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I get £1.8k a month on UC & PIP but have to choose between eating or feeding my service dog – the cuts will kill people
STRUGGLING to pay off her £3,000 debt while also managing rising bills, Ellie Turner often faces the heartbreaking decision of whether she or her assistance dog gets to eat that night.
The 27-year-old lives with 11 different disabilities, including Ehlers-Danlos syndrome – a genetic disorder that causes her joints to dislocate frequently.
This condition has left her reliant on a wheelchair, as she is no longer able to use her legs.
“I have been in and out of hospital every week since I was 14,” Ellie explains.
“My conditions mean that I have been fully wheelchair-bound since 2022, and they aren’t curable.
“I’m on 20 tablets a day and regularly have to head to hospital if something goes wrong. It’s horrible to live with, and it’s very expensive.
“I have to choose between paying for my assistance dog or me eating. I’d rather she eats.”
Due to her disabilities, Ellie is unable to work. She receives Personal Independence Payment (PIP) and Universal Credit (UC), which are intended to help people with disabilities cover their essential costs.
Altogether, Ellie has £1,100 left after paying her £724.96 rent, which must stretch to cover her utility bills, day-to-day living expenses, the care of her assistance dog, and essential prescription medications.
Despite this support, Ellie says it’s often not enough to make ends meet.
So, when she heard that up to a million Brits could see their disability benefits scrapped under Labour’s plans, she was left stunned.
This news comes after recent announcements from Sir Keir Starmer’s government, which is proposing a £5 billion cost-cutting reform on sickness benefits.
Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall has published a green paper outlining a package of cuts to disability benefits.
According to the Resolution Foundation think tank, these changes could result in up to 1.2 million fewer people being eligible for PIP by 2029/30.
This includes existing claimants who may lose their benefits when their needs are reassessed.
Disability charity Scope highlights the stark financial reality for disabled households, noting that, on average, they need an additional £1,010 per month to achieve the same standard of living as non-disabled households.
It doesn’t make sense to cut our benefits. I think why they’ve done it is really backwards
Ellie Turner, 27
For Ellie, these figures are all too real. She is urging the government to rethink their strategy, arguing that the proposed cuts are unfair to people who are unable to work due to their disabilities.
“My assistance dog this month cost me £191.09,” Ellie shares.
“This includes her training and medication. My bills come to £313.67, and my food bill is £200 because we can only afford to shop twice a month – plus, I can’t even get there as it is.
“My medication, which has gone up in price, costs me £118.80 a month.
Jumping through 100 hoops
“I also have to pay £30 for a taxi to hospital twice a week – sometimes even three times a week – because I don’t have a car, so you can imagine how that adds up.
“The NHS only gave me £80 towards a manual wheelchair. I’m trying to get a Motability car, but it’s like jumping through 100 hoops just to apply.
“People think, ‘oh, you’re on PIP, you get a free car.’ No, you don’t. It comes out of what you’re given.
“You literally pick: do you want your mobility money, or do you need a Motability car that can be suited to you?
If you do these cuts and go forward, people will lose their lives, and it’s not even a joke
Ellie Turner, 27
“Some of those costs are even supported by a charity called Motability. Let me make it clear – you do not get free cars.”
Ellie has also racked up £3,000 worth of debt paying for her carer, something she was forced to stop as it was getting too expensive.
Instead, her boyfriend now works as her full-time carer, which provides him with an allowance of £617.60 per month – money that is shared between the two of them.
“It doesn’t make sense to cut our benefits. I think why they’ve done it is really backwards,” Ellie expresses.
“Our rent is currently covered by housing benefit. This benefit is set to increase next month as well.
“The majority of disabled people have their rent covered if they are not working.
“However, once someone starts working, the benefit is no longer applicable.
“We have £1,100 left between my partner and I.
“Back in the day when both my partner and I were working full-time, we’d both bring in around £5,000 all together a month.
“We would much rather work, but unfortunately, it’s not a choice for us anymore. I feel so guilty that my partner had to give up work to look after me.
“For individuals living alone, the housing benefit is typically £200 less.”
Fraud prevention
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has assessed the rate of fraud in relation to PIP at just 0% for 2024.
Meanwhile, the combined rate for both fraud and error in Universal Credit (UC) is 32 times higher than for PIP.
“The government is now saying that the fraud level is too high,” Ellie says.
“PIP’s fraud level is actually 0.02% – that’s minuscule. And last year, £19 billion was left unclaimed because people couldn’t get onto the system.
Why do we always have to fight just to breathe in the same space as you?
Ellie Turner, 27
“PIP is extremely difficult to get. If you think it’s easy, you’re wrong. I’ve got over 16 conditions, I’m in a wheelchair, and I gave hundreds and hundreds of letters to PIP. They still make you feel like you’re nothing.”
Ellie describes the process of applying for PIP as “horrendous,” revealing that decisions often come down to quotas set by managers rather than the genuine needs of applicants.
She recalls speaking with someone who formerly worked for PIP, who left the role due to the immorality of the system.
“It’s not a nice system,” Ellie says. “I’ve had to appeal before, and it’s horrible – it takes so long to even get on there.”
Ellie warns that benefit cuts could have devastating consequences.
Suicide rates
Research by Citizen Network found that 32% of respondents said the DWP system had caused them to plan suicide, while 93% said the process of claiming benefits had worsened their mental health, and 61% said it had caused them a new health problem.
She says: “If you do these cuts and go forward, people will lose their lives, and it’s not even a joke.
“It is so serious. Back in 2012 to 2013, 590 people lost their lives because of benefit cuts. And now, here we are again, talking about it.”
For Ellie, the fight against these proposals is personal: “We just want to live. We just want to breathe. That is it. All we ever do is fight.
“Why do we always have to fight just to breathe in the same space as you?
“This should not be happening whatsoever. We shouldn’t have to fight every single day of our lives with our disabilities, let alone the government.”
She also highlights the systemic barriers disabled people face in accessing work.
“You get rid of PIP, and people can’t get into work. People can’t get taxis because of their disability,” she says.
“I’ve been fired twice because of my disability because, in your probationary period, they can get away with firing you. That’s why people are so scared of work – because there is no protection for us.”
Ellie regularly posts videos about her disability on her TikTok page, @elleturner_xx, which currently has over 98,000 followers.
We are getting ready for possibly the biggest fight of our lives
Ellie Turner, 27
“I am fighting so hard because I do not want more people to lose their lives,” she stresses.
“I don’t want people to go into poverty, and I don’t want people to starve – because a lot of us already are.
“I’m also lucky to eat and look after myself, as I still have to pay off my debts as well.”
As the government discussion continues, Ellie issues a sobering reminder that disability can affect anyone at any time.
“It can happen tomorrow for all we know,” she warns. “We need to keep talking about it. We are getting ready for possibly the biggest fight of our lives.”
Are you struggling?
If you are seeking advice or struggling yourself with this, head to scope.org.uk and get in touch with their help team.
Their free disability helpline is: 0808 800 3333
Email: helpline@scope.org.uk
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New £160million train station to be first of its kind in the UK in 100 years
THE Essex city of Chelmsford is getting a new multi-million pound train station
As part of a huge regeneration project, the new railway station will become part of the Great Eastern Main Line – which will be the first addition in over 100 years.
Essex County Council secured funding of £252million in total, to develop the Beaulieu Park estate in Chelmsford.
Along with 14,000 homes and new roads, there will also be a brand new train station costing around £160million.
At the moment, Chelmsford only has one station in the centre of the city.
The station at Beaulieu Park will provide regular connections to London Liverpool Street – which will only take 40 minutes.
Managed by Greater Anglia, its fleet of trains will also go to other towns and cities in the east of England with both stopping and direct services.
The station will have three platforms with a central loop line.
New tracks will mean trains can stop at the station, while fast trains can continue through without any interruptions.
There will be step free access onto the platform as well as ticketing facilities.
Pedestrian and cycle routes will form part of the design and there will be storage spaces on-site for 500 bikes.
Plans also show a new bus interchange near the station, and there will be pick up and drop off bays for taxis.
A car park with spaces for 700 cars will also be built, five per cent of which to be designated Blue Badge bays, and motorcycle spaces.
Targeted to open by the end of 2025, the new station will ease pressure on the existing Chelmsford train station.
The city has a huge commuter rail service that sees over 15,000 passengers every day and 5.7 million annual users.
The development of Beaulieu Park has also been put in place to try and relieve congestion in the city centre.
The new north-eastern bypass will make access to the new station from surrounding towns such as Braintree much easier.
The project has been years in the making with original planning permission granted in 2013.
Work on the new Beaulieu Park started in 2023 and is expected to be complete by the end of 2025.
Plus, a town in Essex that is said to be the smallest in the country with amazing pubs and a beach.
And the English town named the best place to live in the UK.
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The new train operator, which is currently being established, hopes to begin its rail journey by launching services from London to Paris and Brussels.
Once services between London and Paris/Brussels have launched, Gemini hopes to further its list of European destinations.
The new rail operator plans to introduce ‘new cutting-edge trains and a fresh approach to sales and ticketing’ on services between the UK and Europe.
