Claimant Commitment: Part One - Behind the Curtains

‘It’s hardly worth fixing my heart if they’re going to starve me to death!’

Recovering from major surgery, Terry Walker faces a financially bleak future - his Disability Living Allowance is being reassessed, his year of Employment and Support Allowance is running out and if his latest appeal isn’t decided in his favour, soon he and his disabled wife Lyn will lose more than half of their weekly income.

Lyn and Terry aren’t alone – as the team at the Solent Welfare Rights Project try to help their clients cope with tough times, they know there is worse to come. From the ‘Bedroom Tax’ to the ‘Benefit Cap’, the end of the Social Fund and sanctions, everything is changing and not for the better.

As Hilary Carrington and her colleagues adapt to the changing times, can they hold on to their principles and independence, and what will happen to their most vulnerable clients as ‘Welfare Reform’ gains pace?

This is the first part of a new serial, which follows 'Severe Discomfort', 'Continual Supervision' and 'Limited Capability' and should be free to download on the fourth and fifth Sunday of most months.