Jan Tregelles, chief executive of Mencap, said:
The Chancellor talked of a Budget that placed the next generation first, but this budget stands to take more away than it offers to the next generation of people with a learning disability
A learning disability is to do with the way someone's brain works. It makes it harder for someone to learn, understand or do things. .
The budget
The Budget is the plan the government
The Government are the people who run the country. The Government decide how much tax
Tax is the money that pays for things like schools, hospitals and the police. There are different types of taxes like income tax
Income tax is the money that is taken out of the money you earn every month. It helps to pay for things we all need like hospitals and schools. , VAT
VAT is also called Value Added Tax. VAT is the extra money you pay when you buy things. The money goes to the government to pay for things like schools and hospitals. and council tax
Council
A council is also called a local authority
A local authority is also called a council. They are a group of people who make decisions about some of the things in the area where you live like schools, social care (support for people), parks and dustbin collection. . They are a group of people who make decisions about some of the things in the area where you live. These include: schools, social care (support for people), parks and dustbin collection. Tax is the money that people pay to the council
The NHS is the National Health Service. The NHS gives free healthcare to everyone in the UK and includes things like your GP (doctors) surgery and hospitals. ) should work. has for what it will spend money on and how it will raise money to pay for the spending. The Budget tells us if there will be any changes to how much people pay for things. offered no assurance to those who will be affected by cuts to Employment
Employment means having a job. and Support Allowance and Universal Credit, Personal Independence Payments and the collapsing social care system.
The reduction in Business Rates will further reduce the ability of already cash-strapped local councils to pay for the social care that people with a learning disability desperately need. The care system is critically under-funded, many people with a learning disability are not getting the vital care and support they need so are stuck at home with nothing to do, isolated and scared about the future.
Today’s Budget added to this crisis and restricted the funding of care providers having to implement the National Living Wage
A wage is the money you get for doing a paid job. further, making it harder for people with a learning disability and their families to access the care they rely on.
Alarmingly there was no mention of further funding for Short Breaks services which runs out this month and are a vital lifeline for families who care 24/7 for their loved ones and prevent them from reaching a crisis point.
The Government must now explain how it plans to support people with a learning disability who are seeing such drastic cuts to disability benefits which they were promised would be protected from cuts.
Lorainne Bellamy, Mencap spokesperson
A spokesperson is someone who speaks up about something. They usually speak up on behalf of a group or organisation
An organisation are a group of people who work together. . who has a learning disability, said:
I have a learning disability and have been living on my own now for seven years. My supporter helps me with letters about my tax credits which are really difficult to understand. She helps me read and understand my telephone bills, my gas bills, my insurance and my statements from the bank. She has helped me set up direct debits so I can pay my bills and not get into debt. I used to not get any support at home, I struggled a lot, but this help has made a real difference.
I know how important the support I have had has been in allowing me to be independent. I am worried that there are people worse off than me who don’t get any support at all and worry about what happens to them. The government need to make sure people with a learning disability and their families get the right support.