Austerity cuts likely caused surge in disability benefit claims, research finds

Making a rough estimate of the effect of all non-disability cuts to benefits and tax changes between 2010 and 2019, the IFS found it increased disability benefit spending by £900 million

Austerity cuts to non-health related benefits led to a rise in people claiming disability benefits, experts have warned.

The Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) says that cuts to housing support for private renters in 2011, for example, directly reduced incomes of families hit by £667-per-year and increased people receiving disability benefits.

It listed cuts to housing benefit in 2011; the increase in the state pension age for women; the lowering of the overall benefit cap in 2016; and requiring single parents to prove they are looking for a job to get out-of-work benefits; among the changes which pu