Last year SCOPE announced the findings of their third Disability Price Tag report. The Disability Price Tag is the additional amount of money a disabled household needs, to equal the standard of living of a non-Disabled household. The findings of last year’s report put this amount at £975 per month, and the latest findings show an increase of £35, bringing the amount to £1010.
Scope first published figures for the extra cost of disability in 2018. Since then, there has been a global pandemic, the ongoing cost-of-living crisis and soaring prices for care, food, energy and housing. More Disabled households and carers have fallen into poverty and the number of Disabled people out of work has increased.
For this new report, 31 people from Disabled households across the UK took part in interviews. They told how managing household finances alongside extra costs impacted them and their families' lives. These extra costs included heating, food, and a household’s ability to afford key items or conduct essential tasks. This included purchasing household contents insurance, repairing and replacing broken electrical goods, as well as having small amounts to spend each week and enough to save a little.
Launching the report at the Labour party conference yesterday, SCOPE’s James Taylor, executive director of strategy, said these extra costs have a “Devastating impact on disabled people’s standard of living.”
“Disabled people have cut back on everything they can and are going without heating, turning off vital equipment and forgoing medical treatment.”
“These sacrifices put their health at risk, and at worst are life-threatening. The rising cost of living has already pushed disabled people beyond breaking point.”
Dan White policy and campaigns officer at DR UK and one of the leads of the Disability Poverty Campaign Group said “It is not a surprise to anyone with a disability or anyone working at a Disabled Peoples Organisation that the cost of living with a disability have risen again.”
“With these shocking figures, surely the government has got to act and work with DPOs and Disabled people, to better the living standards of the Disabled community.”
“The reports and statistics continue to mount, telling us the cost-of-living crisis is growing, and that disability poverty is getting deeper. The financial gap between the Disabled community and others is widening and without immediate action, even more Disabled people will be forced into poverty. The new UK Government claims that “There is light at the end of the tunnel” well, shine it on disability, urgently.”
SCOPE’S full report on the extra costs can be found here.