child disability benefits, USA News: The Department for Work and Pensions has been urged to get a handle on the child disability benefits bill after forecasts showed it would cost taxpayers more than £10bn a year by the next election. The DWP bill for child health and disability benefits – Disability Living Allowance and Universal Credit – is expected to jump almost 50 per cent.
It will rise from £7.1bn in 2026 to £10.5bn by 2030, according to the Office for Budget Responsibility. There are 915,000 children in England and Wales receiving DLA, and 622,000 low-income families are claiming Universal Credit’s disabled child element, totaling 1.5 million claimants.
Political Reactions and Proposed Reforms
Helen Whatley, the Conservatives’ shadow work and pensions secretary, vowed to reform child DLA, branding it a ticking time bomb for more benefit spending down the line. The Conservative Party MP stated that DLA makes children believe they need Personal Independence Payment as adults, noting that the system has become a conveyor belt to a lifetime on benefits.
Whatley added that cash payments for children with less serious learning and behavioural needs cannot be sustained, proposing instead to invest £1bn in extra support. A Labour Party government spokesman responded that the rising proportion of young people receiving the allowance is not a new trend, noting ongoing reforms to special educational needs provision and record investments in NHS mental health services alongside upcoming reviews.
Prime Minister on Welfare Spending
Speaking during a visit to Derby, Prime Minister Andy Burnham stated that the big next priority to cut the DWP welfare bill is the publication of the Milburn report. He emphasized the goal of supporting people off benefits and into sustainable employment without resorting to crude cuts that could leave individuals in crisis.
