A study published yesterday by independent academic researchers from Sheffield Hallam University will make for grim reading for many of the 9880 claimants of incapacity benefit in Dundee.
In the light of benefit reforms introduced by the Conservative/Liberal Democrat coalition government in Westminster, the researchers have estimated the effect of these changes place by place.
They estimate that 2400 folk, nearly a quarter of the total, will be removed from social security benefits entirely and will need to rely more on family, friends and charity. 1400 will be transferred to claiming time limited Job Seekers Allowance as they search for work. They add that,
"Although some incapacity claimants will re-engage with the labour market, there is little reason to suppose that the big fall in claimant numbers will lead to significant increases in employment. Incapacity claimants often face multiple obstacles to working again and their concentration in the weakest local economies and most disadvantaged communities means they usually have little chance of finding work."
Not only will this have a negative effect on the individual claimants and their families directly involved but it will also reduce the money that is available in the Dundee economy to buy goods and services.
This is bad news for claimants of Incapacity Benefit and bad news for our city.
Estimated impact of incapacity benefit
reforms by district, county and region, 2011-2014
Place
|
Incapacity claimants
February 2011 |
Estimated impact of benefit reforms
2011-2014 |
||||
number
|
as % of working age
|
Reduction in incapacity claimants
|
Removed from benefits entirely
|
Increase in JSA claims
|
Additional compulsory labour market engagement
|
|
Scotland
|
277,410
|
8.1%
|
115,000
|
65,000
|
36,000
|
100,000
|
Dundee
|
9,880
|
10.4%
|
4,300
|
2,400
|
1,400
|
3,500
|
Source Christina Beatty and Steve Fothergill, November 2011, "Incapacity Benefit Reform: The local, regional and national impact", Centre for Regional Economic and Social Research Sheffield Hallam University
