Welfare changes 'scary' for carers

A Conservative councillor who has cared for his disabled mother since he was a child said he is "scared" by the government's planned changes to benefits even though he supports reducing the welfare bill.

Among the changes announced by the Labour government was a tightening of the eligibility criteria for personal independence payment and a "right to try" work without immediately losing benefits.

Sunderland Tory group leader Antony Mullen said there were elements his party could support, but accused Labour of not telling the public of its plans ahead of the last election.

Defending the changes, Labour MP for Penrith & Solway Markus Campbell-Savours told BBC Politics North: "Ultimately this is about us ensuring the system is fairer."

Appearing on the same programme, Lib Dem councillor Jemma Joy said more support should be given to employers to help them recruit and retain disabled staff.

Mullen told the BBC: "There are certainly some elements that I think the Conservatives could support, but I felt very scared this week, because I've been a carer for my disabled mother since I was 11 years old.

"So I've felt this very personally, because there will never come a time when she is able to work."

Mullen said: "There are some people who probably haven't got the right support, the jobs probably don't exist for them in the local area.

"They probably haven't had the right kind of guidance from people, they might need support getting new qualifications."

He said the plan "wasn't in Labour's manifesto, it wasn't clear what they were going to do with this", but added: "I think if people can work, and want to work, they should absolutely be encouraged to do so."

Campbell-Savours argued the rising cost of benefits required the government to take action.

He said: "When you've got a welfare bill which has gone up since Covid from £30bn to £50bn, and is expected to reach £70bn by the end of this decade, that area of expenditure should be looked at

"We should be prioritising getting people into work and not being in a situation where they're on sickness benefits in the first place."

The MP said he understood concerns about welfare changes from Labour Party colleagues.

"I think it's not surprising that Labour party activists and members – many of whom have campaigned for some of the most vulnerable people in the world – will have concerns about some of these measures." he said.

Redcar and Cleveland councillor Joy said: "We would like to see is a fair system where government support is there for employers to make provision for people with disabilities or extra needs to stay in work and create some stability for themselves.

"I think we have to be careful with the language that we use.

"We're calling them benefits, they're not benefits they're personal independence payments.

"That means that you might actually be working and you use that payment to help with additional needs, additional support from someone else to care for you or for equipment.

"We know that a significant proportion have really significant mental health issues, and this is only going to make that worse."

Politics North airs on 10am on Sunday on BBC One in the North East and Cumbria. Catch up on previous episodes now on the iPlayer.

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