New analysis has revealed that 20 percent more people are on means-tested benefits without work requirements than they were several years ago.
After figures show that around 3.9million people are in this position, there are growing concerns that more people are claiming because of health conditions.
Analysis conducted by Policy in Practice shows that close to four million people were not working but claiming means-tested benefits without work requirements.
The fresh analysis shows an upward trend in the number of people claiming since the COVID-19 pandemic which saw figures rise dramatically. It comes as concern grows about the massive numbers of people out of work which could harm the UK economy.
Speaking to the Times, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said: “We should be encouraging everyone who can to work.”
Mr Sunak added that he wanted to make sure the Government could “sustainably cut taxes”.
Chief executive of Policy in Practice Deven Ghelani claimed that some welfare reforms in recent years had been counterproductive. They explained: “I definitely feel like some of these welfare reforms over the past decade have been counterproductive in that even though they’re trying to save money by reducing the level of some benefits or conditions attached to them, the way to avoid that is by being sick.”
Mr Ghelani also said that the “harshness” of the “back to work regime” had created an incentive for people to move away from the system by being ill. Mr Ghelani’s comments come as the Office for Budget Responsibility revealed that 9.3million people were inactive in the UK economy and of these 2.8million people were sick.
Speaking to the Express about the impact of the Conservative Party’s latest measures to tackle the benefits bill, Mr Sunak said: “I want a system that is fair, where hard work is rewarded by putting more of people’s own money back in their pockets.
“That’s why we’re looking to control welfare spending as one way to make sustainable tax cuts and turbocharge growth. It’s common sense that where people can work, they should. It’s the right thing for them as well as the taxpayer.”
In a statement, a spokesperson for the Department of Work and Pensions said: “Our welfare reforms will cut the number of people due to be placed in the highest tier of incapacity benefits by over 370,000 — people who will now receive personalised support back to work.”
