A NATIONAL crackdown to weed out people who claim incapacity benefit when fit for work is to be piloted in Burnley.

More than 6,300 people in the borough claim the benefit, 12 per cent of the working population.

They will now have to undergo a new work capability assessment, gauging their suitability for employment.

The majority of cases will require a fresh medical and face to face interview.

Burnley has been chosen to trial the scheme because of the high proportion of people claiming the benefit.

The national average is seven per cent of the working population and across Lancashire the figure is eight per cent.

Ministers said the borough, which also includes Padiham and Hapton, was also picked as it has claimants from different backgrounds, including both rural and urban areas.

The only other pilot will be run in Aberdeen before the scheme is rolled out across the country next year.

Charities and welfare campaigners have given a cautious welcome to the proposals - but only if the current assessment regime undergoes a major overhaul.

And MP Gordon Birtwistle said an older generation of skilled workers, not physically fit for manual work, could pass on their skills to the younger generation if the right jobs could be found for them.

The Government said it was keen to move those claiming incapacity benefit, at £91 per week, onto jobseekers allowance, of around £65 if they did not meet its criteria for the benefit.

It said help would be given to genuine cases but those deemed ‘fit to work’ would be ‘assisted’ in finding employment.

Mr Birtwistle said: “People who deserve to be on the benefit will definitely continue to receive it.

“And those whose conditions have improved, due to advances in medicines, will be put onto an employment and support allowance.

“We will work with them to see if there is any prospect of them returning to work.

“But those who are swinging the lead will be moved onto jobseekers allowance.

“There are a lot of deserving people on the benefit but there are some who could be contributing to the economy.”

The pilot will begin in October and last until January when it will be introduced nationally.

Lizzie Iron, the CAB’s welfare policy head, said: “While we welcome addressing the problem of high levels of unemployment among disabled people, it is vital that cases are assessed properly and fairly which requires commitment, capacity and investment.

“At the moment, evidence from across our bureau network shows that the current assessment is going badly wrong in far too many cases leaving high numbers of seriously ill and disabled people being found ‘fit for work’.”

She said CAB clients including those in the advanced stages of Parkinson’s Disease and multiple sclerosis, people with severe mental illness, and even those awaiting open heart surgery, had been deemed fit.

Emma Mamo, policy manager at mental health charity MIND, said she also had concerns: “The government have made their intentions to cut down the number of people claiming incapacity benefits crystal clear, but are pressing on with using a benefit test that is not fit to assess whether someone’s mental health is a barrier to work or not.”

Announcing the plans, Work and Pensions Minister Chris Grayling said: “There are people claiming incapacity benefits that can work, and want to work, with our help they will be able to.”

He promised an independent review to ensure assessments were ‘fair and transparent’, to report back by the end of the year.