Guest blog – The urgent need for an adequate income, at a time of rising costs

I am single parent, I own my property and I live with the misery of chronic pain everyday. I never anticipated living on a fixed income that doesn’t even cover the bare essentials, whilst the cost of living continues to spiral beyond my reach.

As a recipient of social security and disability benefits, I am one of many who fall into the growing gap between basic income and basic needs. The UK’s welfare system, once designed to provide a safety net, has failed people like myself. We are trapped in a viscous cycle of poverty, constantly choosing between heating our homes, putting food on the table and - for me as a homeowner - carrying out essential repairs.

The root cause of the issue is simple: the social security system in the UK is completely inadequate. In recent years we have come through an era of high inflation and the cost of living crisis, where cost of basic necessities such as food, utilities and housing still continue to rise rapidly. But the benefit system – which is meant to support those of us who are disabled or unable to work full-time - is no longer sufficient in keeping the most vulnerable out of poverty.

Once a Safety Net, Now a Broken System

The social security system in the UK, designed to provide dignity to those who needed it the most, is now burying us deeper in poverty. For example, current rates of social security and disability benefits together are significantly less than what is required to survive. The total amount received each month doesn’t even cover the basic cost of food and utility bills. This is without taking the extra cost associated with having a disability or any other unexpected costs that may occur.

Worse still, these payments have never taken properly taken into account inflation skyrocketing, the cost of living crisis, and vast increases in utility bills and rents that have occurred in the past few years. Social security benefits have remained, on the whole, static. How can anyone thrive under these circumstances?

Understanding the True Cost of Living With a Disability

For disabled people, living costs are higher than for those of who are non-disabled. There can be costs for specialist equipment, accessible transport; social care, special dietary requirements, and the costs of charging equipment such as wheelchairs and hoists. Suffering from chronic pain myself, I require my home to be warm at all times to help with the pain.  Many of us will rely on these disability benefits for the rest of our lives because we are simply unable to work, whilst some who may able to work are barred from getting a job because employers are unwilling to provide the needed support.

It is crucial that we acknowledge that an adequate income is a human right, and without it the most vulnerable in society are denied the basic dignities of life. It is unacceptable that so many people in our society - including some in government – continue to show prejudice and discrimination against disabled people who exercise their rights to an income from our shared social security system. They fail to act with empathy and compassion, and refuse to recognise the impacts of individual disabilities, and worst still, the additional costs associated with the conditions we suffer.

A Call for Change

Now is the time to rethink ways to support the most vulnerable members of our society and turn talk of eradicating poverty into concrete action. Government should introduce a system that recognises the additional expenses that come with living with a disability and adjust benefits accordingly. Urgent policy change is required around social care charges and housing costs, which continue to rise disproportionately to income. Government can provide affordable social housing to alleviate pressures on those of us living on social security.

An adequate income is not a luxury, it is the foundation for a dignified life. Until societal attitudes and government reform happen, people like myself will continue to struggle, living just one step away from a crisis. The time for change is now.