A new online petition is calling on the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) to make changes to current rules for those claiming income-related disability benefits who “find love and move in with a partner”.
Petition creator Joe Hardy, argues that disabled people looking for love are faced with a choice of either “happiness or financial independence”. The ‘Allow disabled people to keep all their benefits if they move in with a partner’ petition, is hosted on the official petitions-parliament website and has already received more than 2,830 signatures of support - if it reaches 10,000, the UK Government will respond.
Mr Hardy explains that under current DWP rules, people on income-related benefits such as Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) or Universal Credit (UC) risk “losing some or all” of the benefits they claim when living alone if they start cohabiting as a couple. He adds that this has put him off looking for love.
