Today, the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions announced plans to cut welfare benefits, in an effort to save £5 billion and encourage more people into employment.
The measures include stricter assessments for Personal Independence Payments (Pips) and a freeze on incapacity benefits from April 2026, meaning they will not increase in line with inflation.
Over 2.8 million people with mental or physical health conditions currently receive benefits because they’re unable to work, but these new measures mean only the most severely disabled people will be eligible for Pips.
Everyturn Mental Health’s Chief Executive, Adam Crampsie, commented:
“These proposed welfare reforms risk worsening mental health by piling pressure on people who are already struggling. Instead of forcing people into work, or cutting their benefits before they are well enough, we should be tackling the root causes of why so many are too ill to work in the first place.
“Chronic underinvestment in mental health services, long NHS waiting lists for both physical and mental health treatment, insecure housing, and a welfare system that too often adds to stress rather than alleviates it. We know that these factors lie behind lived experience of the millions of people who currently receive benefits.
“Everyturn’s crisis services have received over 3,000 referrals in the last 12 months, with over half of these being from people in mental health crisis seeking financial and benefits advice.
“Real reform would mean supporting people to recover and focusing on the practical measures to enable people to return to work, like greater flexibility, wellbeing support, and appropriate adjustments. Creating an environment where people can flourish, not penalising them for being unwell, is how we’ll see real change.”
