'We don't need more austerity' - Questions and concerns raised over Banbury MP's welfare cuts support
Questions and concerns have been raised to Banbury's MP after he joined his fellow Labour MPs to vote in favour of changes to welfare payments.
Derek Evans, a former Labour Party member, has questioned Sean Woodcock’s support for cuts including Personal Independent Payments (PIPs), which help people with various disabilities to function alone, and other benefits cuts in order to reduce the amount the government spends on welfare.
“We don’t need more austerity,” Mr Evans said.
And Banburyshire Advice Centre said it "shocked and dismayed" at the proposed tightening up of the PIP criteria.
Mr Evans also questioned Mr Woodcock’s acceptance of £15,000 from a major donor to an organisation called Labour Together.
Mr Evans said: “Our Labour MP Sean Woodcock has joined with 35 other Labour MPs to form the Get Britain Working Group.
“The group made public a letter of support to Liz Kendall, Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, to ‘fix’ the benefits system.
“The government plans to make a £6bn benefit cut of which £5bn will come from by tightening the eligibility criteria for Personal Independence Payments - a non-work related benefit designed to assist people with the extra costs associated with their disability.
“The online news platform Canary has discovered that almost all these MPs had either been funded directly by Morgan McSweeney’s ‘Labour Together’ think tank or by someone who had donated to Labour Together,” he said.
“Sean Woodcock was given a £15,000 private donation from Gary Lubner, former CEO of Belron, the parent company of Autoglass, who has also donated to Labour Together. Donations that are declared are perfectly legal. That donation was for election expenses and to support renting of office space."
The Banbury Guardian has asked Mr Woodcock and the South East Labour press office to comment on Mr Evans’ claims and the changes to PIPs but we have not received a response to date.
Reacting to the changes to PIP payments, Andy Willis BCAv - chairman and founder of Banburyshire Advice Centre - said: “I am increasingly concerned that the most vulnerable in society will be affected by changes to PIP and urge the Government to change course.
"As finalists in the National Diversity Awards 2024 we had to speak out about such shocking news which will affect many disabled people.
"As an Advice Centre we know how hard it is to claim Personal Independence Payments (PIP) and making it harder to claim will just make it harder for disabled people who are already struggling with the extra cost of being disabled and the cost of living crisis."
The government said the new measures are designed to ensure a "welfare system that is fit for purpose and available for future generations".
"This will end years of inaction, which has led to one in eight young people not currently in work, education or training and 2.8 million people economically inactive due to long term sickness – one of the highest rates in the G7," it added.
"The number of people receiving one of the main types of health and disability benefit, Personal Independence Payments (PIP), has also risen rapidly and is becoming unsustainable."