Tonight on BBC2 at 9pm: Episode 3 of Universal Credit — Inside the Welfare State. This week’s episode from Bolton, shows the struggles of mum Paula, and Jenny, a waitress on a zero-hour contract. We haven’t seen the full programme, only the clip from the BBC. But the clip makes out that the problem is giving claimants too much money — not the 5-week waiting time and having to repay the advance. Last week’s episode in Liverpool was about Susan, Zach and Laryssa. Susan aged 61 was terrified of being sanctioned, and looked exhausted as she … Read more
Errol Graham, from Nottingham, slowly starved to death after being cut off ESA for “failure to attend” a face-to-face assessment on 31 August 2017. (The assessor company Maximus – CHDA would have reported his “failure to attend” to the DWP.) His bereaved daughter-in-law, Alison Turner, went to Disability News Service and has been campaigning for two years. On Friday 7 February, a vigil was held in Nottingham by the community. Photos and report shared from BBC East Midlands: “Relatives of a man who starved to death after his benefits were stopped are demanding action to … Read more
Reposted from Disability News Service: Call for second Jodey Whiting inquest increases pressure for DWP deaths inquiry By John Pring on 9th January 2020 A mother who has asked the attorney general for permission to seek a second inquest into her disabled daughter’s suicide says it would boost growing calls for an inquiry into all deaths linked to the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). Jodey Whiting (pictured) took her own life in February 2017, 15 days after she had her out-of-work disability benefits mistakenly stopped for missing a work capability assessment (WCA). The Independent Case Examiner (ICE) … Read more
On Tuesday 3 December 2019 – International Day of Disabled People at Royal Courts of Justice, Strand, London WC2A 2LL Court case starts 10.30am. Go into court room 73 to support the claimants, TP and AR. Court times to be listed here. Continues Wednesday 4 December (afternoon only), Thursday 5 December, support in court needed. 1.30pm Tuesday 3 Dec: photocall & vigil outside court — Facebook event Please come along, or support in other ways: #ScrapUC #UniversalCredit Called by Inclusion London, WinVisible (women with visible & invisible disabilities), with other disability, women’s and anti-poverty supporters. Info: … Read more
Let’s look at the track record of political parties concerning benefits. Click here to read our previous chronology of the community actions from October 2010 to March 2016 which led to the resignation of the then Work and Pensions Minister Iain Duncan Smith. Note: Research done by the Spartacus Network was not included in the round-up. At the time of compiling the chronology, we were shocked by the decision of Spartacus’ Sue Marsh to work for Maximus, one of the notorious benefit assessor companies, as Head of Customer Experience for a reputed salary of £75,000 a year. … Read more
We want to share this news from the Benefits Training Company about someone who was told to claim Universal Credit (UC) but should have stayed on Employment and Support Allowance (ESA). As far as we understand it, the Benefits Training Company is saying that although Mr B split up from his partner, his ill-health remained the same (no change) so he should have stayed on ESA, he did not have a change of circumstances. By starting a UC claim, Mr B’s contributions-based ESA was converted to ‘new style ESA’ which doesn’t include severe disability premiums. We … Read more
Reviews are happening now of people’s PIP claims. This follows several legal wins challenging benefits discrimination, including Ms R F, whom we supported at court in 2017 (see the report by Public Law Project). Because of these successes, the government had to agree to check 1.6m PIP claims on whether we are getting our full entitlements. But in many cases, women are getting letters from DWP reviewers saying “no change”, so now is the time to press your case for an increase. The government had blocked people with mental distress from getting the top rate for mobility. … Read more
A mum and her son who was aged 11 have finally won their legal challenge against the bedroom tax, after taking their case to the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR). Nearly three years after she lost at the Supreme Court, on 24 October 2019 (Thursday), the European Court ruled that the UK government is discriminating against women fleeing domestic violence, by applying the bedroom tax to women and children who need an extra room to take refuge in and be safe from a violent ex-partner who is likely to come to attack them. The mum, known … Read more