A disability influencer has spoken out against proposed Personal Independence Payment (PIP) cuts, and the impact these will have on the disabled community.
More than 3.6million people with long-term physical or mental health conditions receive PIPs in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Ministers have claimed the proposed changes to PIPs and universal credit will save £5billion by 2030
Disability influencer Jenni Pettican said: “The PIP system is broken.
“Anyone will tell you that, but by trying to call them reforms as opposed to cuts feels dismissive of the impact.”
She added that the changes mean a lot of people will miss out on money they are entitled to and need to meet the additional costs that come with having a disability.
In the 2024-25 financial year, the cost of working-age people claiming PIP was £21.8billion.
The second reading of the PIP and welfare bill is scheduled for 1 July, and Disabled People Against Cuts has announced a rally to protest this in Parliament Square on 30 June.
Pip is assessed with questions about daily tasks such as preparing food, eating, washing and dressing.
Tasks are scored by a health professional using a scale from zero to 12, where zero means there is no difficulty and 12 is the most difficult.
As of November 2026, the government says people need to score a minimum of four points for one activity.
In the current system people can qualify for support with a score that indicates difficulties across a broad range of tasks with lower scores.
Pettican said: “I don’t think people understand the absolute drain that it is to just access its support, let alone then have it cut and changed and made even harder.”
With the proposed changes, 800,000 people will lose out on PIP by 2030.
Of these, 370,000 are current recipients who will lose entitlement once the changes are brought in and 430,000 are future claimants who would have qualified under current rules.
The average annual loss of income per affected person is estimated to be £4,500.
Pettican explained how the PIP is crucial for her to be able to afford the additional expenses that come from being disabled.
She explained the payments are her freedom, as they allow her to access the world.
She added half her PIP goes straight on her motability car and hoist for that, which she can’t get around without.
Pettican said: “We are the people in society that need help making food, getting dressed, going to the toilet, having a shower, and they want to take the money away from those people.
“That’s what feels so wrong in all of this, is that they want to take access to our very basic needs away.”
A Department for Work and Pensions spokesperson said: “The vast majority of people who are currently getting PIP will continue to receive it.
“We’re creating a sustainable welfare system that genuinely supports sick and disabled people while always protecting those who need it most.
“At the heart of this is our review of the PIP assessment to ensure it is fit for the future. We will work with disabled people and a range of experts on this as we deliver our Plan for Change.”
The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) suggests nine in 10 people currently on PIP will still be receiving it by the end of this Parliament.
Image credit to Josh Appel on Unsplash
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