Charities Push Back on Proposed Benefit Sanctions for Disabled Young People

More than 40 UK charities sent a coordinated letter to former minister Alan Milburn and Work and Pensions Secretary Pat McFadden warning that any move to tighten eligibility for the health element of Universal Credit or to introduce stricter sanctions could push disabled young people deeper into poverty and away from employment. The letter arrives as the government reviews “young people and work” and considers reforms aimed at boosting the nation’s youth-job rate.

The Guardian

Nearly 1 million 16- to 24-year-olds are classified as NEET (not in employment, education or training). Milburn, who authored an interim review published in May, has repeatedly warned that the current system “traps” young people on benefits and that the youth-jobs bill is “economically unsustainable”. A 2025 green-paper proposal to remove the Universal Credit health element for under-22s was never implemented, but charities fear it could be revived as part of the current review.

The Guardian

• NEET population: ~1 million 16-24-year-olds.

Mirror - UK

• Universal Credit health element recipients: 184,000 young people, representing 6 % of all claimants.

Mirror - UK

• Potential savings from removal: around £300 million per year (as estimated from a previous Labour proposal).

The Guardian

• Spending ratios: Milburn’s interim report calculated £25 of benefit spending for every £1 spent on youth-job support in the previous year.

The Guardian

• High-benefit earners: Some disabled youths receive total benefit income exceeding £2,000 per month.

The Guardian

• Poverty risk: Charity Scope estimates that about half of households with an under-22 receiving the health element are already in poverty; that share could rise to more than nine in ten if the element were removed.

Mirror - UK

Alan Milburn told the Guardian that specialist internships for young people with learning disabilities, autism or mental illness should be “turbocharged” to address the youth-jobs crisis. He added that primary schools ought to identify children at risk of becoming NEET.

Birmingham Mail

The spokesperson noted that the final Milburn report is expected in the autumn.

Birmingham Mail

Mayor Andy Burnham announced a policy of 24-hour free bus passes for disabled people, removing previous time restrictions to improve access to work.

The Guardian

• “If ministers want better outcomes for disabled young people, the evidence points to earlier intervention, tailored support and meaningful job and volunteering opportunities, not sanctions or cuts.” — Alan Milburn

The Guardian

The Milburn review’s final recommendations are slated for release in the autumn, after which the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) will consider any proposed changes to the Universal Credit health element. Ongoing consultation with charities and other stakeholders is expected to shape the government’s next steps on youth-employment policy.

The Guardian