News / Society

Brexit to be “disastrous” for vulnerable groups, MPs warn

Wednesday, 04 April 2018 2:05 PM [ Last Update: Wednesday, 04 April 2018 2:09 PM ]

British lawmakers say Brexit will be “disastrous for disadvantaged groups unless ministers take urgent action.”

UK lawmakers have warned that Britain’s exit from the European Union could be “disastrous” for disadvantaged groups in the country unless ministers take urgent action to replace vital services after Brexit.

A report by the Parliament’s Work and Pensions Committee published on Wednesday stated that programs supporting some of the least advantaged communities, such as disabled people and young offenders, risk “bankruptcy” due to the loss of the European Social Fund (ESF), which provides 500 million pounds per year of EU funding to these services.

The programs it funds deliver employment and skills support to people who are poorly served or neglected by mainstream welfare services, including disabled people, the long-term unemployed, people with multiple barriers to work and those recently released from prison.

“Without ESF funding, Shaw Trust would not have been able to support 70,000 disabled people, offenders and people with complex needs to gain new skills, improve their wellbeing and find work, over the past few years,” The charity’s integrated services director, Richard Clifton, told The Independent.

While the British government has pledged to create a UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) serving a similar purpose to current EU funding, the future is uncertain beyond that, Members of Parliament (MPs) say.

The Parliament’s report warns that the government must “act fast,” saying the consequences of a gap in provision – for providers, for local areas, and for individuals – would be “disastrous.”

PressTV-Nearly half of kids in UK live in poverty: Study

Most children in UK's poorest areas now growing up in poverty: Study, a new study has found,

Members of Parliament (MPs) have said that urgent action is taken to provide for such vital services. So far, the UK government has only verbally pledged to create a Shared Prosperity Fund serving a similar purpose.

The UK is currently due to leave the EU at the end of March 2019 after nearly 52 percent of Britons opted to leave the bloc during the EU referendum in June last year.

The United Kingdom formally triggered the Brexit process on March 29 and divorce negotiations officially began on June 19.

Press TV’s website can also be accessed at the following alternate addresses:

www.presstv.co.uk