WinVisible women defending our benefit rights

On 18 July, WinVisible women took part in #DisabledPeopleDemand – a celebration of disabled people’s creativity and our demands for the new government, organised by Disabled People Against Cuts, with Recovery In The Bin, Bromley & Croydon Unite Community, Disability and Migrant Network (DAMN) and the Trans Safety Network.

Labour’s insulting attacks on sick and disabled people, mothers and family carers they call “economically inactive” are a threat to our lives and livelihoods. Those of us seeking asylum are denied benefits and healthcare, and face destitution, detention and deportation, though the Rwanda plan is scrapped.  We defend everyone’s right to benefits and to healthcare, to recognition for our caring work and other contributions, and abolition of “No Recourse to Public Funds”.  No continuation of benefit cuts and institutional care plans made over our heads.

Keep the Winter Fuel Allowance universal.  50+ organisations and coalitions, us included, signed the End Fuel Poverty open letter to Chancellor Rachel Reeves against means-testing Winter Fuel Payments to pensioners, majority women. A third of pensioners entitled to Pension Credit don’t claim it. No more deaths from benefit cuts!

The money is there.  Warhead Starmer pledges £75 billion more military spending and more Trident submarines armed with nuclear bombs, but no more for social security, for children, including ending the two child benefit cap, for independent living and support for mothers to keep families together.

Scrap the PIP consultation and the move to privatise sick notes away from GPs.  Supermarket vouchers were ended for asylum seekers, for stigmatising us – now, vouchers are proposed to replace PIP benefit for disabled people.  We must have cash — only we know how best to meet our own needs.

Coping with disability and ill-health is hard work.  Work and Pensions minister Liz Kendall targets 2.8m sick and disabled people on benefits, after Sunak’s attack on “sick-note Britain” and Starmer’s vow to cut the number of people “languishing on benefits”.  Many WinVisible women, refugee and UK-born, rely on benefits after surviving violence, and struggle “to maintain a bare minimum standard of living” with energy bills and other costs.

Kendall says 9.4m people “economically inactive” is unacceptable – but mothers need to be with young children, and millions of family carers, mainly women, save the government £162 billion a year.  Many disabled women are mothers and family carers too.

Labour threatens harsher sanctions: “… people who can work, should work – and there will be consequences for those who do not fulfil their obligations.” (Labour Manifesto p42) Under Universal Credit, part-time workers can be sanctioned.  Many women do part-time waged work to escape the benefit cap.  Those who can’t, include single disabled mothers, mothers of disabled children, women fleeing domestic violence, sick and disabled people.

Replying on the PIP Green Paper, Labour’s Alison McGovern MP, said:  “We will judge any measure that the Government bring forward on its merits . . . because the costs of failure in this area are unsustainable.  The autonomy and routine of work is good for us all, for our mental and physical health—and more than that, for women, work is freedom, too.”

Women and especially disabled women who face the worst pay gap, want choice: support to look after children, family and friends, and waged work when we choose.  Not to be forced by DWP rules, high rent or bills, to work long hours in bad conditions for low pay.

Women are the majority of disabled people and among benefit claimants – we’re poor, on zero-hour/part-time and low wages, we’re carers. Benefit rules, the two-child limit and sanctions target mothers and children, while the higher pension age makes women in our 60s, worn out after a lifetime of work, keep working or face the Work Capability Assessment.

Hostility of the benefits system and relentless reassessments must end, replaced by supportive benefits which meet the cost of living, extra costs of disability, and value caring work.  The DWP must have a legal duty to safeguard vulnerable claimants.  End cut-offs for “failure to attend” interviews which lead to tragic deaths, including of disabled mothers.

Carers Allowance is a pittance (£81.90/week). Labour blanked this, while the Lib Dems would increase it by £20.  Persecution must stop of family carers pursued for not declaring earnings on top of Carers Allowance, trying to make ends meet.

We support the Global Women’s Strike call for a living wage or Guaranteed Care Income for mothers, other family carers, and paid care and support workers alike, to support choice by all and mutually respectful relationships.

Homecare charges make disabled women poorer, leading to financial dependence on partners, relationship pressures and domestic violence. Women have fought not to be forced into financial dependence on partners.  Care charges cause women to drop out of services, relying instead on acquaintances who can turn abusive. Labour Hammersmith & Fulham is the only council not to charge for homecare — follow their example.

We fed into the UK Disabled People’s Manifesto: “We want major reform and investment across social security, social care, education, housing and employment, to provide Disabled people of all ages, genders, backgrounds or immigration status with a decent level of income and free at the point of use additional support that we need to fully enjoy our rights and to lead full and connected lives.”

Women with disabilities have a right to family life.  Our children have a right to be raised by their mother and family, and not be denied her love and care due to disability prejudice.  Support services under the Care Act and Children Act must be obligatory. Instead we face punitive “child protection” investigations for ‘harm’ if we ask for the help we are entitled to, and our children are taken into care or adopted, suffering trauma and abuse.  Privatised children’s homes cost more than Eton per child, nearly bankrupting councils, swallowing funds which could go to adult social care.

Restore support for independent living — no to forced residential homes!

Millions of younger and older people, including 1.5m pensioners, get little or no homecare.  79 people a day die waiting for support. People with high needs are told our support is too expensive and we’ll have to go into a care home – away from family and friends.  Our lives were deprioritised in the pandemic — no to merged NHS and social services institutional powers against us, and our existence reduced to bodily functions in a privatised industry.

Contact us @WinVisibleWomen  win@winvisible.org  020 7482 2496  winvisible.org