The government’s disability benefit cuts will lead to increased poverty and worse mental health for Sheffield residents, a councillor has warned.

Last week, Work and Pensions Secretary, Liz Kendall, confirmed the government would be tightening criteria for Personal Independence Payments (PIP) and reducing incapacity benefits for new claimants from 2026.

Speaking in the House of Commons she said that the changes aimed to save £5bn a year from the welfare budget by 2030.

However Broomhill and Sharrow Vale councillor Angela Argenzio called the cuts “ethically and morally unjust for the people affected”.

She said: “There are choices that the government could take, but they are choosing to target the most vulnerable people. It’s cowardly really.”

Cllr Argenzio has herself worked in the voluntary sector for seven years, including five years as finance manager of Sheffield Royal Society for the Blind. She is also currently chair of the city’s Adult Health and Social Care Policy Committee.

She said: “It worries me that this will put pressure on local services because people will have to rely more on foodbanks, they will get more ill because they will be more stressed, so as well as typical problems they may have more problems with mental health.

“We’re working so hard in this city to try to make it better for everybody, then something like this happens which will put huge pressure on our residents.”

According to 2021 census data, 20% of people in Sheffield identified themselves as disabled, with 28% of households having one disabled person living in them.

One of these residents is Liz Kieran, a mum of three who suffered a stroke when she was just 27. 

Now aged 40, Mrs Kieran struggles with mobility and chronic pain. She said that the cuts would be “catastrophic” for people like her in the city who rely on PIP and universal credit to pay for the daily costs of living with a disability.

Mrs Kieran also volunteers for Disability Sheffield and sees first-hand how people are already struggling. 

She said: “A lot of the time you do find it’s disabled people that are ending up having to go to food pantries, because of universal credit, because they’ve been turned down for PIP, or because they’re not getting the help in the community.”

Cllr Argenzio said that the link between poverty and disability was being overlooked by the government’s planned reforms.

She said: “For me, we need to tear down the systemic barriers that make people unwell and reliant on welfare.

“The welfare system is so important because it’s a safety net for all of us. All of us, one day, may need some kind of support.”

During her speech on 18 March, Kendall also announced a £1bn package to support disabled people back into work.

She said: “This will mean fairness for disabled people and those with long term health conditions, but also for the taxpayers who fund it as these measures bring down the benefits bill.

“At the same time, we will ensure that our welfare system protects people. There will always be some people who cannot work because of their disability or health condition. Protecting people in need is a principle we will never compromise on.”