The government’s impact statement into the change to Universal Credit found some people were already “struggling to get by” on the standard allowance of £400 for a single person, meaning the health top-up, worth an additional £400, was a temptation not to work and the system needed to be re-balanced.
It reported that 1.9 million people received the health top-up in 2019/2020, but that was predicted to increase to three million by 2029/30.
“This is bad for people, bad for businesses and bad for the economy,” the impact statement said.
“We know that good work is good for people’s mental and physical health.”
But families who rely on the top-up, and charities who support them, say they are concerned about the impact it will have.
Derek Sinclair, a senior welfare rights expert from the charity Contact, said the changes would be a “massive financial blow”.
“I think in a lot of cases, the money’s all being pooled together as one household kitty to help meet whatever expenses the disabled child has,” he said.
“We already know that lots of families with disabled children are struggling financially. They’re missing out on things like therapies, equipment and activities. We’ve got very real concerns about this.”
