Standing Together Against Social Security Cuts: A Call to Protect the Most Vulnerable

We’ve joined forces with The Poverty Alliance and a coalition of charities across Scotland to send a clear message to MPs: it’s not too late to change course on damaging new social security proposals.

In a joint letter to Scottish Secretary Ian Murray, it estimates that 400,000 people will be pushed into poverty if the changes to Personal Independence Payments and Universal Credit go ahead. They warned that this would mean destitution and misery for many sick and disabled people, as well as others in their households, including children and unpaid carers.

In the communities we support, 1 in 2 children are already growing up in poverty. That is not just a statistic, it's a moral crisis. And it's one we cannot afford to deepen.

In a survey last year, 71% of Glasgow Disability Alliance members said they didn’t have enough money to manage the cost of their needs, 68% couldn’t afford utilities, and 58% couldn’t manage the costs of food and essential groceries.

Social security is more than a benefit. It is a fundamental human right and a vital public service. Our social security system should serve as a safety net for unforeseen life challenges and as a foundation for families to create lives free from poverty. There is an opportunity for the current UK Government to adopt a different strategy.

The joint letter calls on Scottish MPs to vote against the proposed cuts and take a stand for the people they represent. As the letter states:

“We urge Ministers to drop these proposals. We urge Scottish MPs to vote against these cuts, sending a strong, positive message to disabled people and carers in Scotland that this Government will build a country free from poverty, not one that forces people into deeper poverty and destitution.”

You can read the full joint letter here: Joint Letter from Scottish Civil Society - Strong Opposition to Proposals in Pathways to Work Green Paper.