BARNSLEY MP Michael Dugher has called for action to urgently deal with a huge backlog for personal independence payment assessments affecting 560 people in his constituency.
The MP says that according to the latest Department for Work and Pensions figures and independent House of Commons analysis, personal independence payments, introduced last year to replace disability living allowance, is beset by delays and rising costs.
Figures show 529,000 people applied for PIP, but only 206,000 received a decision about whether they qualified for help – leaving 323,000 people in limbo across the country.
Mr Dugher said: "It's absolutely disgraceful that more than 500 people in Barnsley East are still waiting for a personal independence payment assessment."
** The full story appears in the Barnsley Chronicle, dated December 12. **
