The human cost of disability cuts – Maria Miller

May 17th, 2012

This Coalition government continually ignores public feeling, and evidence, on so many aspects of our lives. I firmly believe though that this is the beginning of the change. A change, for the better, which will come – for all disabled people and their carers. The voices of PP  will not be silenced.  With so many others we are building alliances – together we keep fighting and we will be heard.

Pat x

The human cost of disability cuts – read letter submitted to the Guardian here , copy to be sent to Maria Miller.

signatories to date

Pat Onions (Lanark, South Lanarkshire)

and over 36,500 signatures to the petition at http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/20968,

Jane Young Disability consultant and campaigner, wearespartacus.org.uk Linda Burnip Member, DPAC steering group Professor Peter Beresford Chair, Shaping Our Lives Dr Simon Duffy Director, Centre for Welfare Reform Richard Hawkes Chief executive, Scope Paul Farmer Chief executive, Mind Mark Goldring Chief executive, Mencap Steve Ford Chief executive, Parkinson’s UK Rosemary O’Neill, Frances Kelly CarerWatch Kaliya Franklin Disability rights writer and campaigner Claire Glasman WinVisible Steve Griffiths Research and consultancy in social and health policy Peter Spencer Chief executive, Action for M.E. Paul Jenkins Chief executive, Rethink Mental Illness Dr Ben Baumberg Lecturer in sociology and social policy, University of Kent Dr Sarah Woodin Lecturer in sociology and social policy, University of Leeds Nick Rijke Director of policy and research, MS Society Dan Morton Social Workers Action Network Caroline Richardson Ouchtoo.org Norma Curran Values Into Action Scotland, Scottish Campaign for a Fair Society Sam Barnett-Cormack, Simon Barrow Ekklesia Teresa Catto-Smith, Carole Rutherford Act Now for Autism Steven Rose Chair, Campaign for a Fair Society Clifford Singer False Economy Pippa Mackie Chief executive, Kingston-upon-Thames CAB Ali Kashmiri Access Auditor, NRAC Karen Machin St Helens, Merseyside

 Add your name in the comments below in support of this letter.

Sign Pat’s Petition and then share with all your contacts asking them to do the same

http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/20968

 

 

 

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Pat’s Petition

November 18th, 2011

list of supporters

Pat Onions has submitted an e-petition to the government website. Pat is blind and Pat is also a carer. When we asked her why she submitted this petition she said -

Read the rest of this entry »

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BBC Question Time 17 May – guest Maria Miller

May 17th, 2012

Question Time tonight BBC One 10.35 pm

With guests Peter Hain, Maria Miller, Leanne Wood, Kelvin MacKenzie and John O’Farrell.

If you use Twitter send comments to @bbcqt ,  also use hashtag  #bbcqt  and #questiontime

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Sign Pat’s Petition and share asking others to do the same

http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/20968

 

 

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Welfare cuts create ‘grave concern’

May 15th, 2012

MSPs have “grave concerns” about the future of the most vulnerable people because of a £2.5 billion cut in benefits.

Hawick News

Benefit reforms paint ‘bleak picture’ for Scotland’s most vulnerable

STV

Proposed new laws to “limit the impact” of UK-wide welfare reforms in Scotland should be passed, MSPs have said.

BBC Scotland

About the Scottish Committee here

1st Report, 2012 (Session 4): Report on the Welfare Reform (Further Provision) (Scotland) Bill at Stage 1

Papers for meeting May 15th – read here

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Stop and review the cuts to benefits and services which are falling disproportionately on disabled people, their carers and families

Sign Pat’s Petition and share the link

http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/20968

 

 

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David Cameron considers extra £25bn of welfare cuts

May 15th, 2012

David Cameron is considering ordering billions of pounds in extra welfare cuts   proposed in a confidential Downing Street policy paper, The Daily Telegraph can disclose.

Read the article in full here

Enough is Enough. Let’s put a stop to this.

Sign Pat’s Petition  which calls on the government to

Stop and review the cuts to benefits and services which are falling disproportionately on disabled people, their carers and families

Share the link and ask as many others to do the same.

WE ARE ALL IN IT TOGETHER

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Learning Disability Alliance Scotland fully support Pat’s Petition

May 10th, 2012

Ian Hood, Coordinator of the Learning Disability Alliance Scotland said,

We fully support Pat’s petition.  The implications of the proposed welfare reform have been poorly thought out by the government. We recently carried out research which found that up to 40% of people with learning disabilities could be adversely affected by the changes to Disability Living Allowance. In fact, nearly one in ten might lose all entitlement to benefit leaving them thousands of pounds a year worse off.  Pat’s Petition calls for a halt to this process and will allow the government time to make much needed changes to protect those with disabilities.

Report ‘Worse Off’ can be read here

Pat’s Petition now has over 36,000 signatories and needs your support.

Please sign and share, asking others to do the same.

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Maria Miller sits back and waits for the ‘car crash’

May 9th, 2012

You wouldn’t change the layout of a busy road junction; add traffic lights, a roundabout, a cycle lane, a pedestrian crossing, plus a one-way system all on the same day without studying the effects first. I hear those who say they have witnessed similar works and it has been disastrous. Cars crashing, people getting knocked down and no one knowing which way to go next.

This is actually happening. Not with traffic cones and diggers but with disabled people with real lives under the heading of Welfare Reform.

The Lords challenged the government when they brought in Welfare Reform and said it was one big social experiment and that they were being asked to sign a blank cheque. The government said they would monitor it as it went along. Stable doors and horses come to mind.

Now the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Human Rights (JCHR) is challenging the government to conduct a Cumulative Impact Assessment. Law requires this.

It means look at all the individual changes and how they add up and interact. It means look at the totality of the changes taken together.

It is one thing to look at each change by itself. For example – look at what impact changes to Disability Living Allowance might have -  the loss of a care package, inability to meet huge heating bills or be able to leave your home. To many disabled people DLA enables them to get to work to pay their ‘hard earned taxes.’ Reduction or loss of DLA will result in a loss of their employment.

The so-called ‘spare room tax’ hits those in work as well as disabled and long tem sick. The government is trying to uproot vast numbers of families from London to a city hundreds of miles away. Oh yes they CAN stay but only if they pay another stealth tax. They can’t afford it so leave friends, move children to completely alien schools. All this allegedly to save money.

How will cuts to local authority budgets affect those in need of respite? To be able to go to local day centres and give their unpaid carers a little time to themselves?

What impact will losing legal aid have at a time when welfare changes may mean more appeals?

What is needed here is an assessment of how all the changes affect each other.

We know there are so many changes at the moment. Welfare Reform – cuts to local authority budgets – legal aid, NHS in England, pensions, Remploy, to name but a few.

How will these affect each other?

Do we just wait and see and pick up the pieces later? Or do we look at and change it before the worst happens?

Like the new traffic system. Any one of the changes could possibly work but put them altogether and it is a disaster of magnitude proportions.

Support the JHRC in its call for a Cumulative Impact Assessment.

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The government have set up an epetition site so that people can let them know what’s important. They said they would consider debating any petition which achieved over 100,000 signatures. Signing a petition is the simplest way of letting them know this is important.

Please sign Pat’s Petition and encourage friends and colleagues to sign it too. By everyone sharing the link we can gather more signatories.

Join us on Face Book here

Follow  @patspetition  on Twitter

Want to do more?    Make a noise

Let charities you belong to and your MPs know that you support Dr Francis and the JCHR’s call for a Cumulative Impact Assessment. Make sure Maria Miller knows that she can’t just sit back and wait for the car crash

Contact your MP here

Send support to JCHR here

Letter from Maria Miller to JCHR    an extension has been granted till May 21st

Question asked in Parliament by Caroline Lucas

 

 

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Pat’s Petition goes to Edinburgh

May 1st, 2012

A short email from Pat’s Petition was sent to Alex Salmond, Scotland’s First Minister, requesting a meeting with him. Unfortunately this was not going to be possible but an alternative was offered – to meet with David Griffiths who sits on the Scrutiny Group of the Welfare Reform Committee – would I be interested?

The answer from me was an emphatic YES.

Arrangements were made with the help of Holyrood staff and I asked Rosemary O’Neill to come up from England to put that side forward. The meeting was excellent and included Isabell Donnelly from our government department, also involved with Welfare Reform.

Scotland is devolved in many services. NHS, social works, education, police, prisons and much more but not the Welfare system. That is governed by Westminster – 500 miles away in a different country.

This is causing a huge problem for Scotland as politicians and those affected find the proposals, now law, quite unacceptable in its present form. Many people live in remote villages – not forgetting dozens of islands. How can a home carer provide a 15-minute ‘drop in’ when the round trip takes almost 2 hours? How can you remove DLA and yet still expect a disabled person to make a long and difficult journey to a hospital appointment?

One thing you quickly learn about Scotland is – how approachable, not only MSP’s are but also local authorities, the voluntary groups and the charities. They want to talk with us and they DO listen. Something Westminster would be well advised to learn from.

The 4 of us spent several hours talking, listening, and commenting, with the occasional humour. There were no heated discussions – no fighting for one cause – no one person monopolising the meeting. We were all in complete agreement how devastating these Welfare cuts were and how they are destroying lives.

It was clear that in spite of a determination to help disabled people, carers and their families – money – or lack of it, was causing the biggest headaches. Yes the government can do more to prevent the extreme hardships which are starting already, but other services would have to be cut.

Do you know? There are no 1 bedroom social houses or flats in Scotland. Well yes there are but they are shelter for elderly only. Until recently rented social housing was the norm here and very few people bought their own places. When the social housing was being built, it was decided 2 bedrooms plus would be far more useful. So how pray, Mr Duncan Smith, are those with 2 bedrooms and no children going to down size? Oh I see. They aren’t. You are going to force a ‘stealth’ tax on them. Clever but this is something that has the potential to be challenged.

All too soon we had to end the meeting much as we could have talked for hours. (We had another appointment to keep with Professor Paul Spicker. He is Chairman of Public Policy at Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen. A man with a wealth of knowledge who has written widely on Public and Social Policy.)

David learned a lot from Rosemary about social care/carers in England and how much they will lose from the knock on effect by slashing services. I know she learned much about our ways too. He already knew about me!

He promised to forward some contacts to me and true to his word – they arrived home before me! Some wanted articles, others want to meet up. All hugely positive. He said he enjoyed meeting us!

Thank you David and Isabell – it was mutual.

Pat x

Please read a message from David here

100,000 is a lot of signatures and we need you all to help.
Please share and get every one to sign Pat’s Petition at -
http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/20968
Use the Share button on petition
See Pat’s Petition on FaceBook
http://www.facebook.com/patsepetition

 

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A Disaster waiting to happen – how long before social services sink

April 28th, 2012

 False Economy have been updating their list of cuts. You can see them here  and  here

They have also been collecting testimonies from people already affected.

Today the Telegraph tells how “the leaders of   every major council in England and Wales called on the main party leaders to   act now to avoid “dangerous” delays in agreeing reform to elderly services. “

The government must heed this warning. Not to do so will be foolhardy, irresponsible, reckless,

There is a greater danger ahead too. When the proposals in the Welfare Reform Act are put in to place, many people fear their benefits will be cut/withdrawn. The knock on effect to Social Services will be immense, and like a pack of cards the system will collapse.

It is vital that the government “stop and review the cuts to benefits and services which are falling disproportionately on disabled people, their carers and families.”

This is asked for in Pat’s petition . To date almost 36,000 have signed.

The JCHR outlined their concerns in March 2012 – Implementation of the Right of Disabled People to Independent Living

Scottish Campaign tells UN – “UK Welfare Reforms in Breach of Disabled People’s Human Rights”

DPAC protests

Spartacus report

Hardest Hit events

and the list could go on.

This is YOUR opportunity to take action by signing the petition but also to become an organiser. Go out and promote it, gather support where you can. Ask those supporters to do the same.

http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/20968

Any questions or if you require further information please contact -

Pat, Karen or Rosemary   patspetition@googlemail.com

 

 

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Shutting the stable door after the horse has bolted – IDS attacks £10bn welfare cuts plan

April 28th, 2012

Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith has signalled his opposition to an additional £10 billion of welfare cuts.

In a move that threatens to put him on a collision course with Chancellor George Osborne and other Cabinet ministers, Mr Duncan Smith warned that welfare was not “an easy target”.

Mr Osborne raised the prospect of the further £10 billion of cuts in welfare spending – on top of the £18 billion reduction by 2014 – in last month’s Budget.

READ IN FULL HERE

The government were embarking on wholesale reform of the benefit system when the economic crisis struck. These welfare reforms had NOT been piloted and the plan was to monitor and assess the impact of the new untried approach as it was introduced in a buoyant economy. Unfortunately since then the economy has gone in to crisis and the government has simultaneously embarked on a massive programme of cuts. This has created a perfect storm and left disabled people/those with ill health, and their carers reeling, confused and afraid.

Join almost 36,000 people and sign Pat’s petition here . It asks the government to

Stop and review the cuts to benefits and services which are falling disproportionately on disabled people, their carers and families

Add your name, and then ask as many others to sign too. Share it far and wide and ask others to do the same.

 

 

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YOUR signature could make a difference

April 22nd, 2012

The wait is almost over for the fun runners, amateur athletes, celebrities and elite sportsmen and women taking part in the Virgin London Marathon.
Organisers estimate around 36,500 competitors will take their place on the start line in Greenwich on Sunday morning.  Read in full here 

You may ask yourself why the marathon runners are of interest to Pat’s Petition! The answer is simple.

To date, 35,433 people have signed the petition. There is not much difference between the 2 events.

So, whether you stand on the pavements cheering the runners, or sit at home watching on TV – just imagine that every one of those runners represents a signatory on Pat’s petition. Each one raising their voice against many of this governments proposals.

Those runners participating will make a difference to someone’s life – so can you. By helping Pat reach her finish line of at least 100,000 names.

Please sign Pat’s Petition here but more importantly, Share, Share, Share. Ask friends/family and contacts to sign and ask them to share too.

http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/20968

 

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