'Welfare reforms will see resident put into poverty'

LIBERAL Democrat MP for Glastonbury and Somerton, Sarah Dyke, voted against the Government's welfare reform bill, describing the legislation as “botched” and warning that it placed vulnerable residents and their carers at risk.

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Ms Dyke, who spoke out in Parliament about the impacts of the bill, raised the case of Jackie from Street in Somerset, who faces serious hardship under the proposed reforms.

Speaking in Parliament, Ms Dyke said: “Jackie from Street suffers with Crohn's disease, fibromyalgia and mental health issues. She worked for most of her life until ill health made it impossible. Under the reforms, she will lose her entitlement to Personal Independence Payment and Employment Support Allowance, plunging her into poverty.”