Lacking a bit of common sense, says Council Leader Richard Farnell

Councillor Richard Farnell, leader of Rochdale Borough Council

​The role Citizens Advice plays in offering free, confidential information and advice to the public on money, legal and consumer problems cannot be underestimated.

Now more than ever, with the relentless squeeze on public finances, they are critical in supporting families up and down the country, including those here in Rochdale.

For me, they are so well thought of that when they raise a concern we should all stand up and listen; they're not prone to over-exaggeration.

That is why I was particularly disturbed to read of their clients' experiences of the changes to their benefits as the government moves from the Disability Living Allowance (DLA) to Personal Independence Payment (PIP) as a way of calculating their benefit entitlement.

One statistic that immediately jumped off the page was that: "At least 25% of existing DLA recipients were expected not to qualify for PIP."

If true, that is absolutely outrageous; a quarter of the people who currently qualify for the benefits would not under the new system.

An equally disturbing claim said that during the assessment: "86% of felt that worry and stress surrounding the PIP reassessment process had had a damaging effect on their physical and/or mental health."

How can this be allowed to happen in one of the wealthiest countries on the planet?

Far from simply complaining about the issue, Citizens Advice actually produced a list of recommendations to tackle this problem.

Depressingly it reads like an idiot's guide on how to use common sense. It is worrying Citizens Advice felt they had to make these suggestions as opposed to the government simply doing it anyway.

The 12 recommendations basically revolve around treating the client with the respect and understanding they deserve. Not worry them to death as they do now.

The recommendation that particularly caught my eye said: "Financial penalties should be introduced for Capita and ATOS (the government-appointed firms charged with managing the transition) for each case overturned at appeal in order to improve standard and consistency of assessment."

That sounds too much like common sense to me, so of course it will never happen.

Councillor Richard Farnell
Leader
Rochdale Borough Council