Challenging the narrative - Turn2us writes to the Chancellor

Dear Chancellor of the Exchequer, 

We write to you ahead of the Budget on 30 October as a group of over 60 diverse organisations, urging you to consider the narrative you lean on as you deliver your speech, as well as in subsequent debates and conversations with the press. The way we talk about the social security system matters: it can be the difference between creating stigma or compassion. As a politician, your words have the power to create a kinder climate for those claiming the social security they're entitled to. 

We recognise the scale of the challenge you face to secure economic growth for the country and improve people’s living standards, particularly for those on the lowest incomes. We are already seeing some welcome change in the way government talks about social security, including Liz Kendall’s recent commitment to end the culture of blaming people who are out of work, moving away from the anti-welfare rhetoric directed at people needing support. 

By shifting the focus away from stigmatising those of us who need support, and concentrating on the system, we can build faith in our institutions and give people the confidence to access the support they’re entitled to. For this shift to be effective in the long term, pro-social security narratives should be adopted across government. 

We know that negative narratives are created and normalised through the language used by  politicians and the media. In turn, they can manifest in policies and practices and become baked into our collective consciousness. This can directly harm the economic and social wellbeing of the people and communities we support every day. 

The impact of these narratives is far reaching. Financial insecurity affects everything, including the options available to us and the choices we can make. It not only affects our income but also our mental health, our wellbeing and our confidence in the future. 

Stigmatising narratives undermine our ability to escape the grip of financial insecurity and can cause people to delay or avoid reaching out for support before problems escalate. 

Suggestions that the welfare bill is out of control aren’t only inaccurate; they directly contribute to harmful narratives. The same can be said for the media’s focus on tackling benefit fraud, which criminalises the idea of seeking support before people have even taken the first step. People tell us they’re scared of making a mistake, that they feel lost and helpless, and sometimes that they’ve given up on making a claim. 

We are asking you to speak to the reality and lived experience of the many people who rely on this support, not the few who exploit it. Those who face financial shocks, like losing a job or a loved one. Those who are working tirelessly to make ends meet and rely on Universal Credit to top up their income. And the many Disabled people who overcome constant barriers but often feel unheard in debates about their finances. 

We believe in the missions the government has outlined: to kickstart economic growth and break down barriers to opportunity. To make this a reality, we are asking you to focus on the root causes of the challenges we face and resist divisive rhetoric to justify policy choices. 

Together, we can ensure the story of the social security system is one that helps people, and our economy, to thrive. Just as we rely on the NHS, we should be proud of a social security system that’s fair, compassionate and there for us when we need it. 

Tom Lawson, CEO Turn2us 
Sonya Chowdhury, Chief Executive Officer Action for ME 
Alun Thomas, Prif Weithredwr / Chief Executive Adferiad 
Callum Delhoy, Public Affairs and Policy Manager AdviceUK 
Jolanta Lasota, Chief Executive Ambitious about Autism 
Sacha Deshmukh, Chief Executive Officer Amnesty International UK 
Sue Millman, Chief Executive Officer Ataxia UK 
Kaydence Drayak, Giving Poverty a Voice Officer ATD 4th World 
Helen Bulbeck, Director of Policy and Services Brainstrust - the brain cancer people 
Andrew Clark, Chair of Trustees Buckinghamshire Disability Service BuDS 
Joseph Howes, Chief Executive Buttle UK 
Patrick O'Dowd, Director Caritas Salford 
Ben Gilchrist, Chief Executive Officer Caritas Shrewsbury 
Gavin Smart, Chief Executive Officer Chartered Institute of Housing 
Alison Garnham, Chief Executive Child Poverty Action Group 
Stewart McCulloch, CEO Christians Against Poverty 
Niall Cooper, Chief Executive Church Action on Poverty 
Maria Kogkou, Head of Business & Development Citizens Advice Lewisham 
Simon Bull, Chief Executive CMTUK 
Sonia Meikle, Chair Croydon Sickle Cell & Thalasemia Support Group 
Christopher Hartworth, Director Difference 
Duncan Bell, Head of External Communications Dimensions 
Jo Mitchell, Senior Welfare Benefits Adviser Disability Law Service 
Kamran Mallick, Chief Executive Officer Disability Rights UK 
Victoria Wareham, Director of Operations and Development Dystonia UK 
Alison Fuller, Director of Health Improvement Epilepsy Action and Influencing 
Will Snell, Chief Executive Fairness Foundation 
Sir David Holmes CBE, CEO Family Action Family Action 
Paula Ojok, Chief Executive Helplines Partnership 
Caroline Collier, CEO Inclusion Barnet 
Sabine Goodwin, Director Independent Food Aid Network 
Paul Kissack, Group Chief Executive Joseph Rowntree Foundation 
Paul Bristow, CEO Kidney Care UK 
Amy Little, Head of Advocacy Leonard Cheshire 
Mark Rowland, Chief Executive Mental Health Foundation 
Minesh Patel, Associate Director of Policy Mind 
Ceri Smith, Head of Policy MS Society 
Andy Barrick, Chief Executive Officer Multiple System Atrophy Trust 
Dr Dale Webb, CEO National Axial Spondyloarthritis Society 
Shirley Hayes, Disability Benefits Specialist National Deaf Children's Society 
Andrea Brown, Chief Executive National Kidney Federation 
Peter Foxton, Chief Executive of NRAS National Rheumatoid Arthritis Society 
Mandy Crandale, CEO National Survivor User Network 
Saranya Thambirajah, Vice President Liberation & Equality NUS UK 
Elizabeth Kelly, Advice Line Manager and Trustee OUCH UK (Organisation for the Understanding of Cluster Headache) 
Juliet Tizzard, Director of External Affairs and Communications Parkinsons UK 
Deven Ghelani, CEO Policy in Practice 
Mark Jackson, Director of Policy & Influencing PSPA 
Shameem Ahmad, CEO Public Law Project 
Lucy Byrne, CEO Richmond AID 
Terry Stokes, CEO RightsNet 
Matt Stringer, Chief Executive Officer RNIB 
Tom Allingham, Communications Director Save the Student 
Jaine Stannard, CEO School-Home Support 
James Taylor, Executive Director of Strategy Impact & Social Change Scope 
Harriet Edwards, Head of Policy, Public Affairs and Research Sense 
Euan McPherson, Chief Executive Services For Independent Living 
Ella Smith, Welfare Rights Adviser The ME Association 
Helen Undy, Chief Executive The Money and Mental Health Policy Institute 
Georgina Carr, Chief Executive The Neurological Alliance 
Peter Kelly, Chief Executive The Poverty Alliance 
Nick Carroll, Interim Chief Executive Officer Together for Short Lives 
Duncan Craig OBE, Chief Executive Officer We Are Survivors 
Charlotte Shaw, Chairperson Wirral Carers Alliance 
Mary-Ann Stephenson, Director Women's Budget Group