Taking a pounding
in the town with no option but to rely on food banks, which is simply heartbreaking.
“No one wants to come to a food bank but all it takes is one missed payment or one change to benefits and families can find themselves in real difficulty – and the scandalous thing is the government would actually save themselves millions upon millions if they actually paid people what they were entitled to rather than sanctioning them or stopping benefits.”
Peter Scott, the chief executive of the Independent Living Fund charity that helps disabled people in Scotland and Northern Ireland, told the Reformer that the figures accurately reflect what the group are finding first-hand.
He said: “We employ a team of social workers across the country and they increasingly report back on people who are now living with hardship.
“Disabled people tend to be poorer than non-disabled people anyway, and so they often have minimal resources.
“What is happening is they are becoming increasingly isolated, which has a negative effect on both their physical and mental health – it is creating a vicious circle.”
The annual loss to disabled people across the whole of Scotland is £56.4m.
SNP MSP for Rutherglen Clare Haughey said the figures showed that vulnerable people were being robbed by a “toxic” government.
She said: “It is absolutely devastating that Tory welfare cuts have taken £1.4 million out of our communities.
“This really hits home at how disastrous these cuts have been for people across Rutherglen – robbing our society and vulnerable people of the money they were entitled to until the Tories decided that they no longer were.
“It is shameful that those most in need of support in Scotland have lost over £56 million under this cruel Tory regime.
“While the Scottish Government is busy setting up a new social security agency with dignity and respect at its heart, figures such as these continue to emerge showing just how damaging Tory welfare cuts are for the people of Rutherglen and Cambuslang.
“Only with full powers over social security can Scotland treat all those in need of support with the respect they deserve, not the cruelty they face under a toxic Tory government.”
Rutherglen MP Ged Killen claimed that the current system is “broken”.
He added: “These figures are a shameful reflection of the Tory Government’s cruel approach to welfare policy.
“Time and time again, Rutherglen and Hamilton West constituents come to my office after losing all or part of their award because the assessment system has failed to accurately capture their circumstances.
“A large majority of these constituents will later have the decision overturned on appeal.
“It is a broken system that is causing unnecessary harm and distress.
“The annual loss to people in this constituency is a disgraceful £1.4 m. That is money that should be available to help support people with disabilities to live independently.
“It serves as further evidence that nothing is beyond the pale for the Tories. Not even the most vulnerable people in society are safe from their cuts.”
Neil Cowan, policy and parliamentary officer with the Poverty Alliance, said the introduction of PIP has caused “widespread anxiety and alarm”.
He added: “Cuts to disability benefits have contributed towards a tightening of the grip of poverty on many people’s lives,
“With some social security powers now being devolved, the new Scottish social security system can act to loosen this grip. It can take different choices and show that a different approach is possible, and it must.”
However, the Department of Work & Pensions defended the figures, saying they were spending more than ever before on disability benefits.
A Department of Work & Pensions spokesperson said: “PIP is a fairer, more modern benefit than its predecessor, focusing support on those who most need it.
“The UK Government spends more on disability benefits than ever before, including £5.4bn more on PIP, DLA and Attendance Allowance than in 2010.
“We are committed to ensuring that disabled people get the support they’re entitled to.
“Decisions for PIP are made following consideration of all the information provided by the claimant and their GP or medical specialist, and anyone who is unhappy with their decision can appeal.
“Scotland has significant welfare powers, including key disability benefits. The Scotland Act 2016 gave the Scottish Government the powers to top-up existing benefits, to pay discretionary payments and to create entirely new benefits altogether.”
The full figures for across Scotland can be viewed at theferret.scot.
It’s absolutely devastating that Tory welfare cuts have taken £1.4million out of our communities