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The government’s announcement this week of “the biggest shake-up to the welfare system in a generation,” is already sending shockwaves through the Disabled community. For all the talk of “helping more people into work,” what’s being proposed is a brutal set of cuts that will undermine the independence, financial security, and wellbeing of Disabled people across the country.
What’s Being Proposed?
The reforms, published as a Green Paper and now open for consultation, are aimed at cutting £5 billion a year from the welfare budget by 2030. The proposals are squarely focused on reducing the number of Disabled people receiving benefits, including Personal Independence Payment (PIP) and the extra health-related elements of Universal Credit.
Tougher Eligibility for Personal Independence Payments (PIP)
One of the most significant proposals in these reforms is the tightening of eligibility criteria for Personal Independence Payment (PIP), which is due to start from November 2026. The government is proposing that claimants will need to score at least four points in a single activity to qualify for the daily living component of PIP. This represents a substantial shift in the assessment process and will make it far harder for many Disabled people to access this vital support.
PIP was introduced to help cover the additional costs that come with being Disabled—costs that arise because of societal barriers, inaccessible environments, and systemic exclusion. These costs don’t disappear whether someone is in or out of work. PIP is not a benefit tied to employment status. It was designed to support Disabled people in meeting their day-to-day needs and in living independently. Cutting access to PIP undermines this fundamental purpose.
Disabled people often use PIP to pay for essential things that non-Disabled people simply do not need to consider:
- Mobility aids or adapted equipment
- Accessible transport or personal assistance
- Higher energy costs (for heating or running medical equipment)
- Extra costs of food, personal care, or specialist therapies
The government’s own data shows that Disabled people face average additional costs of £1,014 a month. Without PIP, many will struggle to afford the basics they need to live with dignity, let alone thrive.
Worryingly, the proposed changes to PIP disproportionately affect people with invisible impairments, fluctuating conditions, and mental health needs—groups already poorly served by the current assessment system. Assessors often fail to understand the reality of conditions that are not immediately visible, or that vary day by day, leaving many wrongly denied support.
By making PIP harder to access, these reforms risk pushing more Disabled people into poverty and isolation. Reduced access to PIP won’t just impact income; it will have a knock-on effect on Disabled people’s ability to participate in their communities, access work, education, and healthcare, and maintain their health and wellbeing.
The proposed reforms also dangerously blur the lines between PIP and out-of-work benefits, by linking Universal Credit support to a PIP award. PIP was never intended to act as a gatekeeper for income replacement benefits, and using it this way undermines its original purpose.
Scrapping the Work Capability Assessment (WCA)
By 2028, the government plans to abolish the Work Capability Assessment (WCA). While Disabled people and campaigners have long criticised the WCA for being dehumanising and inaccurate, its removal comes with serious risks. Under these reforms, eligibility for additional financial support within Universal Credit—what’s currently the Limited Capability for Work-Related Activity (LCWRA) element—will depend solely on whether someone qualifies for Personal Independence Payment (PIP).
This is deeply problematic. PIP and out-of-work benefits serve completely different purposes and were never intended to be linked.
- PIP is not an out-of-work benefit. It exists to help cover the extra costs Disabled people face in daily life because of the barriers created by society. These extra costs don’t go away just because someone is in work, and plenty of Disabled people who receive PIP are employed.
- Out-of-work benefits, like LCWRA, provide income for people who can’t work due to health or access barriers. These are means-tested benefits designed to ensure people who can’t work have a basic income to live on.
By tying extra financial support in Universal Credit to PIP eligibility, the government is conflating two very different forms of support, and this risks leaving many Disabled people without any safety net at all. Many people who are not well enough to work—or face significant barriers to doing so—do not qualify for PIP under the current system, especially those with mental health conditions, learning difficulties, neurodivergence, or fluctuating conditions.
Freezing and Cutting Health Top-ups
The extra element within Universal Credit for people who are not expected to work will be frozen in cash terms for current claimants and reduced for new ones. Again, eligibility for this support will hinge on qualifying for PIP.
“Right to Try” Scheme
As part of these welfare reforms, the government has announced a proposed “Right to Try” scheme. The idea behind it is to allow Disabled people to try paid work without the fear of immediately losing their benefits, or having to undergo a lengthy reassessment process if the job doesn’t work out.
In theory, this addresses a long-standing issue in the welfare system. Many Disabled people have said they want to try working, but they are deterred by the risk of losing vital financial support if the job isn’t sustainable. This is particularly true for those with fluctuating health conditions or impairments, who may not be able to predict how long they can sustain work. The fear is that if they take a job and it doesn’t work out, they could face weeks or months of financial hardship while they reapply for benefits or wait for reassessments.
The “Right to Try” is, on the surface, a recognition of this problem. It could provide some security for people who want to explore employment but need the reassurance that they won’t be penalised for trying.
However, as it stands, there is very little detail about how this scheme would work in practice.
We still don’t know how long the trial period would be. Will there be a set time where benefits remain protected, or will it vary depending on the person or the job? If the job isn’t suitable, or an employer doesn’t provide reasonable adjustments, how easily will Disabled people be able to return to benefits without additional assessments or delays? Without proper safeguards, there’s a risk that this could be used to push people into employment they are not ready for, or into jobs that do not meet their needs.
We also need to know what support will be offered alongside the scheme. For this to work, Disabled people need access to flexible, accessible employment opportunities and meaningful support in the workplace—not just pressure to leave benefits.
WECIL hear every day from Disabled people who want to work but face barriers that are nothing to do with personal motivation. These include inaccessible workplaces, lack of reasonable adjustments, discrimination, and a shortage of appropriate job opportunities. Without addressing these systemic issues, a “Right to Try” risks being a hollow promise.
If implemented properly, with genuine co-production and strong safeguards, this scheme could be part of a fairer, more flexible system. But at the moment, there is a lack of clarity—and in a system already marred by mistrust, Disabled people need more than vague assurances.
Reassessments and Face-to-Face Interviews
As part of the proposed reforms, the government has announced that some Disabled people with severe, lifelong, or progressive conditions will be exempt from reassessments. This could bring welcome relief for people whose conditions are unlikely to change and who currently face the stress and disruption of repeated assessments, despite having clear and ongoing support needs.
However, for many other Disabled people, the system is set to become more demanding. People with fluctuating conditions, mental health issues, or less “visible” impairments may face more frequent assessments to prove they are still eligible for support. There is a real concern that this will disproportionately affect groups already facing barriers in accessing benefits.
All face-to-face assessments will now be recorded as standard. While some Disabled people have campaigned for this—viewing it as a way to ensure transparency, accuracy, and fairness—others are worried it could lead to increased surveillance and added stress during an already intimidating process. Without clear guidelines on how these recordings will be used, stored, and accessed, there’s understandable anxiety about privacy and consent.
What’s missing from these proposals is any real commitment to improving the quality and accessibility of assessments themselves. Many Disabled people continue to report that assessors often lack understanding of complex or fluctuating conditions, and that the process is inflexible and adversarial. Simply increasing the number of assessments without addressing these underlying issues risks worsening an already broken system.
What We’re Hearing from the Sector
The backlash has been swift and clear.
- Disability Rights UK called the reforms “immoral,” highlighting the deep injustice of cutting PIP when it’s already a lifeline for so many. DRUK warns that linking benefits solely to PIP will leave thousands without essential support.
- Inclusion London condemned the proposals, arguing they further marginalise Deaf and Disabled people, especially those with mental health conditions and learning difficulties. They stressed that these changes ignore the real barriers to employment.
- Scope described the plans as “a catastrophe for Disabled people’s living standards and independence.”
What’s Next?
The government’s consultation on these proposed reforms is now live. Titled ‘Modernising Support for Independent Living: The Health and Disability Green Paper’, it sets out sweeping changes to the benefits system. This includes the tightening of eligibility for Personal Independence Payment (PIP), the abolition of the Work Capability Assessment (WCA), and initiatives like the proposed ‘Right to Try’ scheme.
The consultation opened on 18 March 2025 and will close on 23 July 2025.
You can find the full consultation documents here:
WECIL strongly encourages Disabled people and allies to take part in this consultation. However, we must be clear: it is utterly unacceptable that, as of now, there is no Easy Read version of the consultation available. There is also no British Sign Language (BSL) interpretation of the consultation document. This makes the process inaccessible to many Disabled people, particularly those with learning difficulties, neurodivergence, people who are Deaf and use BSL as their first language, and others who rely on accessible formats such as audio, large print, and braille.
The government has legal duties under the Equality Act 2010 to anticipate and meet the access needs of Disabled people, ensuring they are not disadvantaged when engaging with public consultations. The BSL Act 2022 gives further weight to the expectation that government communications should be made available in BSL. As a signatory to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD), the UK Government has also committed to ensuring full and effective participation of Disabled people in public life.
Failing to provide accessible formats at the start of the consultation process is not just poor practice—it is a breach of these commitments. WECIL believes that without these formats in place, this consultation cannot credibly claim to have been launched in a way that includes all Disabled people. We are calling on the government to immediately publish an Easy Read version, provide BSL interpretation, and offer accessible formats such as audio, large print, and braille. Until these are made available, this consultation excludes large numbers of Disabled people from having their voices heard.
Submit your views by 23 July 2025. You can respond as an individual or as part of an organisation. Responses can be submitted via the consultation page at www.gov.uk/government/consultations/modernising-support-for-independent-living-the-health-and-disability-green-paper
WECIL will be submitting its own response, grounded in the Social Model of Disability and in defence of Disabled people’s rights to independent living, dignity, and equality.
We will also be working with Disability Rights UK, the Bristol DPO Network, and DPO Forum England to develop joint responses that reflect the views and experiences of Disabled people across the country.
This consultation is a vital opportunity for Disabled people to be heard, but it must be accessible to all. WECIL will continue to challenge the government on accessibility and fight to ensure that any reforms support, rather than undermine, Disabled people’s rights and independence.
We will update our news page as soon as an Easy Read version, BSL interpretation, or any other accessible formats of the consultation become available.
