PCS and Scottish anti-poverty groups claim welfare reforms risk hurting the poorest
22 October 2008
In a letter sent today [22 October] to the Secretary of State for the Department of Work and Pensions, the Scottish Campaign on Welfare Reform (SCoWR) has expressed concerns about the proposals.
This coincides with the conclusion of the three month consultation period of the UK Government’s Green Paper on Welfare Reform, No one written off: Reforming welfare to reward responsibility.
SCoWR – a coalition comprising more than thirty leading charity and trade union organisations - fears that the changes could push poor people further into poverty, at a time when they are already bearing the brunt of a downturn in the UK economy.
The letter outlines concerns on four particular issues: the increase in conditionality attached to benefits entitlement; the inadequacy of current levels of benefit; fears about the adequacy of resources available to support the proposals; and a lack of consideration for devolved aspects of welfare reform.
The letter states:
“[…] the proposals focus almost exclusively on the responsibilities of individuals, without commensurate attention paid to the responsibilities of Government and employers in helping people from welfare into work. There is also little attention paid to the often significant structural barriers that impede progress into and retention within the labour market.
“SCoWR does not believe that conditionality and sanctions are either a necessary or effective mechanism for encouraging people into work. Proposals such as full time work for benefits treat claimants in a punitive and undignified manner. Quite simply, the evidence suggests that if the right support is available at the right time and the right level, people will be empowered to move into or stay in work.”
The reforms also fail to take into account the inadequate levels of welfare provision at the current time, which mean that thousands of people in the UK struggle to get by on poverty level incomes.
Raising the general level of benefit rates is critical if the UK Government is serious about tackling social exclusion and child poverty, and providing people with a secure financial basis from which they can move into sustainable work.
SCoWR is also concerned that both existing services and the new proposals are significantly under-resourced, with demand far outstripping available funds, and states in the letter:
“It is claimants and their families who will continue to bear the brunt of this in terms of insufficient support and declining customer service.”
In addition, members of SCoWR are concerned that some proposals will simply be unworkable as a result of insufficient account being taken of devolved aspects of welfare reform. These include the key policy areas of childcare provision and skills development.
Citizens Advice Scotland chief executive Kaliani Lyle said:
“This is the third year in a row that we have responded to a consultation on proposed welfare reforms and our concerns have not changed. We are particularly worried about these proposals given the downturn in the UK economy. Unemployment and long-term unemployment are rising, and predicted to rise significantly higher over the next few years.
“Given the additional burden that people are facing, we would urge the Secretary of State to reconsider proposals for increased conditions on welfare and instead to look at how the public budget can best be deployed to protect people from poverty.”
John Dickie, Head of Child Poverty Action Group in Scotland said:
“There is no question that reform of our welfare system is needed, but such reform needs to treat people with dignity, lift them out of poverty, be adequately resourced and fit with devolved policy on skills and childcare. The current proposals fail on all four counts and treat people in a punitive and undignified manner. The sheer range and number of organizations behind this letter to the Secretary of State shows the scale of the concern the proposals are causing across Scotland.”
Peter Kelly, Director of The Poverty Alliance said:
"The UK Government must think again about the direction of its reform of the welfare system. At a time when unemployment is rising it is misguided to put more pressure on people to find work, particularly those who face real barriers getting back to work. If the UK Government is serious about protecting people from poverty as this recession bites, then it most look at the value of welfare benefits, not at penalising people who can't find work."
Sue Robertson, Director of One Parent Families Scotland said:
"This increased pressure on lone parents to seek work when their children are young is totally inappropriate. Government policies designed to support lone parents moving into employment are still failing many lone parents, with the huge difficulties of tax credits and benefit administration, and the shambles of the Child Support Agency which is shortly to be abolished. Lone parents are doing a valuable job bringing up their children and should retain the freedom to put their children first."
Lucy McTernan, Chief Executive, Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations said:
"SCVO does not believe in compulsory volunteering as a solution to welfare reform. Instead, we suggest that the many roles and routes offered by the voluntary sector can produce a much more sustainable outcome for the individuals concerned and their role within society. We also reject the harsh and punitive tone of the Green Paper and we are concerned that there are large-scale spending implications which will not, of themselves, deliver client benefit. We propose an alternative community option for enhancing labour market participation which addresses Scotland's unique demographics and makes best use of the voluntary sector."
Faye Gatenby of Capability Scotland said:
"While Capability broadly welcomes the Government's aspiration to recognise disabled people's capabilities and support them in to employment, the system they are working to put in place is far too one-sided, and fails to grasp the reality of the barriers faced by disabled people. It is one thing to assess an individual as medically capable of working, but quite another for that person to find employment that is suitable, employers prepared to hire them, support to enable them to get to work at the set hours, and transport that is accessible to them. Much more work needs to be done to remove these barriers before disabled people will have a realistic opportunity to move into employment."
Recent news
Tab Bottom
- Directory
- Contact Us
- Search
