As the date for the final cost of living payment approaches, the government is still ignoring millions of chronically ill and disabled people over the issue. This is because, while the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) will be giving millions of people the £300 – hundreds of thousands of others won’t get anything. Moreover, the cost of living payment isn’t sufficient for many chronically ill and disabled people.
So, a petition is calling for the DWP to reinstate another cost of living payment that it previously gave out, worth £150.
Cost of living payments
As the Canary has documented, the DWP’s cost of living payments have been controversial. There have been two rounds of them. The most recent one saw the department give people £900, split into three payments. It paid the first one in April 2023, the second payment of £300 in October/November, and the third payment of £299 will be made from 6 February.
People have argued that firstly the money doesn’t even cover the real-terms cuts the government has made to benefits. Secondly, the payments haven’t reflected the rising price of everything (inflation). However, thirdly – over 1.6 million people reliant on benefits have missed out on these cost of living payments.
So, what did the government do for some of the 1.6 million people it didn’t support? Well, it gave them a cost of living payments worth £150. This was if they were claiming certain benefits like Personal Independence Payment (PIP). The DWP made these payments in 2022 and 2023. However, since then it has not given chronically ill and disabled people any more support – particularly those not entitled to the main cost of living payment.
Not enough in reality
This has been devastating for many. Chronically ill and disabled people face far higher costs than non-disabled people – on average a staggering £1,122 per household, per month. Plus, inflation (how much the price of things we buy rises by) has outstripped benefit increase – meaning they’ve actually been real-terms cuts.
As the Canary previously reported, between April 2021 and September 2023:
- Prices in general have risen 36% more than benefits have.
- Food prices in particular have risen 107% more than benefits have.
- Energy prices have risen 471% more than benefits have.
So, in reality the main payments were a drop in the ocean for many chronically ill and disabled people – let alone the £150. However, they were at least something – hence a petition is calling on the government to reinstate them.
Reinstate the disability cost of living payment
Tom Howard is a disability rights campaigner. In December 2023, he started a petition calling on the government to reinstate the £150 cost of living payment. The petition states:
The rising cost of living, especially the rise in energy bills, disproportionately affects disabled people. For example, someone with a chronic lung condition may require a set temperature in their home. This may mean that they have their heating on more than a comparable household. Furthermore, some may require specialist and/or medical equipment to be plugged in and active throughout the day. This, in turn, can lead to higher energy usage and therefore higher energy bills. This point is even more pertinent as energy bills are set to increase further at the start of January 2024.
The petition calls on the government to:
to acknowledge the plight of disabled people and reinstate the Disability Cost of Living Payment. The payment should also be reviewed and increased to effectively support disabled people in the UK. It is a matter of basic human rights and social justice.
You can sign the petition here.
‘Sidelined and forgotten’
Tom told the Canary:
Time and time again, disabled people are sidelined and forgotten by those representing us in government. It shouldn’t surprise anyone that less than 2% of MPs identify as disabled, but amongst the general public this figure has been recorded as high as 24%.
Politics is inaccessible, and this is also true on a local level. Numerous support programmes used to exist to help disabled people get into politics. Such programmes have, of course, fallen victim to a decade of cuts and austerity under the Tories.
This leads me onto my petition, as petitions are needed so our voices can be heard.
In this petition, I am calling for the immediate review and reinstatement of the Disability Cost of Living Payment. This payment was made to around six million eligible individuals in Autumn 2022 and early Summer 2023.
Then, news of this financial support disappeared.
The government needs to act
Tom continued:
Campaign groups, lobbyists and MPs have since questioned the government and it appears, at present, there is no current plan to continue this financial support for disabled people in the UK. But, the fact remains, disabled people have been disproportionately affected by the Cost of Living Crisis.
I’ve been contacted by individuals that require round the clock heating due to their lung condition, or constant use of electricity for their medical equipment. It’s not possible for these individuals to simply cut their energy usage as doing so could have a severe impact on their health and wellbeing.
The Disability Cost of Living Payment, albeit not nearly enough, provided some respite for those in need and helped mitigate the disproportionate costs being faced by the most vulnerable in our society. I urge the government to consider their current stance and to immediately reinstate this support for disabled people across the UK.
Tom is right – chronically ill and disabled people are always an afterthought by governments and institutions, due to systemic ableism. While the £150 cost of living payment may not be much in comparison to the main payment, it did indeed provide some respite.
For the government to allow inflation to have got out of control, while providing no support for chronically ill and disabled people, is nothing short of a scandal. It must address the issue now.
Please sign and share the petition today. You can do that here.
Featured image via the Canary
