campaign against welfare cuts and poverty

[teqniq]

Another member of David Cameron's family has joined the campaign against his cuts

 

[chainsawjob]

DWP defeated in Lords over ESA cuts

Back to the Commons then. What a state of affairs.

The Government may be about to scrap one of its harshest disability benefit cuts

 

[chainsawjob]

My god

Iain Duncan Smith's new benefits helpline is going to cost claimants 45p a minute

 

[teqniq]

The same people that did the series about the homeless in Swansea which I started a thread about here have done a new series entitled Battling with benefits. Episode one was last week but can be found on iPlayer, episode two is tonight.

 

[K D C]

My friend is on ESA (support group) she has multiple health issues. She got a letter from DWP with the usual, "we want to make sure you are getting the right amount of benefit". They invited her to a compliance interview at which they kept asking for bank statements; she provided building society book. They now keep pestering for more statements and at last meeting on Monday they suspended her benefits as she had not given them the statements they wanted. She was already living on the breadline, rent arrears etc, this will make her life very difficult. Any tips or advice would be good.

 

[BigTom]

My friend is on ESA (support group) she has multiple health issues. She got a letter from DWP with the usual, "we want to make sure you are getting the right amount of benefit". They invited her to a compliance interview at which they kept asking for bank statements; she provided building society book. They now keep pestering for more statements and at last meeting on Monday they suspended her benefits as she had not given them the statements they wanted. She was already living on the breadline, rent arrears etc, this will make her life very difficult. Any tips or advice would be good.

If you have a CAB local to you, see if you can get an appointment there so they can help you appeal the sanction and sort out what the DWP are doing. You may have other support/advice/advocacy services locally to you, if you're happy to say roughly where you live, someone here might be able to help you find local services.

My knowledge is too many years old now and ESA was always a bit rough anyway so don't rely on the next bit, get proper advice, but if she's been sanctioned then her housing benefit shouldn't stop, but it may do because the DWP will tell the council she's not on benefits anymore, and she'll need to put in a zero income claim to get HB back. ESA sanctions are 70% of the benefit iirc, but you say her benefits have been suspended so I don't know if that means they've been sanctioned or stopped eg because of "suspected fraud" or something. Knowing/working all this out is easier with someone you can sit down and talk to tbh, and privately rather than in a public forum where you won't/might not want to reveal much/any personal info.

 

[anthony243]

Nail on head. As I posted on another thread

Work is not some magical solution to people's problems. Work is pretty shit for a lot of people. The problem is that people will probably not be encouraged to find work that suits them, work they enjoy and work that isn't going to make their problems worse. In all likelihood, they'll be forced into any job to make the stats look good or they'll be put onto shitty New Deal type courses, where our tax money pays private enterprises to pretend to train people.

 

[Mr.Bishie]

Dunked In Shite defeated, for the time being!

Cruel Tory welfare cut defeated after this powerful speech by a Paralympic idol

 

[SaySomething]

I had an accident in October last year - really embarrassing, but I hit a pot hole in the middle of the road and crashed my son's electric scooter. (Was showing him how it works ) Anyway - really damaged my knee and still suffer with it now - have only just been able to stop using crutches. I am still waiting for an MRI scan to determine exactly what is wrong with it as the doctors say ligament damage/ soft tissue etc would basically be healed by now so watch this space! At the time of my accident, I worked part time as a classroom assistant but my employer terminated my employment the following month. (I'd heard from other staff that the reason for my p45 was because I couldn't do much work sitting with a leg propped up on a chair and even that my boss didnt want to pay the sick pay! Determined not to go back onto JSA I juggled the various doctors and hospital appointments, looked for work, went to interviews, covered Christmas costs and raised my 12 year old as a single mum as best as I could with limited mobility and very strong painkillers that zoned me out!
Five months on, I'm still constantly limping and unstable on my feet, cant crouch down or kneel and in some degree of manageable pain, but can hobble up to the bus stop if I need to get out and about anywhere including job interviews... which so far have not been successful. I'm certain it's because of my ongoing medical situation and who would want to take on a new staff member that would need time off for hospital appointments and possibly surgery etc?

Life goes on and I thought my housing benefit would do the same - but to my utter horror - I received a letter from my housing association saying I had not paid my rent and they are looking to evict me and my son from our home. I do not know where I stand (pardon the pun) with regard to claiming any sort of disability allowance, whether it could be back dated to cover the rent or who to speak to for help! Can anyone offer any advice please? I'm really worried that we'll be forced out and homeless if I cannot come up with the dosh.

 

[BigTom]

I had an accident in October last year - really embarrassing, but I hit a pot hole in the middle of the road and crashed my son's electric scooter. (Was showing him how it works ) Anyway - really damaged my knee and still suffer with it now - have only just been able to stop using crutches. I am still waiting for an MRI scan to determine exactly what is wrong with it as the doctors say ligament damage/ soft tissue etc would basically be healed by now so watch this space! At the time of my accident, I worked part time as a classroom assistant but my employer terminated my employment the following month. (I'd heard from other staff that the reason for my p45 was because I couldn't do much work sitting with a leg propped up on a chair and even that my boss didnt want to pay the sick pay! Determined not to go back onto JSA I juggled the various doctors and hospital appointments, looked for work, went to interviews, covered Christmas costs and raised my 12 year old as a single mum as best as I could with limited mobility and very strong painkillers that zoned me out!
Five months on, I'm still constantly limping and unstable on my feet, cant crouch down or kneel and in some degree of manageable pain, but can hobble up to the bus stop if I need to get out and about anywhere including job interviews... which so far have not been successful. I'm certain it's because of my ongoing medical situation and who would want to take on a new staff member that would need time off for hospital appointments and possibly surgery etc?

Life goes on and I thought my housing benefit would do the same - but to my utter horror - I received a letter from my housing association saying I had not paid my rent and they are looking to evict me and my son from our home. I do not know where I stand (pardon the pun) with regard to claiming any sort of disability allowance, whether it could be back dated to cover the rent or who to speak to for help! Can anyone offer any advice please? I'm really worried that we'll be forced out and homeless if I cannot come up with the dosh.

You need to speak to your local council's housing benefit department to find out what happened to that and open a new HB claim. afaik benefits won't be backdated to before you start a claim so you need to find out what happened to your claim previously and why it was stopped and hopefully you'll be able to re-open it and get it backdated fully. I'd guess that when you got your p45, and then didn't claim JSA, the HB dept thought you were no longer eligible to claim at all and stopped your benefits then. Only they will know this though.
YOu can get advice from Shelter or CAB or possibly from your housing association.
afaik no disability benefits will pay for rent specifically. You may be able to claim ESA or PIP but they won't backdate to before you apply for them so get an application in asap.

 

[SaySomething]

You need to speak to your local council's housing benefit department to find out what happened to that and open a new HB claim. afaik benefits won't be backdated to before you start a claim so you need to find out what happened to your claim previously and why it was stopped and hopefully you'll be able to re-open it and get it backdated fully. I'd guess that when you got your p45, and then didn't claim JSA, the HB dept thought you were no longer eligible to claim at all and stopped your benefits then. Only they will know this though.
YOu can get advice from Shelter or CAB or possibly from your housing association.
afaik no disability benefits will pay for rent specifically. You may be able to claim ESA or PIP but they won't backdate to before you apply for them so get an application in asap.

Thank you for the advice - best get hobbling up to the bus stop lol! Fingers crossed we work something out thanks again

 

[teqniq]

Tories block plan to look at the impact of their disability benefit cuts

 

[teqniq]

Iain Duncan Smith exposed after using anti-cuts cancer charity to back his cuts

Iain Duncan Smith has used a cancer charity that's campaigning against his welfare cuts - to defend his welfare cuts.

The Work and Pensions Secretary quoted Macmillan to back slashing £30 a week from sickness benefit Employment and Support Allowance (ESA), we can reveal.

Now Labour have accused him of "twisting Macmillan's words" after it emerged the quote was from a report SIX YEARS ago.

And the charity has told the Mirror its words would not have applied to victims of the cuts, which it is fighting to stop....

 

[smokedout]

worth watching for an analysis of where social security policy is going

 

[Jay Park]

It makes so sad and at the same time so extremely angry to read this page.... The world is insane.

 

[chainsawjob]

Unite are organising a day of action against sanctions this Wednesday, the 9th. There will be protests outside job centres across the country.

More and more people are facing benefit sanctions. Half a million people have had their benefits suddenly stopped by sanctions in the last 12 months.

That’s half a million people, many of whom have been plunged into poverty, unable to heat their homes or even eat. How is this meant to help prepare people for work?

Benefit sanctions must be fought against

These sanctions are cruel and handed out for ridiculous reasons such as:

• Arriving minutes late to a meeting
• Not applying for jobs when waiting to start a new job!
• Missing an appointment on the day of the funeral of a close family member.

This has to stop.

Will you join us for our Day of Action against Sanctions on Wednesday 9 March?

Details here Stop benefit sanctions

 

[8115]

Great documentary about the "regeneration" that's happening.

The Estate We're In

 

[Mr.Bishie]

Didn't know where to put this, but it probably deserves a place here, & not in the 'wasting ur bandwidthz' thread. I hope it inspires young people to get political as this young man clearly is. Such a talent.

 

[stethoscope]

Protest apparently inside parliament during PMQ about disability cuts

Disability campaigners stage protest inside parliament - Politics live

 

[treelover]

Only Caroline and John Mc(as usual) came out to see them

St Paul, sorry, Duncan Smith nowhere to be seen.

 

[treelover]

 

[Bernie Gunther]

I was a JSA claimant on Twitter



BBC coverage being censored ... ?

 

[SpookyFrank]

I was a JSA claimant on Twitter



BBC coverage being censored ... ?

Mr reporter needs to learn to use the phrase 'or what?'

 

[Mr.Bishie]

Fair fucking play. Doffs cap.

 

[StoneRoad]

I'm impressed that the banner got past "security" ...
fair play to the protesters and shame on the beeb / HoP staff for the censorship

 

[treelover]

Osborne’s ratings plunge after Budget, and Corbyn more popular than PM


IPSO MORI POLL, 84% oppose current disability benefit cuts, paradigm shift, or temporary conscience blip?

and the budget a disaster for the Tories.

 

[Mr.Bishie]

 

[teqniq]

Homeless children dying from neglect and abuse after families moved out of their local areas

 

[treelover]

Parkinson’s sufferers ‘able to work’, says the new Work and Pensions Secretary Stephen Crabb
Minister made comments the day before replacing Iain Duncan Smith - and later admitted they were 'inaccurate'

New Work and Pensions Secretary said people with Parkinson's were 'able to work'

Oh dear, he also mentions Motor Neurone Disease.

My Uncle(former steward on QE2) had Parkinsons in later life, couldn't do much, what a twat

The charities have got to fuck these people off their boards, etc.

 

[BigTom]

Pic via local MP of JCP near me.. ESA Challenge? I would presume this is to get people off of ESA... looks pretty grim and is that space invaders they've based the chart on?