Please join the campaign to stop the Condems attacking the weak and the vulnerable by cutting Disability Living Allowance and welfare benefits. Care Watch have supplied this statement.
"We ask the Coalition to make a clear statement about the level of welfare benefit support that they intend to offer disabled people and their carers in these very challenging times
Disability Living Allowance was specifically named in the Emergency Budget as a benefit that was being targeted and where substantial savings could be made. Many groups/organisations representing the disabled people and carers are reporting that this has caused an immediate wave of anxiety and concern.
DLA is an essential benefit that was specifically designed to provide financial support towards the extra costs incurred by people living with a disability. DLA payments have enabled hundreds of thousands of disabled people to maintain a degree of independence and quality of life that would have otherwise been lost to them.
Because Middle and Higher rate DLA are both also passport benefits to enable family members to claim Carers Allowance, removing or reducing DLA will not only have an enormous financial impact on disabled people it will also impact on their carers - a double blow which will especially hit hard those families on the poverty line.
It is even more alarming that the Coalition plan a new regime of 'non medical tests ' as happened with Employment Support Allowance.. A 'test' which was designed to throw 1 million people off sickness benefit altogether. It is a 'test' you are planned to fail.
Of course we want the aspiration of work to be open to disabled people and carers but with rising unemployment coupled with cuts to social care support services, realistically how many will find work and how soon? We are concerned that the most severely and enduringly ill people will be subject to threats and sanctions for not finding work and have incomes reduced as a result.
Please forward us the link/copy of your own organisations’ response to the Budget and include a brief statement of support that can be added to our campaign blog."
More here Carer Watch.com / Emergency Budget 2010
About Me
- Linda Roy
- Lifetime commitment to the trade union and labour movement. Been local workplace and national CWU representative and held many other positions in the CWU. TUC accredited tutor and disability champion. Former Labour town councillor and town Mayor.
Morning Linda,
ReplyDeleteCarer Watch would like to thank you for raising awareness of our campaign. Further statements from groups are coming in and will be added to web site in due course.