'I was hospitalised by panic after unthinkable benefits cuts news - my sons will suffer'

A mum of two children with autism has said it is “unthinkable” to think about how her family will suffer if they can’t access vital disability benefits.

Lorraine Griffin, from Dudley, was hospitalised with a panic attack when the cuts to welfare benefitswere announced earlier this year.

“I was absolutely frantic because in your head, it's the worst case scenario, isn't it? Suddenly your bit of stability can just vanish, go up in smoke. It's awful.

“I'm not just talking for me. I'm talking about all the other families that I know so well, in school, in my autism groups, lots of Facebook groups, I'm talking for them too."

Her sons Sam, 13, and Ben, 12, currently receive the medium and high amounts of Disability Living Allowance. But the boys will have to apply for the under-threat Personal Independence Paymentswhen they turn 16.

READ MORE: DWP benefit cuts rebellion leaves Keir Starmer with these three options

“We do rely on that money for their needs... I can't even fathom in my head, not qualifying for PIP. Just because we get disability finances and disability benefits, we're not rolling in it. We're not mega rich. It doesn't mean that at all.

“It just means that that money is there for us with our everyday needs.”

Lorraine said she currently needs the extra money to pay for anything from medication to clothing to taxis. She said her son Ben won’t wear clothing so she has to buy leotards from a specialist website which cost an “absolute fortune”.

If their benefits were cut, she said “a whole range of things would have to go”. “It's unthinkable to be honest,” she added.

The 53-year-old said the Government was "picking on the most vulnerable, the disabled, for goodness sake. She said: "I can’t believe it.”

Lorraine is pleading with Keir Starmer to hit the “pause button” on his PIP changes. “I hope that they see sense and just press the pause button and have another look and have another think and see what they can do. I really hope so.

“Obviously they've all got constituents like me, they need to listen, don't they, and take into consideration what it means for us. I really hope they do.”

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