“Government attacks on welfare are increasingly vicious and their impact is increasingly widespread,” UNISON’s Jackie Lewis told TUC delegates in Brighton this morning.
Speaking in the debate on defending the welfare state, Ms Lewis pointed out that, as MPs were preparing to vote on the government’s universal credit plans, “even arch sell-out Frank Field finally turned against” them.
Ms Lewis highlighted two particular areas of concern.
On children, she noted that while the coalition claimed to be “a government that wanted to strengthen the family”, its “caps on housing and overall benefits will affect larger families and those with children with a high level of special needs”.
At the same time, changes to housing benefit – where single people under 35 will only be able to claim for a bed-sit or one room in shared accommodation, while those under 25 will see the benefit cut entirely – will “disproportionately affect LGBT people on low incomes – as it completely ignores the fact that not all young people are equally able to remain in their parental home.
“Many will be forced into homelessness,” she warned.
In contrast, she said, there was an alternative, better vision.
“We need to remind the government that a proper welfare state is not just a safety net.
“It can also provide the stability needed to act as a stepping stone into the world of work, with greater opportunities and greater equality.”