Disability Meeting reportback

(long!)

People on the list asked for a report back on the
meeting about disability benefits held recently by
SSF. Apologies for the delay in sending a
report/feedback from the welfare meeting, we are still
waiting for the completed notes from the event

‘However, a brief report: the number of apologies due
to illness, obviously mitigated against a large
meeting, but it was a lively but very serious meeting
which was very productive, empowering and positive. So
many thanks to all those who made it or made
suggestions online, etc. The meeting entitled ‘End
the Disability Cuts! Life for those on Disability
Benefits in Sheffield and Beyond’ allowed people to
discuss, inform and be informed about the proposed
changes/reforms in welfare benefits. Just as
importantly it allowed people to raise awareness of
the difficulties, health issues and concerns of those,
the disabled and chronically ill who receive these
benefits and who have no real voice.

Colin Hampton (Co-ordinator Chesterfield Unemployed
Workers Centre) spoke on the wider attacks on benefit,
the use of compulsion, and the reform of the appeals
system. Also on the levels of benefit being
insufficient, given that £90 a week is thought to be
the minimum level people can exist on. In an
independent survey only 2% of benefits claims were
found to be fraudulent, yet often all claimants are
made to feel like ‘criminals’. He also gave us an very
interesting insight into the current Govt attitude to
those who cannot work in today’s Britain

Importantly, people gave powerful and moving
testimonies on the difficulties of claiming disability
benefits in today’s Britain, the lack of support for
carers, and the social exclusion which greets those on
benefits. Concerns were particularly raised about
Colin’s info on the closing of local centres for
assessment tribunals and about the pilot schemes
operating in the Chesterfield area in which disabled
people have to attend 6 mandatory ‘work focused
interviews’. However, a very positive(and positively
far reaching) development was announced by Colin which
the PCS Union (the civil servants union for staff who
deal with welfare) together with the T.U.C Unemployed
Centres have come together to promote a Bill Of Rights
for people on benefits and the people who serve them
. A charter, which at its heart argues strongly
against any kind of compulsion.
(copies from Derbyshire Unemployed Workers Centre
 DUWC.SHUCAN@ahtena.shu.ac.uk or tel 01246 2311441)

This is very timely as a new report from the IPPR( a
think tank very close to the Govt) has indeed argued
for compulsory interviews and even mandatory
'conditional medical treatment’ for those on
incapacity benefit. Although, there is a positive
suggestion to create an 'enhanced' Disability Living
Allowance to ‘ensure that the extra costs of living
with a health problem or disability can be met.

 http://www.ippr.org.uk/press/index.php?rel


Press Releases > 2004
Reform of incapacity benefit needed for full
employment and social justice
5th December

The Government must reform incapacity benefit if it is
to achieve its full employment and social justice
goals, according to a new report from the Institute
for Public Policy Research (ippr), published next
week.

‘Mandatory action agreements - negotiated between
well-trained Personal Advisers and claimants. Agreed
actions could include steps towards social and
economic inclusion for those people who cannot work
such as condition management, or may include
work-search activity, actions to enhance employability
through training and education; and

 http://www.ippr.org.uk/press/index.php?release=347


thoughts


Personally, I felt that at last disabled people
weren't alone, that the burning injustice of how
decent people on disability benefits were being
treated and the wider issues of chronic illness was
now being addressed. I think others may have felt the
same way, but I won't speak for them. A positive
outcome of the meeting is that people would like to
set up a new non party political campaigning group to
respond to these concerns and a second meeting is
being held to develop some kind of response action
against the proposals.

The follow up meeting on disability benefit
cuts/changes and how we can respond is on Saturday
11th December, 2 - 4pm, Quaker
Meeting House.

hope you can make it

regards