On Thursday 20 March 2025, a coalition of Norfolk charities, social enterprises, faith leaders, housing associations and community groups wrote to the Minister for Work and Pensions urging the government to drop its proposals for huge cuts to disabled people’s social security.
We urge you to embed dignity and security into the social welfare system and to avoid further cuts to welfare benefits.
The letter was coordinated on behalf of the Norfolk Anti-Poverty Alliance. Read the letter in full below.
20 March 2025
Dear Secretary of State for Work and Pensions,
We are writing to you as the newly formed Norfolk Anti-Poverty Alliance; a network formed out of our concern about levels of hardship and hunger in the county. The Alliance was launched in Norwich on 26th February and has brought together individuals and organisations that support residents through emergency provisions, housing, community building, and accredited social welfare advice.
We are deeply concerned about the plans set out in the Pathways to Work Green Paper to make further cuts to disabled people’s social security. These proposed cuts would be cruel and counterproductive, risking increased reliance on food banks, failing to support disabled people who are already working or able to work, and doing nothing to help those who are too sick to work. Furthermore, these cuts will not contribute to the government’s goals on employment or economic growth. The outpouring of support for the Alliance at our launch event reflects that the public does not want to see more people forced into destitution – we can do better than this.
We believe that the social welfare system should act as a safety net for all those who need it, but the data shows that people across Norfolk who are in receipt of benefits do not have enough income to cover their essential costs:
- One local school reported that in a recent survey of the families of its pupils, 98 percent said they could not afford to buy as much food and drink as they need, and 94 percent could not afford their gas and electric;
- In FY24/25 so far (1st April 2024 – 31st Jan 2025), 73 percent of referrals to Trussell foodbanks in Norfolk have been to people who are receiving benefits and aren’t earning;
- In some areas of Norfolk, almost 10 percent of people are in a ‘negative budget,’ according to data from Citizens Advice, meaning that household income is insufficient to cover the costs of essentials such as food, housing, and utilities. As a result, people inevitably build up debts as bills go unpaid; Norfolk Community Law Service reported a 70 percent rise in demand for debt advice in 2023-24 compared to the year before;
- Welfare benefits were by far the most common reason for referrals made on the Norfolk Community Advice Network referral system. The system provides referral pathways between organisations that provide emergency support and social welfare advice. Of 6,141 referrals made in 2024, 28 percent related to welfare benefits.
Any changes to the benefits system should focus on tackling poverty, ensuring that everyone has the income they need to cover the cost of essentials, as well as developing sustainable routes to employment economic growth. Analysis from the Office for Budget Responsibility shows that cutting disabled people’s incomes will not move people into work; rather, it will damage lives and increase costs for the NHS and other public services.
We urge you to embed dignity and security into the social welfare system and to avoid further cuts to welfare benefits.
Initial steps your government has already taken, such as reducing the cap on deductions from Universal Credit from 25 percent to 15 percent from April, are welcome. However, much more needs to be done. We urge you not to go ahead with the huge proposed cuts to disabled people’s social security; to continue reducing the cap on deductions and to work towards enshrining a guaranteed minimum payments based on the real cost of essential items.
There is a better way forward; one that ensures social security is there for everyone who needs it while also supporting those who can work to stay in work. We call on you to listen to the evidence and act in a way that truly supports disabled people and low-income households, rather than forcing people deeper into poverty.
We would welcome the opportunity to speak with you further about the impact of reforms to the social security system on the people of Norfolk.
Yours sincerely,
Amy Griffiths, CEO, Citizens Advice Diss, Thetford & District
Andrew Braddock, Dean of Norwich
Ann Donkin, CEO, Age UK Norfolk
Béatrice Humarau, Executive Coordinator, The Bridge Plus+
Ben Reed, CEO, Equal Lives
Ben Scarlett, Director, Norfolk Community Advice Network
Dan Mobbs, CEO, Mancroft Advice Project
Dan Skipper, CEO, Age UK Norwich
Daniel Childerhouse, CEO, Future Projects
David Powles, CEO, Norfolk Community Law Service
Dr Sarah Hanson, Associate Professor in Community Health, University of East Anglia
Hannah Worsley, Project Manager, Norwich Foodbank
Idunn Marthinsen, Partnership Coordinator, Norfolk Advocacy Partnership
Jo Stevenson, Area Manager Norfolk & Suffolk, Trussell
John Lee, CEO, YMCA Norfolk
Jon Moule, Volunteers and Campaigns Coordinator, Norwich Foodbank
Lesley Burdett, Strategic Lead, Shelter Norfolk
Lisa Brown, Branch Chair, ACORN Norwich
Lisa Brown, Contributor, Shelter Norfolk’s Lived Experience Advisory Group
Michael Newey, CEO, Broadland Housing Association
Monique Guz, Lived Experience Coordinator, Norfolk Lived Experience Advisory Group
Owen Willis, Leadership Committee, Norwich Renters Collective
Rik Martin, CEO, Community Action Norfolk
Ruth Stokes, co-ordinator of Norfolk Anti-Poverty Alliance
Vaughan Thomas, Welfare Benefits Adviser, Norfolk Community Law Service
Zoe Webb, CEO, Your Own Place CIC
C. Iain Sturges
Izzy Jarvis
Libs Olley
Philip Westoby
Steve Stone
Tylah Nunes