Welfare reforms have led to an increase in mental health problems, a leading charity has warned.
Mental health charity Mind said vulnerable people were not getting adequate support because of UK Government cuts to the welfare budget.
Ruth Coombs, Mind Cymru Manager for Influence and Change, said: “At Mind we hear too often from people struggling to navigate a complex, and increasingly punitive, system that is causing a great deal of distress and putting people under excessive pressure.
“Changes to welfare were meant to make savings, but it is a false economy when you factor in the cost to our already-stretched health and social care services that are having to support those whose health has worsened.”
The effects of welfare changes on mental health were highlighted at a recent protest held against the ‘Bedroom Tax’.
Campaigners gathered in Caerphilly town on March 29 to encourage those affected by changes in housing benefit to appeal.
Former mental health worker Elspeth Parris, addressing assembled campaigners, said: “The ‘Bedroom Tax’ is an absolute disaster for mental health, it savages the future chance of good mental health for today’s generation of children.
“The constant fear of welfare reform can lead to erratic behaviour that isolates people from receiving help. For people with mental health problems, living in fear of eviction makes this worse.”
Around 30 people joined the protest, organised by campaign group Caerphilly Against the Bedroom Tax, and called for the ‘Bedroom Tax’, to be scrapped.
Anti-poll Tax veteran, Tim Richards, addressed the crowd, saying: “The most important thing is we have to bring the tax to a halt by appealing.
“People need to be as much as a nuisance as they can as it’s the only thing council’s understand.”
Organiser Gillian Jones said: “We encourage people to appeal on all sorts of grounds, particularly the disabled who can’t share bedrooms, sometimes people need our support to show they aren’t the only ones.”
She urged people to get in contact with Caerphilly Against the Bedroom Tax if they have the subsidy stopped and added there is a growing stigma attached to welfare.
She added: “Nobody should be ashamed of receiving benefits, we are all poor and all working class.”
The UK Government say the removal of the Spare Room Subsidy for people who ‘under occupy’ will save £500m a year by cutting payments to working-age housing benefit recipients by 14% for one spare bedroom and 25% for two or more spare bedrooms.
Ramon Corria, Secretary of Cardiff Trades Council said: “If we reclaimed the bailouts we paid to the banks we wouldn’t need the ‘Bedroom Tax’ or welfare reform.
“Let’s get back to equality and fairness and a system where those who got us into this mess pay their way because those who are paying the ‘Bedroom Tax’ are not responsible for the crisis.”
The protesters claimed Caerphilly County Borough Council were not doing enough to help people appeal the removal of the subsidy and said housing agents are not telling people they can appeal.
A council spokesperson said: “Caerphilly County Borough Council continues to offer advice and support to its residents with the welfare changes introduced by the UK Government.
“Residents with queries about how the housing benefit changes affect them are encouraged to contact the council for advice on request.
“Information is also available about tenants’ options should they wish to appeal.”
A Department for Work and Pensions spokesperson said the removal of the spare room subsidy saved taxpayers in Wales £22m a year.
They added: “We are determined to support those who might need extra help through these necessary reforms. That is why we gave local authorities in Wales over £6m with some of this funding specifically targeted at disabled people living in adapted properties.”
Quite frankly, I don't care about the cost on mental health (FTR, I believe their reporting is skewed).
It's the principle of it. I don't want to help subsidise people's rent when I receive no help with my mortgage or any other benefits for that.
This is brilliant! Really loving where they say about bankers paying back… totally right… why should we pay to bail them out and recieve nothing in return… when we borrow money from the banks we have to pay it back.. why shouldn't they pay back what they borrowed? Its only fair… The people struggling shouldn't be the ones to suffor… The person who commented before me is lucky they are able to pay their bills… but what happaned to compashion? What happened to people looking after each other… the welfare of the people should be prority…
It is true that poor mental health can be an affect of government austerity as people struggle more and more to cope, to live and stress levels hit the roof. The Bedroom Tax has already claimed at least one victim's life. It was later discovered that Stephanie Botrill was exempt from the Bedroom Tax along with thousands of others (But they didn't tell us that did they?). The Bedroom Tax is yet another attack on the working class, making us pay for the crisis of the capitalist system and not those who actually triggered this latest economic meltdown, the bankers and tax avoiding rich. Why should the rich get away with avoiding paying over 125 billion in tax every year? Why should bankers be receiving multi-million pound bonuses? Why should we be paying for the crisis with our jobs, services, NHS and benefits? All in this together? Don't make me laugh! I agree with the activists in this article and with Liz in the comments above.
Dean, if you don't want to contribute to a welfare state then Isuggest you stop using it! Which would include using hospitals.. take your tight wallet and go private! We are so lucky to have a welfare state and NHS in the UK which provides a safety net for us when we are down and out, at our lowest, in need and are unwell. Our welfare state was hard fought for and won by our parents and grandparents and we should consider it our duty to defend it and make it better.. not allow it to be taken apart and privatised by the representative of the rich in government nationally and locally. So Dean, get some compassion and a sense of class solidarity!
Caerphilly council should be refusing to implement the Bedroom Tax on any of it's tenants and making a stand against all cuts to services and welfare in the traditions of the Militant lead Liverpool City Council in the mid 80s.
No to cuts!
No to privatization!