05 Jul 2025
St Albans people living with disabilities say they are stressed and upset by Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s latest cash-saving measure, after he announced changes to the Personal Independence Payment (PIP) system which mean many claimants could lose financial support.
PIP is a benefit which enables people – working or not – with a range of debilitating conditions to live their lives more fully and is devised of two components – care and mobility. In order to qualify, a person has to prove that their condition affects their daily activities in terms of caring for themselves and/or mobility.
It is already an arduous application system which declines around half of applications with many claimants having to appeal the decision before they are then granted any payment.
The PM argues the Government’s new Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payment Bill is a positive step to help encourage disabled people back into employment yet many claimants insist it is PIP which enables them to go to work, by paying for taxis where they cannot use public transport, for example.
After a massive backlash, he made a U-turn, proposing that the changes would not affect current PIP recipients – only new claimants from next year.
But this would effectively create a two-tier system for people who need financial support due to living with disabilities.
This week saw 11th hour changes to the bill which means no changes will be introduced before a review into the recommendations, although many of the PM’s own party remain opposed to the revised proposals.
People are now left very confused as to what will happen with PIP as the PM has now said he will review the situation in autumn 2026. This will no doubt increase the anxiety of people who rely on PIP or who feel they may need it in the future.
We spoke to several local PIP recipients to find out what they thought about the changes.
St Albans resident Allen, who didn’t want to give his last name, lives with a severe neurological condition and mental illness.
“My PIP assessment was brought forward by nearly a year due to the proposed changes – I was in a flare struggling with pain and mental health already. The forms are onerous and designed to make any claim difficult to complete.
Consequentially I struggled to return the form which meant my benefit was cancelled despite me calling them.”
He said that he thinks people do not understand how stressful and distressing the recent PIP announcements have been and that the “constant uncertainty” has caused him anxiety and added to his feelings of powerlessness:
“There is no respect for the impact this has had on people’s mental health – It’s exhausting and dehumanising”
Allen added that he wished the Government recognised how damaging these prolonged wait times and last-minute changes are for people who are already vulnerable and under enough stress just trying to manage their daily lives.
Nikki Bowles works in St Albans and receives PIP for a back injury due to a recent spinal fusion and ankle injury which she sustained at work.
She said: “I get PIP – I’m registered disabled and have a Blue Badge and now they’re making it even harder for people. It’s just an absolute disgrace.
“I am a genuine hard-working person who has paid into the system since I was 16. All they seem to do is take from the genuine people.
“I understand there are people that abuse it and these people are the ones that need to be helped back into work. I am a genuine claimant with a genuine lifetime disability, and I should not have to jump through hoops to get what I’m entitled to.”
Though she is pleased the PM appears to have changed his mind, she is worried for the disabled community generally and thinks it sends a message of mistrust and shows a lack of compassion towards them.
St Albans resident Chantelle Nassari is a PIP recipient and accessibility coordinator.
As well as chairing St Albans Access Forum for St Albans council she has helped oversee accessibility at events, for planners and even on the film Wicked.
She said: “It is an incredibly terrifying and volatile time for disabled people.
“I think most disabled people are feeling the anxiety because there is no consistency. There is no stability or safety net.
“People could have been dependent on a certain income for years and there was nothing put in place under the new proposed changes to advise or support a person to adjust.
“The criteria of having to evidence your entitlement changes without warning so even if you have valid cause to qualify it’s really hard to target the point scoring system, using their current keywords.”
Chantelle, who is also an ambassador for Shopmobility,
added: “Mustering the energy for all of this is a challenge when so much energy is taken up by your disability.
“The impact of these changes exacerbates ignorance and discrimination and supports the medical model of disability.”
She said that when people have to constantly prove their need for financial support, it chips away at their sense of self and value.
She agreed with Nikki that it also impacts the view society places on the validity and contribution of disabled people.
Meanwhile, Harpenden MP Victoria Collins Victoria Collins, yesterday challenged the Prime Minister in Parliament over the damaging impact of the Government’s chaotic handling of the Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payment (PIP) Bill, highlighting real cases of vulnerable constituents left in uncertainty by the rushed legislative process.
Victoria emphasised that the Government’s handling of the issue has fundamentally damaged trust at a time when it is most needed: “The most vulnerable in society shouldn’t live in fear of their Prime Minister. Does he see how this has eroded trust when we need it most?”
Following her question, Victoria said: “This Government’s chaotic approach to welfare reform has been very worrying.
“When you’re making decisions about support that keeps disabled people in work and independent, you need to get it right the first time.
“The fact that they had to perform a last-minute U-turn shows they didn’t do their homework, and vulnerable people have paid the price for their incompetence.”
Finally, assistant service manager at St Albans Mencap Peter Macphee added his thoughts: “The proposed changes to PIP have caused real anxiety among people with learning disabilities and their families. PIP is a vital source of support, and the uncertainty around its future has left many fearing they won’t be able to afford essential services and care.
“Although recent Government statements suggest some softening of the original proposals, people are still fearful. Many are unsure what the concessions actually mean in practice, and whether they will be protected. Until there is clear reassurance that support won’t be reduced or restricted, that sense of insecurity remains.
“We’re especially concerned about future claimants. Any changes that make it harder to access support, risks excluding those with genuine need.
“Reforms must be fair, inclusive, and developed with input from the people affected.”
