DWP forcing disabled people into work – but no plan for Access to Work increase

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has essentially admitted that they have no plan for increased demand in Access to Work. This demand will come from the tens of thousands of disabled people who they’re pledging to ‘help’ in to work.

The DWP are currently hell-bent on forcing disabled people into work through schemes like WorkWell and the Get Britain Working plan.

They’re targeting those in the Low Capability for Work Related Activity group, which you fall under if you’re too sick or disabled to work. As the name suggests, the department knows these people can’t work, but has instead rebranded them in the press as ‘no work requirements’, making it sound like a choice.

At the same time, they are quietly cutting Access to Work, the scheme which gives disabled people funding to make working more accessible. This can be a support worker, mobility aids or assistive technology. Access to Work has already been struggling with the demand in recent years, and its solution is to cut the support they’ve already approved.

In a recent committee hearing, the DWP even blamed employers, saying many used Access to Work to provide support workers instead of hiring extra staff.

But with the DWP forcing even more disabled people into work, there’s going to be an even higher demand for Access to Work. So surely the department has a plan for this? What do you think?

Ministers are finally holding DWP to account

Labour MP Jonathan Brash asked the DWP in a written question:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the Get Britain Working White Paper of 2024, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of increased levels of demand for the Access to Work programme as a result of the increased funding for tailored employment support for Disabled people on out of work benefits.

It’s a fairly reasonable question, as amongst the constant propaganda against disabled people who can’t work and the government’s pledges, there’s been nothing about Access to Work.

The DWP, of course, completely fobbed him off:

Minister for Disabled People Stephen Timms replied:

We are continuing to consider what support we provide in this space in the future. We will make use of the outcomes of the Pathways to Work Green Paper consultation, the Collaboration Committees, and upcoming work of the Independent Disability Advisory Panel to inform the future direction of Access to Work. We recognise the importance of the National Audit Office’s findings and are carefully reviewing their recommendations. These insights will support and strengthen our work to ensure the scheme continues to meet customer needs while delivering value for money.

It’s important to point out that the Pathways to Work green paper consultation was almost completely ignored. It also didn’t consult on the majority of changes the department proposed. The Independent Disability Advisory Panel also has no real influence on policy. And the department spent more time during the NAO inquiry blaming employers and claiming people were getting more than they deserved than on anything else.

Not only is this completely side-stepping the question, but it’s also almost the exact same answer he gave to another question from Brash. The MP for Hartlepool asked less specifically about what steps the DWP was taking to ensure Access to Work had enough resources to meet demand.

The answer was almost exactly the same, except before the above bumph, Timms said:

Demand for Access to Work has increased significantly since 2019/20, with more than double the number of applications in 2024/25. Since March 2024 we have increased the number of staff working on Access to Work claims by 29% from 500 full time equivalent (FTE) to 648 FTE in March 2026. Case managers prioritise applications where the customer is due to start a job within four weeks, we continue to streamline processing, improving consistent decisions, strengthening quality checks and enhancing case manager calls with customers and employers. Further to this, we continue to recruit and train new case managers.

It’s great that they’re doing this to get people into work, but with the current regime in Access to Work, we’ve no way of knowing how much someone’s needs are being fully met, or if the DWP is giving them the bare minimum. There’s also the fact that over 66,000 people are currently waiting for Access to Work; they can’t even handle the caseload they’ve got.

It’s clear just how little it cares

There’s also a big issue at the moment, as we heard in the NAO inquiry, they previously rushed through so many applications to clear the last backlog that when it came to review, many had their support cut.  What’s stopping them from doing the exact same thing and stripping away the support they’d given in a rush to make up the numbers?

When you examine the DWP’s work even a tiny bit, it’s crystal clear just how little they’re actually going to provide tangible support for disabled people to get back into work. Beyond bullshit courses and low-paying apprenticeships that make them look like they’re helping, they actually don’t give a fuck how well supported disabled people are in work.

They don’t care if disabled people are working themselves to death in supported work. So long as the benefits bill comes down. Because after all, you can’t claim benefits if you’re dead.

Featured image via the Canary