A York campaigner has hit out at proposed welfare benefits cuts, telling a meeting: ‘You will not starve us into work’.
The cuts to disability benefits, aiming to save £5 billion by 2030, which has raised significant concern.
York Central MP Rachael Maskell described the cuts as draconian, while local disability rights campaigner Flick Williams warned that the Inactivity Trailblazer could make vulnerable people poorer.
Ms. Williams argued that the plan risks pushing people into poverty.
She believes the main reason disabled people and their carers were out of work was because of the difficulties in both getting and maintaining a job.
At a combined authority meeting on Friday (7 March), Ms Williams asked, “In which part of the process were disabled people asked: what are the barriers to you getting or staying in work?
“If you had, you may have learned about barriers to work such as inaccessible, unreliable, irregular transport, lack of accessible housing, barriers to obtaining mobility aids, social care support and timely healthcare, including for mental health or diagnosis of neurodivergence.”
She added” “Where are all the employers willing to employ us, ready to make reasonable adjustments, offer the flexibility to employees to manage our impairment issues, health appointments or caring responsibilities?
“Almost every disabled person in work that I know reports regular friction with their employer over the provision of reasonable adjustments.
“If the forthcoming Spring Statement does in fact cut benefit entitlement, you will not starve us into work, you will simply impoverish us further, with the resulting health and care crises that will be a financial cost elsewhere in the system.”
One in eight young people out of work
A combined authority report reveals that illness is the leading cause for long-term unemployment. with one in eight young people are currently not in work, education or training schemes.
In York and North Yorkshire, economic inactivity due to long-term sickness rose by 72.2 per cent from 2019 to last year.
Now the Government is launching a £10 million programme in York and North Yorkshire aimed at getting people into work, especially those affected by health issues or long-term unemployment.
Employment minister Alison McGovern believes the Inactivity Trailblazer will end the situation where people who want to work are left behind.
Tyler Potter, IT manager at York Community Furniture Store, has ADHD and autism and revealed what it’s like to be out of work due to health issues.
He suffering a long period of unemployment before securing a role through the JobCentre.
“I spent a lot of time volunteering and trying to find where I could fit in, but I managed to get support through the DWP and I had an amazing job coach who helped me get the job here.
“They liked me so much that after meeting them for the first time I got the call to say I’d got the job. I’ve found my calling here, I have something to wake up for and to spend my days doing.”
Cameron Clarke, who works for Aviva and volunteers at the Furniture Store, also has ADHD and autism.
He said, “I first came to the store in 2022 just after lockdown, there wasn’t very much in the way of jobs at the time.
“I started volunteering at first but I finally got a job offer in 2023, I was ecstatic. I look forward to work and I enjoy it, it’s given me independence.”
Local industry shortages
York and North Yorkshire Mayor David Skaith hopes the Inactivity Trailblazer will help fill shortages in local industries.
He said, “What this extra funding does is help people who’ve been out of work for a long time to get back into work and support rather than them dropping out.
“The challenge as ever in York and North Yorkshire is a geographic makeup.
“Young people in particular have had a tough time, nationally one in eight of them aren’t in work, education or training.
“For some employers it’s about how their workplaces are set up but we’re also having conversions about the types of skills they require.
“We want to make sure we’re creating our own workforce with the right skills.
“Part of this is also about encouraging professionals who’ve left a trade like bricklaying to come into college and train 20 to 30 more bricklayers.”
JobCentre Support
Rachel Levis, a work coach at York Monkgate JobCentre, hopes the programme will allow her more time to help people back into work.
She said, “What we see in York in general among claimants is that mental health issues are prevalent, demand for services is quite high but they can’t keep up.
“Then you also have people who are over 50 who are working on getting over the stumbling block of assuming employers won’t want to hire them.
“Instead of short, sharp appointments we’d be grateful for anything that allows us to have a more targeted approach so we can build a rapport with the claimants.”
Ms Levis also noted that although many people don’t like visiting the JobCentre, it is there to help.