Supporters of Crips Against Cuts Brighton (CACB), a disabled-led pressure group, were demonstrating at the Clock Tower, Brighton on Saturday.
The demonstration aimed to raise awareness of the “devastating impact” that the recently announced cuts will have on local residents.
The £5 billion of savings, through the welfare reforms, will largely come from changes to eligibility for the personal independence payment (Pip), but also from a reduction of the health element of universal credit, it is understood.
Hundreds of thousands of people are expected to be affected by the changes to Pip eligibility.
Figgy, a representative of CACB who was at the demonstration, spoke to The Argus about the concerns disabled people have, and shared concerns that some will “die” as a result of the reforms.
They said: “The turnout has been incredible. Considering we only organised this within five days, it’s been a miracle that everybody’s here.
“The way that they’re [The government] treating disabled people around the country from a so-called Labour government that so-called cares about very small minority groups is appalling.
“We are a minority group because we’re intersectional. We are from all different levels of ability, all different people of all faiths and all races.
“And the thing is, is that we are crying out for some help because people see us as getting free money. We are not getting free money. We cannot work.”
The Government said people who only score the lowest points on each of the assessed daily living activities “will lose their entitlement in future”.
Charities from around the nation have argued the proposed changes are “immoral and devastating” for those they represent and could “push more disabled people into poverty”.
Figgy added: “The major concern is that the spring budget will destroy PIP, which is personal independent payments. A lot of people here, including me, rely on those payments.
“Disabled people will be even more poor, and some of them might even die, and people don’t care. That is the reality of it, and it’s very scary.
“We cannot go to hospital without getting a really expensive Uber or a taxi.
“There are basic things that we cannot do without spending at least 60, 70 quid a day. Because for disabled people, it’s 10 times more expensive to be disabled than to be a normal so-called able-bodied person walking around.”
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The change to a single assessment under Pip could leave some 600,000 people who currently qualify for the health element of universal credit at risk of moving onto the standard rate and being worse off by at least £2,400 a year from 2028, the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) said.
” I’ve met a lot of people today who are dismissive of disabled people,” Figgy shared.
“I don’t see much compassion these days because everybody’s struggling to work, everybody’s struggling to make ends meet, and there are just everyday people on the street just not understanding.
“We have no choice but to stand up and say, this is who we are. Disabled people are suffering every day in hospitals, whether they’ve got ageing problems, whether they’re refugees, migrants. Everybody deserves to live and work in this country.”
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