{"id":13973,"date":"2022-09-23T17:18:50","date_gmt":"2022-09-23T16:18:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sense.org.uk\/?p=13973"},"modified":"2023-04-20T09:50:28","modified_gmt":"2023-04-20T08:50:28","slug":"cost-of-living-price-cap-mini-budget-disabled-people","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sense.org.uk\/blog\/cost-of-living-price-cap-mini-budget-disabled-people\/","title":{"rendered":"None of the cost of living support announced by the government goes far enough for disabled people"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The cost of living crisis has been dominating headlines for months now. At Sense, we launched our campaign demanding that the government do more to tackle the crisis<\/a> back in June. All this time, we\u2019ve been waiting to hear the government\u2019s plan for dealing with rising prices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now we have it. First came the announcement about the energy price cap at the start of September. Then came today\u2019s mini-budget from the new chancellor, Kwasi Kwarteng. Unfortunately, none of the measures announced go far enough to support disabled people who are in crisis. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Why disabled people are more affected by the cost of living crisis<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Price rises have affected everyone. But disabled people, and particularly those with complex disabilities, have been disproportionately affected. Research carried out by Sense in June found that half of disabled households are in debt<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Three in five family carers for disabled children or adults have faced difficult decisions such as choosing between heating and eating.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even before the crisis, disabled people faced extra costs for things like specialist equipment or products, and the cost of running that equipment. Rising prices have only made these financial pressures worse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Will the new \u201cenergy price cap\u201d help disabled people and their families?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Energy is a major cost for many disabled people. As Keith, whose son Geordie has complex disabilities, says:<\/a> \u201cOne of our biggest expenses is electricity. Geordie is partially sighted. Natural lighting causes glare, so we often have to have lights on more. We\u2019re constantly using electricity.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you heard the prime minister\u2019s announcement about the price cap earlier this month, you might have heard her say that the \u2018typical\u2019 bill won\u2019t go above \u00a32,500 a year. If disabled people have higher energy bills, you might have thought, then surely they will stand to benefit the most?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unfortunately, no.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Something that disabled people on benefits urgently need is for their benefits to increase in line with the rate of inflation. The mini-budget did nothing to address that.”<\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s because the price cap doesn\u2019t actually set a limit on your bills. Instead, it caps how much you pay for each \u2018unit\u2019 of electricity you use.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The \u00a32,500 figure is just an estimate based on average energy usage. The cap doesn\u2019t change the fact that, the more you use, the more you pay. And there\u2019s no limit on how high your bill will be. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sadly, the price cap won\u2019t do much to help disabled people. Too many disabled people will face unaffordable bills \u2013 and the cap does little to change that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What support has the government announced in their mini-budget?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

What about today\u2019s mini-budget, then? Has that given disabled people the support they need to deal with rising prices?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Again, the answer is no. The government announced no new support for disabled people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even the tax cuts announced today won\u2019t benefit disabled people who aren\u2019t in work. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Something that disabled people on benefits urgently need is for their benefits to increase in line with the rate of inflation. The mini-budget did nothing to address that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What do disabled people need?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

If the energy price cap and the mini-budget won\u2019t help disabled people, then what will?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Earlier this year, Sense launched a petition calling for:<\/p>\n\n\n\n