Protect benefits to ensure disabled people can be and stay active
Our insight continues to show disabled people face a range of challenges when engaging in sports and regular physical activities. As well as physical or logistical barriers, we have found there is a widespread fear that increased activity could impact vital social security payments including Personal Independence Payment (PIP).
In our manifesto released in April 2024, one ask is to protect the benefits. We called upon government to provide clearer understanding and wider safeguarding to reassure disabled people that being regularly active will not threaten their social security and other forms of government financial assistance.
Our social security system for disabled people is designed to provide financial support for people who face barriers to work or daily living. Yet eligibility criteria is often based on assessments of capability. This is how much someone can work, move, or carry out everyday tasks. We are concerned that claimants worry that any improvement in their activity levels could be interpreted by assessors as reduced need, leading to reassessments or payment cuts. That fear alone can keep people from trying activities that might benefit their health, what we called "The Activity Trap".
In 2018, we released The Activity Trap: Disabled people's fear of being active commissioned by the Dwarf Sports Association UK. It continues to be discussed in government and as evidence for partners of the changes needed to increase activity levels. It showed almost half of disabled people fear losing their benefits if they are seen to be physically active.
In the report, it shows that four in five disabled people in the study (83 per cent) would like to be more active and think it's important to be active (84 per cent). Yet almost two thirds of disabled people (65 per cent) said they rely on benefits to be active. In our most recent Annual Disability Activity Survey around two-fifths (38%) of disabled people say that a fear of their benefits or financial assistance being taken away prevents them from trying to be more active.
Disabled people already face significantly higher extra costs. Research from Scope highlights that disabled households need an extra £1,095 each month. This is just to have the same standard of living as non-disabled households. As inflation is expected to rise over the next five years so the extra costs of disability, reaching £1,224 per month by 2029 to 2030 financial year.
Get Yourself Active, which is a Disability Rights UK campaign, has released an in-depth report into the impact of the Government’s proposed benefit cuts on disabled people, our wellbeing and our access to physical activity. This briefing sets out the potential knock-on effects of the Government’s green paper proposals. It is primarily intended for those who work in the sport and physical activity sector or work with disabled people to increase physical activity levels.
Fear of losing income increases stress, anxiety, and social isolation. For someone already facing health challenges, the fear of financial instability is enough to prevent them being active or putting it lower on the list of priorities. Lack of accessible transport, equipment costs, or specialist coaching add to the fear.
In the long term, society is impacted too, as inactive people can develop more serious or other health issues, increasing pressure on the NHS and social services.
Our social value report indeed shows the wellbeing benefit for disabled people meeting the Chief Medical Officer’s (CMO) weekly ‘active’ guideline (150+ minutes) is high; +0.406 in life satisfaction, a social value of £6,200 per person per year.
Sarah Brown-Fraser, our Head of Communications and Policy, said:
"The government can send a powerful message to society that disabled people deserve the same opportunities for sports and activities as everyone else, without fear of financial penalty. Encouraging regular activity not only boosts our wellbeing but also reduces long-term public spending, including on health and social care.
"When there is reassurance around social security, disabled people are much more likely to pursue sports and activities with confidence. We all want a society where participation is driven by motivation and potential, not by fear of losing the very support designed to protect us.
"Clear policies, accessible information, staff training, and partnerships with disability organisations can help to reduce the barriers to participation. This not only supports disabled people’s greater dignity and rights to be active, but also builds a more active, inclusive society for everyone."
New polling, undertaken by More in Common in collaboration with Disability Rights UK and Get Yourself Active, finds that only 27% of the public support the Government’s proposed benefit reforms. The polling results display the stark public health implications of the cuts, with 45% of benefits recipients expecting themselves to be less healthy if their benefits were reduced or removed.
Mikey Erhardt, Policy Lead at Disability Rights UK, said:
"This important research highlights what we all know – these dangerous cuts are putting the health of the nation at risk. We know that throughout society, working-class people are far less likely to have the time, money or opportunity to take part in physical activity they enjoy. This means that many of us are unable to achieve the positive impact on physical, social, and mental health that even a few minutes of physical activity a week can bring."
The negativity we read or see in the media, or others’ personal experiences can fuel misinformation and widen the mistrust. Working with others, including Disability Rights UK and disability sport organisations, we ask government to ensure:
- Clear policy statements guaranteeing that participation in sports and activities is exempt from benefit eligibility reviews and backed by updated claimant guidance.
- Regular training for assessors and associated advisors on the separation between health-enhancing and impairment-managing activities, and the functional capability assessments.
- Collaboration with expert and disability organisations to co-produce solutions, including accessible resources, highlighting the benefits of being active.
- Fast-track appeal processes for claimants who face a review due to activity-related misunderstandings, ensuring faster resolutions without financial difficulty.
