The two severely disabled men, known as TP and AR, who were on ESA and claimed Universal Credit (UC) when they moved to a different area, are still battling for their severe disability premium (SDP) rights. Other single severely disabled people previously on ESA will get these — if they have no “change of circumstances” and are told by the DWP to change over to UC. Note, disabled people claiming Universal Credit, if they are claiming benefits for the first time and weren’t previously on ESA, don’t get any so-called “transitional protection”. Solicitors Leigh Day … Read more
WinVisible is among those supporting Joy Dove, mother of Jodey Whiting. On 10 June, DWP officials travelled to meet Jodey’s bereaved parents at the office of her MP, where they told her they have made many changes. They told her that Mind is providing training to staff. Read the Disability News Service report of the meeting here. Our comment: In our experience doing casework every day, critically vulnerable women claimants are still being cut off for “failure to attend” and have their good cause for it dismissed, like what happened to Jodey. When they are made … Read more
Ontario is a large province in Canada which borders the United States. Last month, their Basic Income (BI) pilot scheme was ended early. In April 2017, while the Liberal Party was in power in Ontario, they started a BI pilot scheme with about 4,000 people in the test communities of Hamilton-Brantford, Thunder Bay and Lindsay. It was supposed to run for three years but was cancelled by the incoming Tory premier, Doug Ford, who was elected in June 2018. We wanted to know more, and why a group of women, including disabled women, went to court to … Read more
Film director Ken Loach, who made “I, Daniel Blake” (2016) to expose the brutalities of the benefits system, has given his support to Joy Dove, mum of Jodey Whiting. Ken Loach said on Twitter: “The DWP is still failing people – it may be worse now than it was when we made I, Daniel Blake.” In 2016, Ken Loach invited bereaved relatives and disability campaigners to hold a vigil on the red carpet at the Leicester Square premiere of I, Daniel Blake. This was also supported by Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn and John McDonnell MP (who … Read more
Support the petition to stop the dangerous merger of tests for PIP and ESA/Universal Credit On 5 March 2019, benefits Minister Amber Rudd announced at a Scope conference that the DWP would develop a single digital system – online like Universal Credit — for Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) and Personal Independence Payments (PIP), and have an integrated assessment for ESA and PIP from 2021. This means more destitution and deaths! We’re supporting Lisa Egan’s petition “Don’t merge the assessments for PIP and ESA” Please sign and circulate widely. Lisa says: “My concerns about merging the assessments … Read more