On Thursday (March 27), demonstrators gathered at St. Helens Square to appeal to councillors to oppose the £6.4 billion cut planned at the evening's meeting.
Speaking at the meeting, disability rights activist Flick Williams said the council would have to ultimately pick up the costs after the government took the machete into the social safety net.
York Council's Labour leader Cllr Claire Douglas said he is aware of the difficult financial situation facing the government, but believes that cuts should be reconsidered to protect vulnerable people.
Liberal Democrats Cllr Stephen Fenton and Labor's Cllr Jane Burton said the move to pass the cut was handed over.
That comes after a backlash against plans to cut the welfare bill by £6.4 billion by 2030 as part of a broader effort to tackle unemployment.
Proposals released so far include limiting access to individuals' access to independent payments (PIP), supporting extra living expenses paid to people with disabilities, and freezing the health components of universal credit.
A new premium for people with severe lifelong conditions is also proposed with the end of redispersal for those who are unable to work.
The government has also announced a broader plan to get jobs by making many people more accessible to the workplace due to long-term illnesses, rather than education, training or employment.
York and North Yorkshire's £10 million inactive trail blazers are approved to test efforts to remove barriers to work.
Ministers, including Prime Minister Rachel Reeves, who issued a spring statement on Wednesday, said measures are needed to curb the Spiral Welfare Bill and stop people from being depreciated.
They also say they put people with disabilities at the heart of their decision-making.
The York Outer Labour MP for Luke Charterters also defends the plan and says he has the right balance between getting people to work and helping people in need.
But critics, including the Joseph Rown Tree Foundation in York, city Labour MP Rachel Muskell, disability rights groups and charities, say the most vulnerable ones are the most violent.
Rachel Austin, a protester with MS who spoke with the local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) at a York demonstration, said the plan left people with disabilities in fear of their survival.
She added that efforts to bring long-term illness back to work will only succeed in pushing a few people with disabilities into unstable work.
The activist said: “The crisis is already here and even before the labor government brings the machete to the safety net, which is social security, a greater burden on this authorities is inevitable.
“Disabled people are all sorts of angry, frightening, decomposed, we are fighting for survival.
“Government rhetoric has contributed to disability hate crimes, and people with disabilities have spitted and cast abuse.”
Liberal Democrat Cllr Fenton said the cuts were a cruel form of austerity.
Councillors for dringhouses and Woodthorpe Ward said:
“York has a proud tradition of step-ups, and we should work together and work together.”
Labor's Cllr Burton said the proposal should have put more people in poverty and was created in consultation with people with disabilities.
Cllr Burton, who is disabled, said:
“Disabled people are demonized and there are plenty of comments on social media about sclans.
“This will only make people with disabilities rely on social care from local governments.”
Conservative group leader Cllr Chris Steward said the Labour Councillors' party's opposition to austerity under the government is unacceptable for the current government.
Council leader Cllr Douglas said he welcomed intervention from disabled people and groups on the issue.
Council leaders said:
“I think we have a collective responsibility to express, listen and take action on these concerns.”
The motion surfaced by Cllr Fenton and revised by Cllr Burton called on Cllr Douglas to urge him to write a letter to the Minister to reconsider the proposal.
The Cross-Party Group will also be set up to investigate the impact on Yorker people's proposals.
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