Universal credit for new claimants from £97 to £50 from April 26, and freezing this payment for all existing claimants until 2030 meaning it will decrease in real terms each year. Those under the age of 22 will lose their right to the health related element of Universal Credit.
- Introducing stricter tests for PIP payments meaning hundreds of thousands of people will no longer qualify and many other will lose almost £2000 a year from their payments.
Those who receive PIP and health-related UC are amongst the most likely to be in fuel or food poverty. This is the latest in a line of attacks by the Labour Government on vulnerable people. Such as their scrapping of Winter Fuel Payments for pensioners.
The template Council Motion below can be tabled at your council to oppose Labour’s welfare cuts. In Labour facing areas, particularly those with Labour MPs, it can be used to apply pressure on Labour councillors and call for MPs to explain their actions if they voted for the cuts.
Council recognises that 3.7 million people in England and Wales receive Personal Independence Payments (PIP). PIP is a benefit not linked to being in work or out of work, but instead designed to help people with the additional unavoidable costs of having a disability. Many disabled people use PIP to cover the cost of getting to and from work, for paying for essential equipment and for meeting their social care charges.
Council further recognises that Universal Credit contains a health-related element that currently supports 2.25 million people with severe health problems.
Council both notes and condemns the announcement by the Labour Government in their Spring Statement that they will:
- Cut the health element of Universal Credit for new claimants from £97 a week to £50 a week from April 2026.
- Freeze the health element of Universal Credit for existing claimants until 2030 – meaning it will no longer increase with inflation, resulting in a real terms loss of income for over 2 million households.
- Restrict those under the age of 22 from claiming the health element of Universal Credit at all.
- Introduce stricter tests for those receiving Personal Independence Payments (PIP). People who struggle to even wash their hair or wash below their waist may have their payments reduced by an average of £1720 a year. It’s estimated that 370,000 people with disabilities will no longer qualify for PIP under the Government’s new assessment rules.
Council believes these changes amount to nothing less than attack on those living with disabilities and health conditions – who need PIP payments and health-related Universal Credit to live independent, dignified lives.
Research by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation has found that 50% of recipient of the health element of Universal Credit are either unable to heat their home, are behind on their household bills or have low food security. There are 900,000 children living in households where someone receives the health-related Universal Credit.
Freezing, reducing and removing these payments will have a catastrophic impact on millions of households who, due to disability and ill-health, face some of the highest rates of material deprivation in the UK.
Council resolves to:
- Instruct the Leader of the Council to write to the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions and the Chancellor of the Exchequer, expressing the council’s grave concerns about the impact of these changes and urging them to reverse their decision to target those with disabilities and health condition with cuts to their support payments.
- Instruct the Leader of the Council to write to [AREA NAMES] MPs, urging them to oppose these unfair changes to the welfare system. [IF IN AN AREA WITH LABOUR MPs WHO VOTED FOR THE WELFARE CUTS YOU COULD ADD IN A LINE ASKING FOR THE MPs TO EXLAPIN THEIR ACTIONS TO LOCAL RESIDENTS].
- Develop a strategy to maximise the number of people claiming benefits they are entitled to in [AREA NAME] by using existing resources including the council website, the council’s newsletters, notices in local newspapers and council social media feeds.
- Ask the council’s scrutiny function to convene a Task & Finish Group to identify likely impacts on the local population and to assess the likely demand for support from the council and its local partners.
- Council also resolves to request the Leader of the Council to write to the Chancellor, expressing the Council’s concern around these plans and urge the Government to reverse the decision and instead focus on sustainable and fair economic policies, rather than punishing those who need support the most.