“When did you first realise the system wasn’t built for you?” That’s a question we often ask at Difference North East. The answers we hear reveal exactly why these PIP cuts will be catastrophic for our community in the North East.
What’s Happening with Welfare Reforms?
The government’s proposed changes to Personal Independence Payments (PIP) could strip £268 per year from every working-age adult in our region. For some constituencies, like Easington, that rockets to £409, the worst hit in the entire UK.
We’ve written to every North East MP demanding they reject these reforms. Only seven have committed to voting against them so far.
- Grahame Morris (Easington)
- Kate Osborne (Jarrow & Gateshead East)
- Emma Lewell-Buck (South Shields)
- Ian Lavery (Blyth & Ashington)
- Andy McDonald (Middlesbrough)
- Mary Glindon (Newcastle)
- Mary Foy (Durham)
Our Direct Appeal to MPs
This week, Difference North East sent an urgent letter to every North East MP detailing exactly how these cuts will devastate our communities. The letter highlights:
- Constituency-specific data: Easington faces the UK’s highest losses (£409/person), with Hartlepool and Sunderland in the top 10
- The hidden council crisis: Many use PIP to fund care packages – cuts will bankrupt local authorities
- Carers’ impossible choice: 500,000 UK carers rely on PIP recipients’ income; the North East already has the highest rate of unpaid carers
- A sham consultation: With no accessible events in our region, disabled voices were silenced
As we wrote to MPs: “Making people sicker and poorer will not help them retain, or return to, employment.”
Why does this matter?
Because as one of our members put it: “Filling in PIP paperwork is a job in itself. But it’s unpaid, exhausting, and isolating. These cuts will make that struggle impossible.”
Read more experiences in our ‘Not a Paid Employee’ blog.(where many of these quote come from)
The Human Cost
These aren’t just numbers. They’re real lives:
“I lost my job due to disability. After that, everyone wanted my lived experience… for free. But paid work? Suddenly, accommodations were ‘too difficult’.”
“People asked if I was really ‘disabled enough’ for support, even after having two seizures in one week.”
For many, PIP is what makes employment possible. As Difference member Fran shared:
“I work in a job that I love… but this would not be possible without my Access to Work, PIP, and social care package. These cuts have really scared me… I’m worried about ending up in an institution.”
@differencenortheast difference north east member activist Fran, speak about her job, her fears for herself and her Disabled siblings. and reads Laura Hershey’s poem “you get proud by practicing” at yesterday’s Crips Against Cuts ✂️ rally! #CripsAgainstCuts #DWP #InclusiveEmployment #PIP #Disability #DisabilityTikTok #DisabilityPride ♬ original sound – Difference North East
PIP covers critical work costs like but not restricted to:
- Transport to workplaces inaccessible by public transport
- Specialist equipment employers won’t provide
- Support worker gaps that Access to Work does
The proposed cuts will amplify this discrimination. When PIP is already hard to access (“You apply. They turn you down. You fight through tribunals for years”), reducing it will push thousands over the edge.
The Ripple Effect
This isn’t just about individuals. The cuts will:
- Drive up council’s cost: Many use PIP to fund care packages
- Hurt carers: 500,000 UK carers rely on PIP recipients’ income
- Decrease employment rates, as disabled people who rely on PIP to access work leave the workforce.
- Worsen poverty: “No money, no support. Your mental health suffers. It’s like they want you to give up”
How to Fight Back
- Contact Your MP – Use TheyWorkForYou to demand they vote NO.
- Share Your Story (or use our letter)
- ➡️ Tweet: “The North East will lose MILLIONS to PIP cuts. @[YourMP], will you vote against them?”(click to tweet, you’ll need to replace @[YourMP] with your MP’s handle
- ➡️ Facebook: Share our Hartlepool event and Stockton-on-tees event, attend other upcoming events
- Join Difference North east