March 26th Movement - Wales to be hardest hit by Government Cuts -

Thousands of people across Wales face having their benefits cut from this week as welfare cuts introduced by the UK Government start biting.

With the highest proportion of incapacity benefit claimants in Britain, communities in Wales can expect to be hit hard by the changes.

A recent study concluded that five of the six districts with the highest incapacity claimant rates in Britain were in the South Wales Valleys.

Recent figures show there are still likely to be five people chasing every job, so the Government’s talk of moving scores of people off benefits and into work is pie in the sky.

The Government’s talk of welfare reform is being used as a smokescreen for the real attack on family budgets – their raids on family budgets will take £1.5bn out of the pay packets of working families starting this week.

The Government is doing nothing to match the obligation to work with the opportunity to work.

Employment Minister Chris Grayling defended the Government’s changes to incapacity benefit, which he has estimated will see 500,000 people shifted onto the lesser jobseekers allowance immediately.

600,000 of the 1.6m who will be tested by ATOS are estimated to be able to find work "with the right support" according to the government.

This crackdown is  seen by many as the most vicious welfare cuts undertaken for decades, will see up to 10,000 people "reassessed" every week, with a process that can involve tough new medical tests.

Anybody ruled fit for work who is currently on an invalidity benefit (IB) will be placed on the less generous Job Seekers’ Allowance (JSA). See how the ATOS system works below.

Description: The cartoon shows two figures standing in front of a large flow chart. One of them is a white man in a grey suit carrying a large cheque with ‘HM Government pay private company ATOS ORIGIN £300,000 tax free’ printed upon it. 


The other person is Prime Minister Cameron. He has a thumb raised and is holding a large bag of cash behind his back. The flow chart designates the path of a benefits claiment from being assessed by ATOs and having their benefits stopped then appealing against the decision and having their benefits reinstated. 


The flow chart also indicates that the money that is stopped during the appeal process is given to ATOS and that up to 50% of appeals against the stoppages are upheld, although the restarted benefits are not back dated. The flow chart also indicates that the claiment is reassessed after 6 months and has to start the process all over again!