The Conservative Party has pledged to save £2.8 billion annually by ending Disability Living Allowance (DLA) payments for families of children with mild behavioural disorders, learning difficulties, or ADHD.
This measure forms part of a broader package the party says will save £36 billion from the welfare budget.
Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary Helen Whately warned that the current system risks placing children on a “conveyor belt” toward a “lifetime on benefits.”
Labour criticised the plan as a “charter for homelessness and human misery” that would push people into hardship and ultimately cost the state more.
Child Disability Living Allowance allows parents to claim between £30.30 and £194.60 per week to help cover the additional costs of raising a disabled child.
To qualify, a child must have difficulty getting around or need significantly more care than a non-disabled child of the same age.
The Conservatives describe child DLA as the “fastest growing benefit in the UK’s welfare system,” citing government statistics showing cases rose from 521,476 in 2020 to 914,000.
Under the proposal, claims involving behavioural disorders, learning difficulties, or ADHD would qualify for cash payments only where the need is highest.
The party estimates that around 30% of cases—those with the most severe conditions—would continue to receive payments.
The remaining 70% would lose direct payments but receive support through mental health services and family hubs, into which the Conservatives say they will invest £1 billion.
The changes would apply to new claims and reassessments. Children with physical disabilities would be exempt.
Other previously announced cuts include:
-
£13.7 billion from changes to sickness and disability benefits, including restricting payments to claimants with milder mental health issues and neurodiversity conditions such as anxiety, depression, and ADHD
-
£9.5 billion by making it harder for foreign nationals to claim benefits
-
£4.5 billion by reducing local housing allowance payments
-
£3.1 billion by reintroducing the two-child benefit cap
-
£1 billion from tackling fraud
Setting out the party’s plans, Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch said: “The reality is that millions of people can and do contribute to our economy, to their families, and to their communities even when they face serious challenges.
“Double amputees run marathons. People who are housebound do wonderful creative work from home. People with autism run some of the world’s biggest technology companies.
“If you tell a young person that their ADHD means they are defective and will never amount to anything, that mindset is likely to be more destructive to their future than the condition itself.”
