Elspeth Edwards, a 21-year-old disability campaigner from Pershore is one of the young people who has shared her extreme worries about the Government’s latest welfare reform bill. As a result of her illnesses, Edwards is on £600 a month welfare payments. She is unable to hold down a job because of debilitating fatigue and experiences fainting spells near half the times per day. Her journey illustrates the human cost of living through dangerous times debates on welfare elimination continue.
In March, the government used the annual budget statement to announce plans for a radical overhaul of the benefits system. Her new reality means that she has often felt suffocated by what Edwards refers to as a “tiny anxious hellscape. As a result, the proposed changes would have threatened her own PIP eligibility. They went beyond this and made cuts to the health related element of universal credit. These potential impacts left an unpredictable environment for Edwards, a town that is deeply dependent on these funds.
Edwards expressed the cost this uncertainty has had on her life. “It has been an absolute emotional rollercoaster because the entire time I’ve not known what I can do with my life,” she remarked. This sentiment is representative of the frustration people encounter while attempting to maneuver through the stigmatizing and complicated processes of welfare—especially for those in poor health.
This last change was welcomed enough that the government was able to pass a revised version of our welfare reform bill. Luckily for Edwards, the amendments won’t affect her PIP eligibility immediately. Aside from Executive Ellen’s well-deserved break during this maelstrom while the review is conducted, Input becomes the likely fulcrum of this chaotic process. The anxiety about her situation is still very real. “I’ve had to put my life on pause in like anxious little bubble because I couldn’t plan for university,” she added, emphasizing how the uncertainty has hindered her future aspirations.
Edwards’s case has received widespread coverage, as seen in BBC News, West Midlands and BBC Political Reporter, Hereford & Worcester. Her story rings true for so many Americans who suddenly find themselves traversing this complex terrain in an ever-changing welfare state.
