How the UK Government’s Autumn Statement will affect people with MS

Today, the Chancellor Jeremy Hunt delivered the Autumn Statement setting out the UK Government’s spending plans for the next year.

These plans are really important for thousands of people living with MS, with announcements affecting benefits, social care and health and care services. We've been calling for more support for people with MS throughout the cost of living crisis and beyond in our #BreakingPoint campaign.

What does the budget say?

Supporting benefits recipients with the increased costs of living

We're pleased the Government has listened to our calls to increase benefits in line with inflation and give new cost of living payments next year. This means benefits will rise by 10.1% from April 2023. The benefit cap will also rise in line with inflation by the same amount. So people near the top of the cap will also see their benefits rise.

DWP benefits are fully devolved in Northern Ireland, so the Northern Ireland Executive will decide uprating there.

Extra funding to support people through the cost of living crisis will be administered to the devolved governments.

Cost of Living Payments to households on means-tested benefits

More than 8 million UK households on means-tested benefits will get an additional Cost of Living Payment of £900 in 2023-24.

This includes the following benefits:

Universal Credit
Income-based Jobseekers Allowance
Income-related Employment and Support Allowance

These will be made in more than one installment. The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) hasn't yet given further details on timing of the payments and eligibility dates.

This payment will be tax-free, won't count towards the benefit cap, and won't have any impact on existing benefit awards. These payments will be made on a UK-wide basis.

Our Breaking Point campaign has been calling on the Government to recognise that people with MS are being hit especially hard by the cost of living crisis. This is because people with MS have extra costs associated with their condition.

We’re pleased the Government has listened. But they need to bring forward this support so it's available over the winter for people who are already being forced to make devastating choices between essentials like food, heating and medication.

Disability Cost of Living Payments for people on disability benefits

Over 6 million people across the UK on non-means-tested disability benefits will get a further £150 Disability Cost of Living Payment in 2023-24, to help with the extra costs they face. This is in addition to the cost of living payments for households on means-tested benefits and pensioner households, if eligible.

This includes people eligible for:

Disability Living Allowance
Personal Independence Payment
Attendance Allowance
Scottish Disability Benefits

The DWP hasn't given more details on timing of the payments and eligibility dates yet.

This payment will be tax-free and won't have any impact on existing benefit awards. These payments will be made on a UK-wide basis.

Social care

The planned changes to the social care system in England are now paused for two years. The money originally planned for those changes will now stay with local authorities to use for social care services. Extra funding for social care was also announced. And local authorities will also have more flexibility to increase council tax to further fund social care.

While extra funding for social care is always good news, the additional funding announced is far less than the £7 billion the sector needs. We also hope the Government introduces better plans for working age disabled adults in the social care system, while pausing wider reforms.

Health and Care Services

The Government will publish an independent workforce plan for the NHS, with regular reviews of numbers and targets. This plan will try to improve training to get doctors, nurses and allied health professionals in the workforce. We welcome this commitment. And, as our Neurology Now campaign has shown, the neurology workforce badly needs more capacity and support.

The Government announced some additional funding for the NHS today which is welcome. However, much more money and support will be needed to help neurology services which are stretched, underfunded and overlooked.

As part of our Neurology Now campaign, we've been calling on the Government to back the 1 in 6 people in the UK living with a neurological condition. You can help by signing the Neurological Alliance’s petition to establish a task force which urgently addresses problems with workforce and services, so people get the vital support they need.

What does this mean for people with MS?

Anastasia Berry, our Policy Manager, says “For months, we’ve been calling on the Government to increase benefits in line with inflation and introduce a new cost of living package. And we’re relieved to see they've finally listened.

“Disabled people face higher costs than the general population, as they may need to charge vital medical equipment or keep the heating on to maintain circulation, for example. But with inflation at 11%, many disabled people are facing a long bleak winter and help cannot wait. Right now, some people can't afford food, heating and medication. The Government must bring this support package forward to help people who are already at breaking point.

“Today’s announcement will give much-needed reassurance. But it cannot distract us from the fact benefits were inadequate long before the cost of living crisis began. The bottom line is that disabled people have been hanging on by a thread for years, punished by over a decade of government cuts. In the longer term, benefits must be increased significantly to make sure all disabled people can cover the extra costs of their condition, and live full independent lives rather than surviving at breaking point."

What do we want to see now?

We're still calling on the Government to:

Urgently introduce an additional cost of living support package for disabled people before the end of the year
Increase benefit rates to fully cover the extra costs of living with MS
Pause debt repayments for people on benefits

We're handing in our Breaking Point petition to Downing Street next week to make sure the Prime Minister and Chancellor know what they need to do next.