AN influential group of charities, trade unions and churches have formed a powerful coalition in a bid to force the UK government to reconsider its welfare reform proposals.

Thirty-five organisations have this week joined together to create the Scottish Campaign on Welfare Reform (SCoWR) to coincide with the conclusion of the three month consultation period of the UK government’s green paper.

The group fears that the proposals contained in the controversial green paper could push poor people further into poverty, at a time when they are already bearing the brunt of a downturn in the UK economy.

Among some of the proposals are tougher sanction regimes for claimants, back-to-work interviews for disabled people and proposals to make the long-term unemployed commit to unpaid voluntary work. 

Many of the country’s biggest charities have come together in an effort to force a government rethink, including Barnardo’s, Children 1st, Citizen’s Advice Scotland and the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations.

And all are signatories to a letter sent this week to the secretary of state for the Department of Work and Pensions, James Purnell.

?Against an increasingly gloomy economic climate, the letter outlines concerns on four particular issues: the increase in conditionality attached to benefits entitlement; the inadequacy of current levels of benefit; fears about the adequacy of resources available to support the proposals; and a lack of consideration for devolved aspects of welfare reform.

It states: “SCoWR does not believe that conditionality and sanctions are either a necessary or effective mechanism for encouraging people into work.
“Proposals such as full-time work for benefits treat claimants in a punitive and undignified manner.

“Quite simply, the evidence suggests that if the right support is available at the right time and the right level, people will be empowered to move into or stay in work.”

In addition, members of the group are concerned that some proposals will simply be unworkable as a result of insufficient account being taken of aspects of welfare reform that are devolved to Scotland.

These include the key policy areas of childcare provision and skills development.
John Dickie, head of Child Poverty Action Group in Scotland, said: “There is no question that reform of our welfare system is needed, but such reform needs to treat people with dignity, lift them out of poverty, be adequately resourced and fit with devolved policy on skills and childcare.

“The current proposals fail on all four counts and treat people in a punitive and undignified manner.

“The sheer range and number of organisations behind this letter to the minister shows the scale of the concern the proposals are causing across Scotland.”

The coalition is also concerned that both existing services and the new proposals are significantly under-resourced, with demand far outstripping available funds.

The letter states: “It is claimants and their families who will continue to bear the brunt of this in terms of insufficient support and declining customer service.”

Citizens Advice Scotland chief executive Kaliani Lyle said: “We are particularly worried about these proposals given the downturn in the UK economy.

“Unemployment is rising, and predicted to rise significantly higher over the next few years.”

On proposals to pilot compulsory volunteering initiatives, Lucy McTernan, the acting chief executive of SCVO, said this would not contribute any solutions to reforming the welfare system.

She said: “In our response to the green paper, we suggest an alternative community option which encourages people to work with voluntary organisations, and gets the best out of the services we provide.”