The Liberal Democrat’s manifesto, published today, includes a wide range of changes to welfare benefits.
The Lib Dems say they will invest £6 billion a year to “make the benefits system work for people
who need it”.
The party says they aim to improve the benefits system by:
- Reversing the cuts to Employment Support Allowance for those in the work-related activity group.
- Ending Work Capability Assessments and replace them with a new system that is run by local authorities and based on real-world tests.
- Introducing an incentive-based scheme to replace the current sanctions system, which does not encourage people into work, penalises people with mental health issues and deters people from claiming support.
- Reducing the wait for the first payment from five weeks to five days.
- Tackling child poverty by removing the two-child limit and the benefits cap.
- Making work pay by increasing work allowances and introducing a second earner work allowance.
- Establishing a legal right to food to enshrine in law the government’s responsibility to ensure that existing and new public policy is audited for its impact on food security.
- Reforming Universal Credit to be more supportive of the self-employed.
- Increasing Local Housing Allowance in line with average rents in an area.
- Abolishing the bedroom tax and introduce positive incentives for people to downsize.
- Reinstating the Independent Living Fund.
You can read the Lib Dem manifesto here.
