A disabled woman in Stockport said she's been plunged into a total crisis by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) over her benefits payments.

The situation has left Bramhall resident Sabena Khan relying on foodbanks to survive, and having to decide whether to turn the heating on or eat.

The DWP has been slammed by Cheadle MP Tom Morrison over the 'appalling' treatment of one his constituents.

Ms Khan, 47, lives in a flat and suffers from cerebral palsy and rheumatoid arthritis, relying on carers for support day and night.

She receives direct payments from Stockport council to pay for her care, and survives on money from Universal Credit and Employment Support Allowance.

She claims the DWP wrongly judged money from the council to be her own personal savings at the start of this year. She said the mix up has affected her benefits payments and left her taking home £200 less each month than she was before.

Ms Khan's direct payments are kept in a separate bank account from her personal banking, with regular reviews by the council. Her medical conditions prevent her from working but she previously had a career in the probation service.

She said the situation 'has become critical' and that she has been left 'facing severe financial hardship'.

The DWP said Ms Khan's original claim was closed after 'capital was discovered' – but it has not commented on her explanation that this money was sent by the council to pay for care, or answered why she is getting £200 less than previously.

A DWP spokesperson added: "After a new claim and further evidence was provided, Ms Khan is receiving her correct payments."

"They think I've got capital, but it's from Stockport Council to pay my carers, it's not for me for my personal use," Ms Khan said. She reached out to the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) after feeling the DWP were 'not listening' to her pleas to investigate the situation.

"I'm struggling to get by now because of this, I've got an overdraft and it's there for emergencies, but I've never had to use it before," she added. "Now I don't have any choice, I don't know how else to do it."

Stockport Council said it is not able to comment on the situation, but explained that it is in talks with the DWP and is committed to ensuring Ms Khan is supported. The former probation worker uses a wheelchair and said the DWP's handling of the situation has driven her into a mental health crisis.

Stockport Council said it is committed to ensuring Ms Khan is supported (Image - Nub News)

She told the LDRS: "My mental health has gone downhill, I've been to my GP and I'm now taking higher doses of antidepressants, I've never been like that in my life. In April this year I was suicidal, the GP called me in and they tried to help me, it's a worry, it's not good for my disability, my rheumatoid arthritis just kicks off too, my sleep has gone out of the window, just everything is constantly on my mind and I'm worrying how I'm going to pay for this or that.

"I'm just paying the basic bills now, but they [the DWP] don't care, they're not interested."

Ms Khan contacted her local MP Tom Morrison for support. The MP for Cheadle said his office was ignored by the DWP when it got in touch about the situation on numerous occasions, forcing him to escalate the matter to the Secretary of State.

It has sparked major concerns about how the organisation is treating disabled people, the MP added. "What the DWP have put Sabena through over the last year is utterly unacceptable," Mr Morrison said.

"Sabena is disabled and relies on care funding from Stockport council to help her with essential daily tasks. The DWP wrongly treated this care money as her personal savings, leaving her forced to use foodbanks and her overdraft just to survive.

"My office has been fighting for Sabena since July. We told the DWP immediately that this was care funding, not personal money. We chased them repeatedly – in August, September, and October. We were met with silence.

"No one should be driven to the brink like this because of bureaucratic failures. Sabena has been left in an impossible position through no fault of her own, and the lack of urgency from the DWP has been appalling.

"I'm demanding answers about why this took so long and why a vulnerable disabled woman was left in financial crisis for months when the evidence was there from the start. This isn't just about one case – it's about how the system treats disabled people who rely on care support."

Ms Khan added: "I'm frustrated, I'm angry, and I feel like I'm not being listened to. I'd ask anyone at the DWP to try and live what I'm living on, because it's not great, I can't go out anywhere like I used to because I can't pay for it.

"I've had enough now. If I could work I would go and work now, it's not that I didn't want to work, it was my disability that took over."