Disabled Hit Hardest By Spending Cuts

Families with disabled people have been most affected by government’s spending cuts and tax and benefits changes since 2010, an analysis carried out for the Equality and Human Rights Commission has found. According to the analysis low-income families also felt the impact of the government’s deficit reduction strategy. The Cumulative Impact Assessment report said this was not surprising as there had been significant reductions to working-age welfare, including the introduction of a £26,000 annual cap and the bedroom tax.  The analysis, which forms part of the EHRC’s attempt to improve the evaluation of government spending decisions, also found women lost more from the government’s direct tax and welfare changes in 2010-15 Spending Review period than men. Download the report from the EHRC website.