Here’s a list of the benefit cuts already approved or enacted by this government

Ministers say no more social security cuts – but have approved a huge package of savings for this parliament already

Employment support allowance (ESA)

Just over a fortnight before last week’s Tory backbench PIP rebellion, the government forced through plans to cut £30 a week from the unemployment benefit of ill and disabled claimants found unfit to work. (read more)

Working age benefits freeze

A range of benefits will be frozen for four years from April 2016, including tax credits, jobseeker’s allowance and sickness benefit payments (read more)

Housing benefit freeze

More than 300,000 low-income working families will face substantial shortfalls – in some cases amounting to hundreds of pounds a month – as a result of a freeze on local housing allowance starting in April. (read more)

Household benefit cap

The welfare and work bill, passed earlier this month, reduces the level of the benefit cap (the total value a household is entitled to in benefits) to £23,000 in London (formerly £26,000) and £20,000 in the rest of the UK from April. (read more)

Local housing allowance caps

This aligns housing benefit payments in the social sector with local limits in the private sector. Though it was barely noticed when it was slipped out in the autumn statement in November, housing associations quickly pointed out that the cut was likely to lead to widespread closures of specialist social housing, including homeless hostels, domestic violence refuges, and sheltered housing for elderly and vulnerable people. (read more)

Tax credit and universal credit reforms

Despite the government’s much trumpeted U-turn on tax credit cuts in October, reductions to universal credit (UC) work allowances announced in the summer budget and the autumn statement will see working families with children lose on average £1,300 a year, and as much as £3,000 in 2020, according to the Resolution Foundation. (read more)

Housing benefit for 18 – 21 year olds

Housing benefit for 18-21-year-olds will be abolished from April 2017 (unless the claimant has a child or is deemed vulnerable). (read more)

Mortgage interest support

was converted from a grant to a loan (saving £620m over four years). (read more)

The bedroom tax,

introduced in April 2013, is still in place for working age social tenants deemed to have more rooms than they require. Those affected (mostly disabled) lose an average £14 a week in housing benefit. (read more)

Closure of the Independent Living Fund

This fund, to help those with the most severe disabilities live outside of care homes, was axed in June 2015.

Closure of the Remploy factories

These factories provided a supported workplace for disabled workers and were axed in 2013. Half the disabled people who were working there have been unable to find alternative employment

Increase in state pension age

Particularly unfair for women born in the 1950s who, like me, are having to deal with a 4 year delay in getting the state pension, with not enough notice given to plan for this.

Cuts to Local Authority budgets

These are not direct benefit cuts but have slashed the care budget of local authorities leaving many frail elderly people almost abandoned