Claire Young MP backs push to halt ‘painful’ welfare cuts

Thornbury & Yate’s MP Claire Young has backed a key Liberal Democrat amendment to the controversial welfare bill, in a bid to stop it from becoming law to shield carers and those most at risk of losing support from the planned cuts.

The party has tabled a ‘Reasoned Amendment’ to the Bill which, if passed, would stop it from becoming law. This is in order to protect all those who would fall victim to the cuts, including thousands of unpaid carers and their loved ones.

The Government’s own estimates say that 150,000 unpaid carers would lose Carers Allowance as a result of the proposed cuts. This would be a double whammy for these households, as these carers lose their Carers Allowance because the loved one that they care for no longer is eligible for their Personal Independence Payments (PIP) under the stricter criteria.

The Lib Dems have said the best way to get the welfare bill down is by addressing the crisis in the NHS and social care, to get people off waiting lists and back into work. They are fighting to stop these change from pushing a further 250,000 people, including 50,000 children, into poverty.

Claire Young has said the Government’s plans to strip away Carers Allowance would be ‘painful for some of the most vulnerable people’ and urged the Government to drop their plans. She has also highlighted that many people in receipt of PIP are already in work, as it's meant to support the extra costs of disability and not to replace earnings

Commenting, Claire Young MP said:

“The Government needs to wake up to the reality of the situation and scrap these senseless cuts. I have heard from countless constituents deeply worried that they will lose out on vital support, which is the only way many can stay in work or just get through their everyday lives.

“The Conservatives made a complete mess of our welfare system, but the way to tackle that is not through cutting support for disabled people and those who care for them. It is ludicrous to think that hacking away further at our welfare system will make the challenges go away.

“Unpaid carers do tremendous work in often the most challenging of circumstances, taking huge pressures off our health services and helping loved ones. We need to offer them more support, not less, and supporting everyone to be able to live and work independently.

“That’s why I am proud to have signed a Liberal Democrat amendment to the Government’s misguided reforms that would stop the Bill in its tracks - protecting carers and countless people here in South Gloucestershire from these damaging cuts.”