The government should consider pausing its planned cut to the Work Related Activity Group (WRAG) of Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) until improved job support is in place, Citizens Advice has said.
The national charity says that the Chancellor could use the Autumn Statement this week to put on hold the cut to ESA WRAG rates in order to deliver on its promise to halve the disability employment gap and support those who can’t currently work.
Changes to ESA announced in the 2015 Budget mean that from April 2017 new claimants who are found not fit for work, but able to undertake some work-related activity, will receive £30 per week less than people currently in WRAG. This means they will received the same level of financial support as Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA).
The government committed to using the savings from this cut to fund further job support, which is currently being consulted on in the Health and Work Green Paper. However this new support will not be in place in time for when the cut comes in and as many as half a million people could be affected.
MPs from all parties are today discussing these cuts to ESA in parliament after a debate was tabled by Backbench Business Committee member Neil Gray MP.
Between July and September this year people turned to Citizens Advice with over 80,000 ESA queries- 16% more than during the same period last year.
Gillian Guy, Chief Executive of Citizens Advice, said:
“The new government should think again about cuts to Employment and Support Allowance.
“There has been a positive tone from this government about finding ways to help disabled people and those with long term health problems to get into work when they can. Recent changes to benefit assessments reflect this but pre-existing plans to cut rates for some ESA recipients- before having additional job support in place - could undermine this good intention.
“There is a growing consensus that cutting financial support to people in WRAG risks undermining the government’s goal of ‘work for those who can, support for those who could and care for those who cannot. Reducing how much people get without providing the support they need to get a job risks making it even harder for disabled people to overcome the barriers they face getting into work.”