Sheffield Green councillor say Reform's proposed benefits changes are 'cruel cut' that will damage economy
Reform UK announced their plans over the weekend, saying that if elected to government they would cut welfare services by £50 billion
A Sheffield councillor in charge of the city’s social care offering has described Reform’s proposed changes to the welfare system as a “cruel cut” that will be to the deteriment of the local economy,
Green Party councillor Maleiki Haybe, who is chair of the cicouncil’s Adult Health and Social Care Committee, is calling on Sheffield’s Reform councillors to write to Nigel Farage and ask for the policy to be dropped.
Reform UK announced their plans over the weekend, saying that if elected to government they would cut welfare services by £50 billion.
Changes include replacing the disability payment system PIP to a scheme for the “gravely ill and severely challenged” and blocking all foreign nationals from receiving benefit payments.
However, critics have claimed that this could risk putting families into poverty as Reform propose reintroducing the two-child benefit limit that was srapped by Labour.
The Local Government Association suggest that there are currently more than 45,000 people receive PIP in Sheffield, with Coun Haybe saying that these payments are vital to help disabled people live independently and support the local economy.
The Broomhill and Sharrow Vale councillor added: “People with a range of debilitating health conditions rely on these payments to help them go about their everyday lives. If you have a disability you often have hidden costs that other people don’t have such as transport, cleaning, gardening and they may also need personal support workers to help with daily tasks. Personal Independence Payments literally help people take back control of their own lives.
“In Sheffield 45,688 people receive Personal Independence Payments, of those 13,715 are 60 or over. That money benefits vulnerable people directly but it also supports the local economy by paying for support and services provided by local people and businesses. It is not just a cruel cut being proposed by Reform UK but also one which will have a knock on effect on money circulating in the Sheffield economy.”
He is asking the city’s Reform UK contingent to write to the party’s leadership and oppose the current plans.
“Reform UK says that one of their foundational principles is ‘putting the needs of local people first’. This is clearly not the case if you are a local person who lives with a disability,” Coun Haybe added.
“I am calling on Reform UK councillors in Sheffield to write to Nigel Farage and ask him to drop this inhumane policy which would be devastating for residents in the communities they are supposed to represent.”