The rising Disability Price Tag continues to place immense financial pressure on Disabled people across the UK, with recent figures from Scope showing that the additional costs faced by Disabled households have now reached an average of £1,010 per month. This is an increase from last year’s figure of £975, demonstrating the worsening financial situation for many Disabled people in the context of the cost-of-living crisis.
These extra costs cover a range of essentials that are not typically required by non-Disabled households, such as specialist equipment, increased energy usage for life-saving devices, and higher transportation costs. For many, these costs are simply unavoidable, and cutting back on them can have severe health consequences. As Scope’s Executive Director of Strategy, James Taylor, noted, “Disabled people have cut back on everything they can and are going without heating, turning off vital equipment, and forgoing medical treatment”.
Dan White from Disability Rights UK emphasized how predictable these rising costs were: “It is not a surprise to anyone with a disability [sic] or anyone working at a Disabled Peoples Organisation that the cost of living with a disability [sic] have risen again” White calls for urgent government action, arguing that without immediate measures, disability poverty will only deepen. The gap between Disabled and non-Disabled households continues to widen, with many Disabled families being pushed further into financial hardship.
The current welfare system has failed to keep pace with these rising costs. Personal Independence Payment (PIP), which is supposed to help cover these extra expenses, has only increased by 3.1%, while inflation is forecasted to average around 9.5% . This mismatch means that even vital benefits are falling further behind, leaving Disabled people to bear the brunt of the ongoing crisis.
Scope’s report further highlights that these extra costs amount to 63% of the average household income after housing expenses, and for families with two Disabled adults, the figure can rise to £1,248 per month. This growing financial burden not only impacts day-to-day living but also restricts opportunities for savings, pushing more Disabled people into long-term poverty.
Urgent reform and targeted financial support are needed to address the increasing financial inequality Disabled people face. Campaigners continue to call for a more robust response from the government, such as increasing benefits in line with inflation and implementing policies that directly tackle the root causes of disability-related poverty.
