STEPHANIE PEACOCK, MP for Barnsley East, has revealed figures showing a 40 per cent increase in time taken to consider benefit decision appeals in Barnsley.
Mandatory reconsideration of Personal Independence Payment (PIP) decisions increased on average by 13 days for the last 12 months in which figures are available.
Mandatory reconsiderations allow claimants to challenge DWP decisions on PIP, which helps people with long-term ill-health or disability.
In February 2018, the average time taken to fully consider a mandatory reconsideration in Barnsley was 31 days.
By January 2019, this had increased to 44 days, Across South Yorkshire, clearance times increased by 17 days while nationally, the average time taken for mandatory reconsideration rose to 54 days, an increase of more than 86 per cent over the same period.
Stephanie said: “People in desperate need of assistance and support should not be made to wait for increasingly long times by this Tory government for the help they need just to go about their daily lives.”
