Agenda item - Formal Member Involvement

There is a member question from Cllr Bruno De Oliveira (copy attached)

27.1    There was a member question from Cllr Bruno De Oliveira/ Cllr De Oliveira asked:

Chair, given the government’s planned tightening of Personal Independence Payment (PIP) eligibility, the halving of health-related Universal Credit for new claimants, and the withdrawal of incapacity top-ups for under-22s, could you explain to our residents how these austerity-driven reforms will affect the lived realities of disabled and chronically ill residents in deprived local areas of Brighton and Hove—many of whom already experience systemic exclusion from the labour market?

27.2    The Chair responded:

The Government’s recently announced welfare reforms are wide ranging, and while they may have a positive impact for some people, I recognise that there are bound to be city residents who are going to be affected negatively. The council is committed to doing all it can to support local people who are struggling financially. Our poverty reduction work includes working closely with partners to understand the local data on poverty; encouraging people to take up all the benefits they are entitled to; signposting to support services, whether run by the council or our community & voluntary sector partners; and providing direct support through our local Fairness Fund.