15/08/2026
As former Labour councillors with 40 Plus years of local government service, we would genuinely like to hear from swing voters who turned away from Labour and supported Reform UK in May’s local elections.
What do you think about Reform’s announcement that it would abolish PIP and the health element of Universal Credit for working-age adults—removing or reducing support for an estimated 2.89 million people?
This is not about saying, “I told you so.” People voted for change for many different and understandable reasons. But voting choices have real consequences, and we must examine what that promised change could mean in practice.
PIP is not an unemployment benefit. Many recipients work, study, volunteer or care for others. It helps with the additional costs and barriers caused by disability and long-term illness.
Reform claims these proposals could save £50 billion a year. But that money would not come from some faceless system—it would be taken from people living with disabilities, chronic pain, serious illness and restricted independence.
Were policies like this what you believed you were voting for? Do you support replacing regular financial assistance with council-controlled support accounts? And are you comfortable with Robert Jenrick describing our welfare system as “suicidal empathy”?
We are asking sincerely. Democracy does not end when the votes are counted. We must continue discussing what parties actually propose, who benefits and who will ultimately pay the price.
Change may have been what people wanted—but is this the change you expected?
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