Senedd members have called on the UK Government to “get its house in order” before ploughing ahead with plans to slash welfare spending by nearly £5bn.

The Senedd’s equality committee urged Liz Kendall, the UK work and pensions secretary, to address barriers disabled people face in accessing employment before reforming welfare.

Ms Kendall announced the biggest shake-up to the welfare system in a generation in March, including plans to tighten up the eligibility criteria for personal independence payment (Pip).

In a letter to UK ministers, Jenny Rathbone, the Labour chair of the equality committee, wrote: “We have been contacted by individuals and stakeholders expressing deep concern about the proposed changes and the impact they will have on local economies.

“We share these concerns and feel strongly that the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) – alongside employers and other tiers of government – must work much harder to get their houses in order before implementing reform.”

Ms Rathbone added: “We urge the [UK] Government to acknowledge these concerns and keep the people affected at the heart of its decision-making.”

In March, her committee concluded an inquiry into the disability employment gap, warning that too many people face physical and institutional barriers to the world of work.

The gap, which is the difference of employment rates between disabled and non-disabled people, stood at 30 per cent in 2023/24 and has consistently been higher than elsewhere in Britain.

Ms Rathbone wrote: “We felt it was important to urge the UK Government to address the specific barriers disabled people face in accessing employment – identified in our report – before changes to eligibility and support for disabled people are implemented.”

She called for urgent action to radically improve support for disabled people to gain and retain employment before removing entitlements.

The committee criticised the DWP’s “poor performance”, with delays of up to 20 weeks in accessing support through the Access to Work scheme.

As many as 275,000 people in Wales receive Pip and 110,000 who receive universal credit have limited capability for work-related activity, according to the Bevan Foundation.

Senedd members on the equality committee wrote: “The UK Government intends to introduce these changes at speed with changes to Pip and universal credit scheduled for August and November 2026 respectively.

“We do not support this timetable until progress is made to tackle barriers which contribute to the disability employment gap, with evidence that comprehensive support is in place.

“Such an approach risks raising the anchor before checking the sails and we urge the UK Government to look again at the timing and sequencing of these changes.”

The committee’s letter acknowledged the case for reform, with a 45 per cent increase in the number of people claiming health-related benefits since 2018/19.

“Given the potential impact on Welsh individuals and communities, we call on the UK Government to ensure that spending on disability benefits is determined by the level of need and not by a desire to meet fiscal targets,” committee members wrote.