Dr Simon Duffy of the Centre for Welfare Reform and UBI Lab Sheffield spoke to members of Sheffield's Disability Hub, in partnership with Disability Sheffield about the potential of Basic Income Plus to benefit disabled people and replace the ESA system.

1. Basic Income Plus
an alternative to neoliberal welfare reforms

4. basic income means
every individual receives
a regular payment of
cash to live on

5. • There is no country where there is a full working basic income
system.
• There have been successful pilots of basic income around the world.
• Bits of our current system (state pension and child benefit) are quite
close to being a form of basic income.
• Social security for working age people has moved away from the
principles of basic income.
• There is an international campaign for basic income (e.g. BIEN and
Basic Income UK).
• Basic income is Green Party policy and John McDonnell has
expressed support for the idea in the past.

6. basic income is a radical
change to the social
security system
(ie tax and benefits)

7. basic income is different
• No means-testing (within the benefit itself) - universal
• No stigma and shame in claiming benefits - invisible
• No sanctions, you get it no matter what - unconditional
• No dependency, not family-based - individual
• Less confusing - simple(r)

9. basic income impact (?)
• Reduce poverty
• Improve health
• Improve work life
• End stigma
• Reduce suicides
• Reduce bureaucracy
• Increase solidarity
• Increase citizen action
• Improve life for carers
• Reduce domestic violence
• Improve learning

14. basic income in practice
• There is no agreed model or set level
• Housing subsidies may best be treated separately
• Attention will still need to be paid to disability costs
• It is not a replacement for existing public services
• Community support and responsibility are still important

15. basic income critics
Left-wing (e.g. NEF)
• It is better to give people
services than money
• It is a subsidy for bad
employers
• It will distract people from
fighting for employment rights
• It won’t be sensitive to differing
needs
Right-wing (e.g. JRF)
• It is not affordable
• It won’t be accepted
• It will discourage work
• It will encourage
dependence on the state

16. Benefits are not
government expenditure
they are part of a system
of redistribution
constrained by
political power

17. People generally do
not understand how
widespread benefits
already are…

18. how benefits are distributed

19. Nor, how unfair the
current system is,
e.g. the poorest
pay the most tax…

20. how taxes are distributed

22. In fact the real (after tax)
cost of benefits is
VERY LOW…

23. current redistribution

24. For the better off it is
effectively the equivalent
to the cost of
a cup of coffee…

26. The current system is not
just bad, it has also got
progressively worse, with
income being taken away
from the poorest…

28. If we really did
redistribute money
effectively then we could
eliminate poverty and
radically reduce
inequality…

29. 1. Reduce the income of richest 10% by 8.9%
to lift income of poorest 10% to level of second decile
and improve equality ratio to 1:5
2. Reduce the income of the richest 10% by 15.2%
to lift income of poorest 20% to level of third decile
and improve equality ratio to 1:4
3. Reduce the income of the richest 10% by 27%
to lift income of poorest 30% to level of fourth decile and
improve equality ratio to 1:3
what we could do instead

31. If we were prepared to
change the tax system then
it would not be hard to
come up with a
basic income system more
generous than the
current system

32. • Child Benefit (first) = £20.70 (£1,080)
• Pension = £125. 90 (£6,546)
• Basic Tax Credit = £37.70 (£1,960)
• JSA (over 25) = £73.10 (£3,800)
• Tax Allowance = £45.58 (£11,850 @20% = £2,370)
• ESA (support group) = £110.75 (£5,759)
• LHA (1 bed Sheffield) = £94.80 (£4,930)
some existing benefits

33. but some groups would
do better than other
groups and some people
would have to
pay more tax…

35. What will also help is if
we start to think
differently about
(1) economics (2) wealth
and (3) work…

39. Will basic income work
for disabled people?
Possibly, if it becomes
Basic Income Plus

41. 1. Every disabled person is guaranteed at least the basic
income
2. Disabled people are united with all other citizens in
benefiting from higher levels of basic income
3. No more means-testing, no more sanctions, no
reduction because you live with someone else
4. A better assessment system could create a fair level of
additional funding (Basic Income Plus)
5. It could increase people’s level of control over personal
budgets etc.
Possible benefits include

42. Questions that remain
• Is the current system - which divides disabled people
from the unemployed - better for disabled people?
• If disabled people should get extra money what are the
principles that should determine that?
• If there is an assessment process then how should that
work so that it is empowering?

43. • Working to get the people and the City of Sheffield to
support the idea of testing basic income in the City.
• Exploring whether ESA could be converted into a form of
Basic income plus as part of the pilot.
• Encouraging discussion and the development of a model
created by and for disabled people.

44. @UBILabSheffield
@CforWR
@simonjduffy
@citizen_network
@CitizenReform
fb.me/UBILabSheffield
fb.me/centreforwelfarereform
fb.me/citizennetwork
https://www.ubilabsheffield.org
https://basicincome.org
https://www.basicincome.org.uk
https://citizensincome.org
www.citizen-network.org
www.cforwr.org
Check out websites
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