The Government has released its Spring Budget setting out its economic plans. We’ve created a bite-size list to give disabled candidates the highlights.
Please note, we know the budget can cause anxiety for some, particularly as benefits and assessments were mentioned, so we’re providing you with these highlights from reputable news sources only. You can find the original source links in the article.
Enterprise, Employment, Educate, Everywhere
The Chancellor, Jeremy Hunt, set out his four pillars for growth in the economic plan today: Enterprise, Employment, Educate and Everywhere. The Budget focussed on addressing all of these. From investment zones for enterprise to returnerships for over 50s, Hunt had lots to announce in his speech.
The Budget 2023 highlights for disabled candidates
- Working Capability Assessment set to be abolished
- Voluntary employment scheme to help 50,000 disabled people in to work every year
- For those working low hours, the earning threshold has increased from 15 hours to 18 hours at National Living Wage
- Returnerships for those over-50s to encourage a return to work with skills boot camps and a financial MOT
- Pension annual tax-free allowance increased from £40,000 to £60,000 and will abolish the Lifetime Allowance – previously set at £1.07m.
For parents
- 30 hours free weekly childcare extended to cover 1-2-year-old children
- Universal credits for parents to be paid upfront and increase to up to £951 for one child and £1,650 for two children per month
For drivers
- The 5p cut to fuel duty on petrol and diesel is being kept for a further year
Sanctions NOT applicable to disabled candidates
You may have seen news or posts about universal credit sanctions. The announcement of more rigorous sanctions for those who fail to meet strict work-search requirements is for those without a health condition and looking for work.
The Budget 2023 highlights have been sourced via BBC. For the full Budget statement visit https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/uk-64831837/page/2
