Working parents and disabled Brits terrified after Autumn Statement
Jeremy Hunt and his Autumn Statement were met with a round of applause from his fellow Tories in the Commons yesterday - but some of Britain's most at-risk citizens are terrified of the new changes.
As the Chancellor delivered his speech, he praised Conservative austerity for bringing the economy "back on track" while adding that he will cut taxes and push for business growth ahead of next year's General Election.
The Chancellor announced a cut to National Insurance - but did not unfreeze the threshold for when you start paying tax, meaning more people are still being dragged into paying taxes. He also announced punishingly tougher new benefit sanctions, which would see claimants lose their right to perks like free NHS prescriptions if they fail to look for work.
Those who are already feeling the squeeze as the Cost of Living crisis grips Britain tight for the second winter in a row, including people claiming disability benefit, single working families and retirees, fear they could suffer further under Hunt's directive.
The Mirror has spoken to a group of people about how the Autumn Statement will affect them...
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Disabled mum
Disabled mum-of-two Tracy Davies and her family depend on disability benefits. The 59-year-old from Cheshire, who suffers from fibromyalgia, lives with her husband and full-time carer Paul and their two adult children, Hanna and Adam, who are both severely autistic.
She is now worried she'll be forced to look for work, after the Chancellor announced plans to cut benefits of people who are unemployed, but not looking for work due to long-term sickness or disability. Instead, some people will be told they must work from home if they can.
Tracy Davies, 57, mum-of-two from Cheshire (collect)Tracy claims Employment and Support Allowance and Disability and Living Allowance, while Paul claims Carers Allowance. She says: “This statement is going to upset and scare a lot of people who are on disability benefits.
“I’ve been on sickness benefits for 20 years, while looking after both my children who can’t fend for themselves. But recently both my children were called in for a review of their benefits, even though my daughter doesn’t even speak and my son can’t cope with any kind of interaction with people.
“Now I’m worried they will tell them they have to work, or that I have to work from home because I’m not actively looking for work, even though I can barely get dressed on my own.
“I think this will be an even bigger worry for anyone with mental health issues, because people really go to pieces if they think they might have the little they survive on taken away.
“Some of the other things, like benefits going up, are welcome, but I think it’s the Tories trying to win votes and save their a***ses before the next election.”
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Retired pensioner
Peter Marciniak, 72, and his wife Jayne, 67, own their own home in Nottingham. The former painter and NVQ assessor says the Chancellor’s pledge to honour the state pension triple lock is a “huge relief” - but he thinks more needs to be done bring prices down.
The state pension will rise by 8.5% next April, in line with the triple lock guarantee. Before the Autumn Statement, here had been rumours that the Chancellor could use a lower figure of 7.8% to increase the state pension.
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Peter Marciniak, 70, retired from NottinghamHe says: “All pensioners were worried about our pensions doing down, because prices are still way too high and we’re still feeling the squeeze.
“After working all our lives we want to enjoy our retirement, but it’s difficult at the moment, and we didn’t know what we would do if pensions didn’t at least rise at the rate of inflation.
“Everything is still going up, from my Sky TV package to the trip to Blackpool we used to go on every year, which is now too expensive for us. Electric is still going up, but at least both of us got £250 heating allowance this year which will help this winter.”
He welcomed plans to stop benefits of the long-term unemployed. “Back in the 70s I signed on the dole and I remember getting paid more in benefits than what I’d been earning. It’s wrong because there’s no incentive to get another job.”
Single working mum
Carly Newman lives with her six-year-old son Ezra in a privately-rented flat in New Cross, South East London. The 36-year-old works as a senior manager for a national charity four days a week.
She welcomes an increase to the minimum wage - but said it is not enough. The National Living Wage will rise to £11.44 per hour - up from the current £10.42 - from next April. The age threshold is also being reduced from all those over-23 to all those over-21 for the first time.
Carlyl works as a senior manager for a charity (Reach Commissioned)She says: “An increase in the minimum wage is welcome but it’s not enough, there’s no way people can comfortably live on £11.44 in the current climate and with how much things have increased.
“The same with the increase in Universal Credit, it’s good they kept it in line with inflation but it’s unlikely to be enough to meet people’s basic needs at a time when everything costs so much, especially housing.
“We’ve also heard them promising more housing year on year and never seen it, homelessness has increased, many people can’t afford their mortgages and rents are at an all time high.
“There was also no change to the requirement for parents on benefits to now work 30 hours. This disproportionately impacts single parents like me and does nothing to address the barriers that we experience, like unaffordable childcare - it’s a complete con.”
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