Citizens Advice SORT Group Responds to Proposed Changes to Disability Benefits

Citizens Advice SORT Group, which serves Stockport, Oldham, Rochdale, and Trafford, has expressed strong opposition to the government’s proposed changes to disability benefits. The reforms, which aim to reduce disability and incapacity benefits by £6.4 billion per year by 2029/30, will disproportionately impact 3.2 million families, particularly those with disabled individuals or long-term health conditions.

The charity warns that the proposed changes will deepen poverty for disabled people, making it even harder for them to meet essential costs like healthcare and daily living expenses. 

Jonathan Yates, Chief Officer at Citizens Advice SORT Group, said:

“The number of disabled people across Greater Manchester relying on charitable support to survive is already worryingly high, and these proposed cuts will only increase that number. 43% of the disabled people we support with debt advice are already in a negative budget, where their essential costs exceed their income. On average, they carry nearly £8,000 in debt.

We are concerned the proposed cuts will push many more disabled people into poverty, and they will not achieve the government’s stated goal of encouraging disabled people into employment. Financial insecurity will make it harder for disabled people to manage their health, maintain independence, and access work opportunities. With nearly a third of the people we help with Personal Independence Payment (PIP) having dependent children, these cuts will also undermine another key government objective: reducing child poverty.”

Citizens Advice SORT Group is calling on the government to run a full consultation process on all proposed changes to health and disability benefits, ensuring that the voices of those affected are heard. We urge the government to scrap the proposed cuts to disability benefits to prevent the significant and harmful impact these changes would have on disabled people and their families.

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About Citizens Advice SORT Group

-Citizens Advice SORT Group is the parent company of the Citizens Advice services in Stockport, Oldham, Rochdale and Trafford.  We are a member of the Citizens Advice service nationally which is made up of a network of 270 local Citizens Advice organisations across England and Wales.

-Our network of charities offers impartial advice online, over the phone, and in person, for free. 

-In 2024, Citizens Advice services across Greater Manchester supported local residents with a disability or long-term health condition with over 41,100 debt issues.

For Media Enquiries

Hayley Wright
Communications Manager, Citizens Advice SORT Group
hayley.wright@casort.org