Thousands of disabled people in the Bradford district have had their benefits stopped after the Government introduced strict new rules.

A total of 2,100 people in the parliamentary constituencies of Bradford East, Bradford West, Bradford South, Shipley and Keighley are no longer receiving any payments, with the Department for Work and Pensions gradually phasing out Disability Living Allowance (DLA) and replacing it with the Personal Independence Payment (PIP).

These benefits help people pay for disability-related living costs, such as personal carers or mobility aids, but fewer vulnerable people have been receiving them since 2013.

Figures show 4,154 people in Bradford South were receiving DLA in November 2017, while 4,240 and 4,360 were eligible for the benefit payment in Bradford West and Bradford East respectively.

This is a drop of 500 people in both Bradford South and Bradford West and 600 in Bradford East between October 2013 and October 2017.

There are 200 disabled people no longer receiving their money in Shipley and 300 people in Keighley, leaving 2,465 claimants in Shipley and 2,932 in Keighley.

The vast reduction has sparked outrage among disability campaigners and Bradford MPs, who want the Government to review the changes.

Imran Hussain, MP for Bradford East, said: “The Government is failing disabled people with a dehumanising assessment process that is widely distrusted, not fit for purpose and focused more on reducing the claimant count than identifying needs, and it is time that PIP assessments were scrapped and replaced with a tailored plan so that people get the support they need.”

The assessment process, which is carried out by private contractors, came under fire after a 2017 review revealed that 65 per cent of those who challenged DWP decisions successfully had them overturned in court.

Judith Cummins, Labour MP for Bradford South, labelled the new system “a shambles”.

She added: “I know from my surgeries that too often, sick and disabled people find the assessment process dehumanising and inaccurate. There is a big lack of trust in the new system. Simply, it is not fit for purpose.”

The picture is the same in neighbouring areas to Bradford, with 500 fewer claimants in the Batley and Spen constituency and 300 fewer in Calder Valley, while the number of people receiving the benefit has dropped by 200 in Leeds North West and by 200 in Skipton and Ripon.

Naz Shah, MP for Bradford West, added: “The figures obtained by the T&A do not surprise me at all and confirm the experience of my constituency office staff.

“As the Disability Living Allowance is phased out people are forced to apply for PIP and undergo an assessment conducted by a ‘health professional’. But the system is not working fairly.”

A DWP spokeswoman said: “We’re committed to ensuring that disabled people get the full support that they need, and under PIP 29% of people are getting the highest rate of support, compared with 15% under DLA.

“Assessments work well for the majority of people, but one person’s poor experience is one too many, and we’re committed to continuously improving the process for people so that they get the support they need.

“Decisions are made following consideration of all the information provided by the claimant, including supporting evidence from their GP or medical specialist.

“Nearly 3.1 million PIP decisions have been made, and of these 9% have been appealed and 4% have been overturned. In the majority of successful appeals, decisions are overturned because people have submitted more oral or written evidence.”