When one of us is threatened – we are all at risk

This was sent in via email. We dont know where it originated so if anyone finds out please let us know so we can give them full credit.

 

First They came ……

 

A mouse looked through the crack in the wall to see the farmer and his wife open a package.*

What food might this contain?’ the mouse wondered – - – he was devastated to discover it was a mousetrap.

Retreating to the farmyard, the mouse proclaimed the warning: There is a mousetrap in the house! There is a mousetrap in the house!’

The chicken clucked and scratched, raised her head and said, ‘Mr. Mouse, I can tell this is a grave concern to you, but it is of no consequence to me. I cannot be bothered by it.’

The mouse turned to the pig and told him, ‘

Will you be hit by welfare cuts? Want to tell your story?

My name’s Frances Ryan and I’m journalist covering cuts to disability support. I’ve recently worked with DPAC for stories/interviews about DLA and ESA, and the bedroom tax.

 

 

To fit in with new research on the cumulative impact of April’s cuts, I’m currently looking for disabled people who are set to lose multiple benefits – and would be happy to share their story (anonymously if needed) for a possible article.

 

Will you be hit by the six major cuts?

 

They could be:

 

Contributory Employment Support Allowance

 

If you’re currently on low rate Disability Living Allowance – or perhaps are on a higher rate but have reason to believe you will not be elibible under PIP

 

Bedroom tax

 

Council tax benefit reduction/loss

 

Any other benefit cut/loss coming in this April.

 

If you are going to be affected by simultaneous cuts and are happy to speak to me please email frances.ryan18@btinternet.com (rather than leaving a message here as I wouldn’t want to miss your message).

 

Thank you very much.

Disabled people to lose £28.3 billion of support by 2018

 

• Thousands of disabled people will be hit simultaneously by up to six different welfare cuts
• Disabled people will lose £28.3 billion of support by 2018
• Up to 3.7 million disabled people affected in total
• Demos calls on the Government to publish the cumulative impact of multiple cuts to benefits
• Scope asks where disabled people fit in to Chancellor’s ‘aspiration nation’

 

for full details and the report, please see here

WOWPETITION pushes towards 25,000 signatories

As the changes surrounding many welfare benefits come closer to being implemented, more and more people are starting to realise the devastating effect that there will be on their lives.

Also, those not affected at the beginning now understand too that the safety net they may need in the future is being stripped away.

From benefit cuts, care criteria tightened, charges increased, abolition of Independent Living Fund, loss of Legal aid, proposed bedroom tax and so the list goes on.

Grassroot groups are increasing in memberships, voices are being raised louder. Their strength growing, as are the campaigns.

CarerWatch will carry on supporting them and help raise awareness where and when we can.

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One such group is WOWPetition – you can read about some of their team here

They have submitted a petition to the governments website.

Full details here  

or click the logo below to register your support.

CLICK TO SIGN

 

and then share as wide as possible asking your own networks to do the same.

 

Shameless onslaught on carers

 

 

CarerWatch members are outraged having learned of the latest details in a briefing paper recently released by DWP, Personal Independence Payment and Carer’s Allowance, that will affect many carers. Details as confirmed by Esther McVey, Minister for Disabled People -

“Latest estimates project there will be a net reduction of 9,000 recipients of CA (where benefit is in payment) by the end of 2018 as a consequence of reassessment for PIP”

As the above will be the result of a person needing care having lost their Disability Living Allowance, the impact on family’s incomes will be immense. This double blow will especially hit hard those families on the poverty line.

Add to this the introduction of bedroom tax, cuts to local services; we feel this shameless onslaught from the government has shown a total disregard for the services provided by carers. Services estimated to be £119billion per annum

Our society would not function without the care currently provided by unpaid carers and the consistent refusal by Governments to improve Carers lives has ripple effects throughout Social Services and the NHS. Precious few people receive the actual support they need and so many carers are just not receiving vital services and support.

These cuts contradict findings in the Breakthrough Britain report, undertaken by The Centre for Social Justice (CSJ), which was established as an independent think-tank by the Rt Hon Iain Duncan Smith MP, now the present Secretary of State for Works and Pensions.

It said –

“The low level of Carer’s Allowance discourages people from providing care to family members. It is one of the lowest forms of benefit available but it there is a high level of expectation in terms of work, in return”

Removing Carers Allowance from 9000 (projected no.) people will result in less families being able to provide care.

Therefore, we call on Iain Duncan Smith, Secretary of State for Works and Pensions, to look past his fantasy and wishful thinking for these welfare reforms, and look at the reality of what these cuts and reforms are actually doing to many people with disabilities/ill health and their carers.

 

Update – Campaign for Benefit Justice

.Come and have your say (details here)

7pm   Thursday 14^th February 2013

at Camden Town Hall, Council Chamber

Judd St, WC1H 9JE

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UPDATE

Further information received. Please share with your networks.

Campaign for Benefit Justice

Cuts in benefit are an unjust attack on the poor and they must stop. People are already being driven into debt, hunger and homelessness. From April millions more will be hit by the Bedroom tax, cuts in council tax benefit, ending Disability Living Allowance and further vicious cuts. In one of the richest countries in the world, the rise of food banks, destitution and poverty is not acceptable. People receiving benefits did not cause the banking and economic crisis and we do not accept them being scapegoated to pay for it.

The Campaign for Benefit Justice, a network of grassroots campaigns fighting the Tory attacks invites

Scottish Welfare Reform Committee meeting Tues 5th Feb 2013

 

WELFARE REFORM COMMITTEE

AGENDA can be found here, along with names of witnesses

3rd Meeting, 2013 (Session 4)

Tuesday 5 February 2013

The Committee will meet at 10.00 am in Committee Room 3.

More about the committee here

Clerk: Simon Watkins

E-mail:

WelfareReformCommittee@scottish.parliament.uk

You can watch live here from 10 am

 

 

 

 

 

Disabled people will be impoverished as they face a “Tsunami” of benefit cuts – says Inclusion Scotland

Disabled people in Scotland face the impact of several simultaneous cuts to their benefits, say disability campaigners at Inclusion Scotland. They describe the affect as being akin to a virtual Tsunami which will devastate disabled people’s living standards causing hardship and homelessness. They say that the Department for Work & Pensions has refused to carry out a cumulative impact assessment of the effect of welfare cuts on disabled people forcing Inclusion Scotland to do their job for them.

Labour MP Ian Mearns has called for a debate in Westminster Hall which will take place on the afternoon of Tuesday, 18^th December, on the effects of welfare reform on disabled people, their carers and families. This debate follows over a year’s campaigning by disabled people and carers who have worked hard to promote blind activist and carer Pat Onions’ petition asking the government to stop and review the cuts to disabled people’s benefits & services. In spite of restricted media coverage, “Pat’s Petition” collected over 62,600 signatures.

IS have analysed the changes using the DWP’s statistics and have calculated that the combined effect of the cuts planned under the guise of welfare “reform” will have a devastating impact on disabled people (who are more likely to rely benefits for some or all of their income than non-disabled people).

For example:

Live debate – Effects of welfare reform on disabled people

Westminster Hall
Meeting starts on Tuesday 18 December  at 2.30pm

Private Members’ Debate:
Effects of welfare reform on disabled people, their carers and families – Ian Mearns

Once started you can watch live here

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The program of welfare reform and cuts is proceeding with alarming momentum and the needs of carers  and  disabled people are being lost in the fiscal crisis. 

CarerWatch urge those participating in this debate to please look past the fantasy and wishful thinking - to the reality of what these cuts and reforms are actually doing to many individuals/families.

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Problems with Implementation of Universal Credit – evidence to Works and Pensions committee

UPDATE – IDS and Lord freud to give evidence re Universal credit Monday 17th 2012

Witnesses

At 9.30am, Wednesday 5 September 2012, Grimond Room, Portcullis House

• Cllr Sir Merrick Cockell, Chairman and Cllr Catherine West, (Islington Council), Local Government Association
• Gavin Smart, Director of Policy and Practice, Chartered Institute of Housing
• Pete Challis, National Officer (Local Government and Housing), Unison

At 10.30am

• Professor Mike Brewer, Research Fellow and James Browne, Senior Research Economist, Institute for Fiscal Studies
• Tony Wilson, Director of Policy and Research, Centre for Economic and Social Inclusion
• Fran Bennett, Senior Research Fellow, Oxford Institute of Social Policy, Women’s Budget Group

Grimond Room
Meeting started at 9.29am. Ended at 11.32am

watch video here 

Next session Monday 10th Sept 2012  4.30pm

Witnesses: Citizens Advice, Child Poverty Action Group  and Children’s Society

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We have not had time to watch the full video but enough to know there are serious problems regarding the implementation of the Universal credit.

Comments made by witnesses in the video above were -

troubles with no of claimants with internet access

enormous challenge to have it ready on time

concerns about skills and ability of many benefit claimants in completing forms online correctly. Many people still need face to face support

it is a Big bang approach with a high risk

more and more caework of people needing support but few contact places remaining

grave concerns about frequency of payments. DWP wants UC paid monthly but this would cause serious problems for many families

targets for JSA claimants to do so online have not been met, so extremely doubtful future targets for UC would be met.

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The Coalition government MUST start to take heed of the warnings it is receiving from many individuals, grassroot group, charities, Unions, etc. Universal Credit is only one of many changes but link them all together and many families will be hit several times over.

There has been no real thought as to how welfare reform will also impact on Social Care.

These changes may not affect you personally now, but may do so in the future. Add your voice to almost 46,000 people in saying – ENOUGH IS ENOUGH

Iain Duncan Smith battles to save his universal credit scheme – Mirror

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There is no need for anyone to fight alone. Voices are being raised louder and increasing in number. Below are links to various campaigns that would welcome you.

WE ARE IN THIS TOGETHER

Pats Petition  sign but also share widely and ask others to do the same

DPAC   lists of many direct actions

Black Triangle   defender of Disability Rights

We are Spartacus Disabled peoples views on welfare reform

Hardest Hit  alliance of charities and others

A Future that Works  a march in London 20th october 2012